Lens Selection For Fashion Photography
July 1st, 2010I have been asked many times why I choose a certain lens for the different photos I have shot whether the photos are for a campaign or a catalog or even a personal model portfolio shoot.
The answer isn’t so clear cut. I can tell you that my most used lens is my Canon 85 1.8. Why do I love this lens ? For the reason that I can get full body shots to three quarter shots to half body shots, all with one lens. And this lens is very light which does matter after you have been shooting for 5, 6, 7 , 10 hours. The contrast and saturation is great and I always get sharp crisp images which is VERY important when shooting a clothing catalog. When shooting clothing you MUST capture the details in the fabric and I don’t care what kind of fabric it is, it is your job as a photographer to make sure every detail of the clothing is clear and well defined. This is especially important now because of the internet. A popular trend for designers is to show the model full body and when the user scrolls over the jacket, blouse, pants, jeans etc. a magnified image pops out that shows the incredible detail of the stitching or quality of the silk, denim etc.
So with just a little movement back and forth on my part I am able to give my client choices from full body all the way to half body shots. Now granted, knowing that my client is going to include a pop out of tight close up of the fabric I will move in for a half body shot. That brings me to my next favorite lens for shooting fashion. That lens is the Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro.
I can get as close as one inch to the garment and capture every little detail including the little fibers of each stitch ! At this point I would be on a tripod of course. If I am shooting a beauty campaign which I just completed by the way, I will roll out this amazing lens. I’m on sticks and got my 100 macro attached to my 5D Mark 2 and I can shoot away with full confidence. I will even get in tight on one eye to show the clarity and quality of the eye shadow, nail polish, lip stick etc. It’s not L glass but I will give you my opinion on L glass……… YOU DON’T FRIGGIN NEED “L” GLASS !! Ok ? Get over this crap that you have to have “L” glass to get great shots. My God I get sooo irritated when I see that a photographer has just wet his pants because he just bought a new lens with “L” glass. Do you think all the greats used “L” glass ? No they didn’t. Why ? Because it didn’t exist and guess what ? They were still hired to shoot the great campaigns and Vogue covers and their shit still looked amazing. Helmut Newton, Herb Ritz, Sante D’ Orazio, Irving Penn, the list goes on, never shot with “L” glass and ummm well, they have gone down in history as some of the best shooters in history !
Ok enough ranting lol. Seriously though, if you wanna waste your money and you have the money to waste and it makes you get a warm feeling all over then go for it ! Spend spend spend !!!! Canon still won’t sponsor you.. he he.
I will admit that I do own two lenses that are made with “L” glass, but that is not why I bought them. So another favorite lens of mine is my Canon 28-70 2.8 L. Many times when I’m shooting in a really cool location I like to capture the location and the model in the same shot to tell the story with a more dramatic effect. So I will move in VERY close and zoom out to 28mm and capture that awesome sky in the desert or beautiful beach, blue water and blue sky and oh ya, the beautiful model as you can see in these two shots.
So there you have it. These are the three lenses I shoot with most often. If I want to REALLY compress my image and background I will break out my Canon 200mm 2.8 L and I ALWAYS put that on sticks.
So I’m sure some of you will disagree with my on the whole “L” series debate. I wanna hear your side. I would also love to know what some of your favorite lenses are and why. And don’t forget to click the subscribe to my newsletter link. It’s at the bottom of my LINKS section.
Cheers !!!
Tags: ad campaign, canon 100mm, canon 85, clothing catalog, fashion photograph, helmut newton, jason christopher, model portfolio, photographer
July 1st, 2010 at 5:07 pm
No no no, I mean yes yes yes! You’re right that L Glass isn’t mandatory but having switched from a non-L 100 2.8 macro to the L series 100mm all I can say is that for me it’s like NIGHT AND DAY! Seriously! Sharper image, better clarity, I’m serious. I don’t believe it’s necessary and you should shoot with whatever you think is best but seriously Jason, get your hands on the L 100 macro. I promise you will love love love it!
