New Beauty Cosmetic Campaign Photo Shoot
August 20th, 2010Hello everyone ! Let me start by apologizing for not posting for such a long time. I took time off to go on vacation, visit relatives and refresh the old motor lol. Now I am back !
I recently had the pleasure of shooting a great beauty campaign for Cala Beauty Care Products. I got the call from an advertising agency, sent them a quote, signed my contract and the planning began. They wanted everything shot on a white background. So I gathered my crew, booked the studio and had a great shoot.
You will see that the model was beautiful. We actually had two models. What was interesting about this shoot was that I had beautiful models but the focus was on the products. For instance in this shot as sexy as it is, my client wanted to show the cool silver looking acrylic nails she was wearing.
The wardrobe stylist matched the sexy booty shorts with that shiny silver color as well as the high heels. So as we see everything matters in a photo, even down to the shoes and shorts the model is wearing. To light the already white background my assistant used two Profoto heads on each side of the set mounted with medium sized white umbrellas. My key light was a white beauty dish. We put up white V- flats on both sides of the model to reflect some edge on to her.
The team was actually pretty large. I had two manicurists, one hair stylist, two make up artists and a wardrobe stylist. The owner of the company was there giving direction to the woman who hired me from the ad agency who acted as art director. You would think that with that many people things could get crazy, but everyone knew their place and did their job as expected. As photographers we still need to remember that we are in charge of EVERYONE. I have eyes in the back of my head too. I am always aware of everything going on around me. Occasionally I will check on the make up and hair, manicurists etc. just to make sure the boat is sailing smoothly. Ok so check out some other images.
And this is how a couple of the photos were used. The client printed 8 foot posters to display at their booth for a cosmetic convention in Las Vegas. I took a shot of the set for you guys. That is my assistant Ryan. Any questions or comments please shout away ! 
August 20th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Andrew Buxton and Jason Christopher , Jason Christopher . Jason Christopher said: How I lead a large crew and handled a beauty advertising campaign shoot with behind the scenes photos. http://ping.fm/SyJve [...]
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:13 am
Jason,
Your work is always amazing and the creative ideas you come up with just amaze me.
As always Dream Row enjoys working with the best talent out there in the independent market and independent doesn’t mean low end it means they can operate as a separate business. Remember Jason for your next shoot and get what you pay for. http://dreamrow.com
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Jason Christopher Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Thank you Dan ! You and Dream Row have always been great to me. You guys rock !!
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August 23rd, 2010 at 8:07 am
Hi Jason,
… fantastic images as always. I imagine that managing a large team isn’t always as smooth; conflicting personalities, miscommunication, and scheduling issues. It must be refreshing to work with so many professionals that know their places and roles.
Since you’re such a busy guy, I was wondering if you ever do any self-promo work at all. If so, how do you go about choosing your team for that and is it always volunteers or do you sometimes hire people for it?
Wil
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Jason Christopher Reply:
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Hi Wil,
Thank you so much. It’s very refreshing to work with professionals and have it run so smooth. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I do self promo work with mailers, but not as often as I used to. I just do it myself. What’s crazy is the web and social marketing sites play a big role now in marketing and getting your work out there. With the internet, word spreads faster than a wildfire ! Having my site rank so high with Google has been very helpful.
Thank you for your question Wil !
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October 3rd, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Hello Jason,
I just ran into your blog by accident, I was googling fashion photographer lighting. I am wanting to get into more fashionable pictures and need to know what lights i should start out with and what are the good brands to start. There are SO many different set ups that it has been very overwhelming. Could you please fill me in on the must haves for semi beginners??
Thank you
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Jason Christopher Reply:
October 4th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Hi Annie,
You want at least three strobes. Start with mono lights because they are less expensive than going with the power pack system. You can purchase kits that come with stands, umbrellas, soft boxes etc. to get you up and shooting. Some good brands for mono lights are Hensel, Calumet, and even Alien Bee. I have used Alien Bee once and they did the job but of course because they are so inexpensive they are not built very well. They are made with a soft plastic and very flimsy. Something to consider if you will be taking them on location and moving them alot. My advice is buy the best you can afford. If you have to save a little bit then save for the better quality. Hensel is better quality over Alien Bee and will cost more. The lighting accessories and light modifiers a company makes is also something to look at. You want to make sure the mono lights you buy also have a nice line of modifiers to choose from. Hope this helps ! Thank you Annie.
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October 13th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
I am 19 years old, and looking at your work inspires me ! I love what you do ,and your tips help me out so much !! You are my role model !! Thank you !
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Jason Christopher Reply:
October 29th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Kristina thank you so much! I am flattered. You are very welcome. And please let me know if there is anything you would like me to cover.
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April 12th, 2011 at 12:05 am
I love these! You light so well. It’s fun to see!
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August 18th, 2011 at 11:51 pm
Hello Jason, how are you ? One word WOW !
lol
This blog is the best thing iv found. And your work is pure amazing and inspirational.
i have a question i thought was much different to others and i am very interested in knowing more about it as i find it is a big factor in my work flow.
Retouching ! Do you do it yourself ? All of it ? Most of it ? A little of it ? And along with my question id like to ask for some blogging about this topic if you have the time as it is also another passion i have.
I Appreciate all the time and information you have put into your Blogs
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Jason Christopher Reply:
August 19th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Thank you so much Amanda ! I really appreciate your kind words. I actually do NOT do any retouching. I have a team of retouchers that each specialize in different areas. I don’t have the patience to retouch lol.
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