Jason Christopher, LA Commercial & Fashion Photographer Bio

So you all know that I have NEVER used Photoshop to TOTALLY change my photos.  The only reason Photoshop is ever used is to smooth skin and dust spots.  But a recent shoot I did was in a classic car museum and there was no way in hell that we were going to be able to take these cars out to a location.  The solution was to change the background in Photoshop.  If we didn’t change it then the whole shoot would be a total loss.  I lit these with a ring light and some edge lights.  My digital compositor did an amazing job at creating a classy yet edgy look !  I would love to hear your opinions and thoughts !

You may view more of the series on my site.

My private photography workshops are going strong !  Two weeks ago a wonderful woman Sofia, came all the way up from Mexico.  She is more of a portrait photographer but also wanted to learn a little bit of fashion so we shot in studio and outdoors.  I took her to the Peter Strauss Ranch in Agoura Hills.  Instead of lugging a bunch of lighting gear out there I wanted to teach her how to use an on camera flash.  When we first start out we don’t always have the resources of getting an assistant.  So for this shot we mounted her flash on a light stand.  I also mounted a 3 foot by 2 foot white board to the stand and bounced the flash into the board. So we ended up with a nice soft light that didn’t look like harsh on camera flash.  The stand was about 4 feet away off camera left and about 4 feet away from the model. This photo has NOT been edited, it is right out of the camera.

This next photo is of Sofia shooting Olga the fashion model.  Sofia was shooting with Nikon gear and her on camera flash with a Stofen cover on the flash head.  We all had a great time and Sofia learned many new techniques that she will implement into her shooting without having to spend a fortune on gear and also Sofia learned that shooting alone without an assistant is VERY possible.

So I am testing this new app out. Does anyone know if blog writer is better? This app is by wordpress but it doesn’t seem like it has all the working functions as if I were on my desktop.

➢ The closer your light modifier is to your model, the broader/softer your light will be. The farther away, the more direct/harsher your light will be. An umbrella will yield more contrast than a soft box.

➢    When placing your soft box or umbrella in relation to the model, start at the distance of the circumference of the umbrella or diagonal measurement of your soft box. So if the circumference of your umbrella is 45in. then place it 45in. away from your model.  If the size of your box is 36in. then place it 36in. away from your model.  The angle & height you place it at is dependant upon what type of lighting you choose.  So start with these “rules” and then break them as you wish.

I was photographing a woman for her CD cover down at the beach one afternoon in Malibu and as I always do I look and observe EVERYTHING going on around me.  Why you may ask ?  Because well first of all you need to make sure your shot is clear but also you never know what might be hiding right in front of your nose.  As we were looking around for great light I saw a little girl about a hundred yards away behind my model.  The little girl was attempting to feed a sea gull and the moment was perfect !  I quickly put my Canon 200mm lens on and shot away.  It was funny because my client was talking to me and I didn’t hear a word she was saying, lol.

Before I knew it the moment was gone but I captured a magical moment.

girl on beach feeding sea gull

Hey everyone ! Last week I shot gold medelist Shawn Johnson for her sportswear line of gymnastics clothing.  My crew and I only had four hours with her because she needed to go straight to rehearsal for Dancing With the Stars.  The shoot took place at Beachwood Studios in Hollywood.

Celebrity gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson with photographer Jason Christopher