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Jason Christopher Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Hi Matt,
Very interesting. I respect your advice and because I can sense your sincere intensity I am going to rent the L 100mm and post the results. I am ALWAYS open to suggestions and I don’t claim to know everything so now I get to play with a new lens and if I like the L glass more I’m gonna ask you for a loan lol
Thank you for your post Matt ! Please share this with everyone. I would really love to get more opinions and stories.
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July 1st, 2010 at 5:31 pm
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July 1st, 2010 at 7:48 pm
I have one L lens and that is the 24-70 2.8. It is the main one that I use, but I do not like how soft the lens is. I’ve never had a lens to shoot this soft.
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Jason Christopher Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 8:19 pm
Well Wendy I’m not sure what to tell you. My 28-70 is very sharp. If you are using a wide aperture then yes your image will be soft. But remember to ALWAYS choose your focus sensor, don’t let the camera choose it for you and focus on the eye that is closest to the lens. If your are shooting at 24mm at f/4 then yes of course everything will be soft. If you are shooting at a tighter aperture then everything should be sharper. You might have a problem with your lens. I would have to see an example of a photo in order for me to diagnose what is going on.
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July 1st, 2010 at 9:01 pm
[...] Lens Selection For Fashion Photography | Fashion Photography Blog … [...]
July 2nd, 2010 at 12:36 am
I agree, you don’t need L glass…but you do need something good. The glass you mentioned (85mm 1.8) is an extremely good lens and if it’s not classified as an “L”, I think it’s only because the 1.2 is super fast and nothing (other than the 50mm 1.2) comes close in low light. As for the 28-70, totally worth it…even if a little soft, as Jason explained. I started with the 28-135 (I think that’s what it was) and can tell you, for a “walking around” zoom lens, you can’t argue how much better the images look with a 28 to 135L lens.
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Jason Christopher Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Hi Matt,
Yes please don’t get me wrong everyone. You DO need good glass. Prime lenses are of utmost importance. The lenses that have variable apertures are junk. Stay away from those. And yes some of the “L” lenses do offer better images, but better is very subjective. I’ve shot many many jobs where I didn’t use my L glass and you would never know it.
And if you can afford that glass then by all means, go for it. Just make sure you are still able to pay your bills
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July 2nd, 2010 at 7:17 am
I have to agree, my 28-70 is very very sharp as well.
And Jason, if I was closer you could borrow my 100L and try it out before shucking over the big money to buy or rent it
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Jason Christopher Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Thank you Matt I appreciate that offer. I looked at your site and my God you kick ass brotha ! I am VERY impressed !
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Eddie Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 2:31 pm
I agree with Jason. Your work is amazing. Great stuff. Do you have a blog?
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Jason Christopher Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Thank you Eddie ! Ya umm this is my blog lol
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Eddie Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Hahahah…sorry Jason, your work is amazing too, that’s why I’m here! I was asking Matt
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Jason Christopher Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 6:54 pm
lol it’s all good brotha !
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July 2nd, 2010 at 9:32 am
I’m going to have to go with Matt on this one. The L series lenses I’ve shot have been consistently better than lower priced lenses. I’m not saying that all lower priced lenses are bad, I definitely still have some in my bag, use them regularly and have no plans to replace them. But cheaper lenses seem to be more hit and miss. Some times when you buy a cheaper lens you get lucky and get a good copy that’s sharp and produces good color, sometimes you don’t. Then what? Return it, try again, what if the next one is bad too? How much time do you spend trying to get a good copy? The L’s (at least the one’s I’ve worked with) have been consistently sharp out of the box. The other brand I like is the high end of the Sigma line, not quite as consistent as the L’s, but usually way cheaper.
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Jason Christopher Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Hi Bob,
Thank you for your comment. I agree with what you are saying to some degree. I agree to stay away from cheap lenses. However, my 85 1.8 is only $300 and is an amazing lens, always consistent. I see no reason to switch to the 1.2 L.
I do have to say that I am a firm believer that if you have a Canon camera you use Canon glass. Yes Tamron and Sigma make good glass BUT I have heard this many times from guys who are using an off brand lens, their shots aren’t always in focus even when they are on sticks ! The reason for that is because the electronics from the off brand lens don’t communicate with the camera like they should because the off brand lens doesn’t have the same “secret recipe” or whatever you wanna call it. So I say if you use Nikon, use Nikon glass, if you use Canon, use Canon glass.
BTW everyone I have a new link under the links section on the right that says Subscribe to my blog updates. Please click that to stay up to date. Your email addresses WILL NOT be sold or given to anyone.
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July 9th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Just stumbled upon your blog by accident and loved your post on L lenses!
I shoot with pretty much the same gear as u. 5d Mark II, 85MM 1.8 (which is rarely off of my camera), 24-70 2.8, but instead of the 100mm I use the 50 1.4 a lot (I do have the 50 1.2 as well but like the 1.4 way more!). Often times I use the 70-200 2.8 as well… but very rarely!
Love the work! Thank you for sharing!
~A
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Jason Christopher Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for your comment and compliment. I look forward to seeing you here more often. In the sidebar you can sign up to get my updates.
Cheers !
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September 14th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Thanks for sharing your experience and ideas!
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Jason Christopher Reply:
September 15th, 2010 at 8:23 am
You’re welcome Jay. Thank you for stopping by.
Remember to sign up for my updates in the subscribe box to the right.
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October 29th, 2010 at 8:05 am
Hey Jason cool blog ! I am not a big player.. hell I only got paid once for a quick job but I would like to start doing some more natural light beauty stuff and strobist…
Anyways all that to say, I only own 28-70mm 2.8 and I love it. I do own other lenses (I bought all my lenses second hand), but I must say that my favooorrriiittteee lens is still my M42 Super Takumar… I feel that autofocus is often … quite robotic and I love the charm of the increasing softness as you focus slightly before or after. Is there anyway I can market my use of those old lenses ? To be honest I really believe that old lenses are better… maybe they aren’t as pure but they have their own character and personality which adds to one style ! (so I do agree about not needing L lens… but what do you tell dumb customers ? not that I have any ahha)…
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Adrien Bernard Reply:
October 29th, 2010 at 8:07 am
Sorry the takumar I use is the 55mm f2…
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Jason Christopher Reply:
November 1st, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Well Adrien I don’t think you have to specifically make it known to clients about the gear you use UNLESS they ask how you get your special focus effect. The fact that you get this effect is something that is special to your type of shooting. You’re photos have their own style and character and that is what will market you itself. Many photographers today have to use Photoshop to achieve any special retro look that new lenses cannot produce. That in itself is your marketing. Will every single potential client like and appreciate your style ? No way. But so what ? We can’t please everyone, nor do we want to.
It’s what makes us different that makes us worth more money.
I don’t see anything wrong with mentioning on your bio the special lens/ technique you use and the beautiful effect it produces that defines your style. And if customers still don’t get it, then screw em. They obviously don’t have the capacity to appreciate different beautiful work when it hits them in their nose.
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January 4th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
Thanks for the article. I just found your site looking for how to shoot with dramatic lighting. You are also hilarious in your blogs, e.g., “wet their pants and L lens,” anyway, I enjoyed reading this.
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Jason Christopher Reply:
March 8th, 2011 at 2:03 pm
LOL well thank you Mario
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February 20th, 2011 at 3:56 am
I’d be interested in reading your review of the L version of the 100mm macro, I was tempted but in all honesty for my beauty work, which is what I use it for I’m on a tripod now and cannot fault the non L version unless it’s handheld, then I tend to get camera shake.
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Jason Christopher Reply:
September 6th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Hi Brian. I have used L glass in all lenses and my conclusion is you only need it if you are shooting in low light. Other than that, just get yourself a fast lens and you are set to go.
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