Jason Christopher, LA Commercial & Fashion Photographer Bio

I recently shot for Nina Canacci.  They are a high end couture  prom gown designer.  It was a three day shoot at 10 hours each day.  We shot over 200 gowns with three models.  I have never talked about stamina because it’s just something that a photographer must have and I assume all photographers have enough stamina to shoot for a long period of time.  However the other day I was talking shop with a colleague of mine and he mentioned a friend of ours that would never be able to last 10 hours, never mind three days in a row.  Now that is not a good thing.  I mean let’s face it, any catalog shoot or advertising shoot is going to be a long day.  There are exceptions of course but the majority of jobs are 8-10 hours.

In this video you can see how hard I work and I think most photographers do work hard.  You can see my intensity.  I have a game face and I make sure that game face is on from the moment I step on set to the wrap of the shoot.  Photographers must have mental, emotional and physical stamina to execute a successful shoot.  We are the leader.  Everyone on that set looks up to us.  If we show any sign of weakness or uncertainty, then we have just lost our shoot.  The good news is we can get it back.  Grab the bull and come out like a lion in the second half and I guarantee that you will get your set back.

For this shoot I walked on the set and the first thing I saw was racks and racks of gowns.  Instead of letting that intimidate me, I remembered why I am in this business, and that is because I love women’s clothing and I love to capture the beauty and style of fashion.    So I greeted everyone with a big smile and looked over the gowns and got to work on lighting the set.  This was an easy set up.  One 6 foot silver lined umbrella to create a soft shadow on the BG and two strobes to light my white BG.   Some of the gowns were very light and were made to flow with the wind of a dancer.  It is a models job to put on a dress or outfit and know what to do with it.  It is the photographers job to know what the fabric is capable of and make sure the model is “working” the gown or outfit.   In the video you will see examples of this.

So sit back and enjoy the video.  I hope you have many questions that I will be happy to answer.

Nina Canacci Prom Dress Shoot By Jason Christopher Photography from Jason Christopher on Vimeo.

This is a behind the scenes video of a catalogue shoot I did for Nina Canacci couture prom gowns. We shot 250 gowns in three 10 hour days.

What do photographers expect from a model and what do models expect from a photographer during a shoot ?   I hear many arguments on this subject and after finally getting tired of hearing many photographers and  models give their opinion that THEY think is correct I decided to tell you all how it really is in hopes that I can provide a little less friction in this lovely world of the model and fashion photography industry.

Ok so this is how this discussion is broken down.

We have photographers and models who shoot test shoots, paid and non paid but aren’t at the level yet to shoot commercial paid assignments, editorials or advertising.

Then we have photographers who shoot commercial assignments like catalogs, advertising, editorials and look books.  These photographers also shoot test shoots and model portfolios.   I fall into this category.   I have had many girls come to me from all over the country who want to get into modeling and some girls that are already modeling and they just need to update their books. Like I said,  I also shoot advertisements, editorials and look books.

Now when I shoot an ad gig or a catalog I am expecting the model to already know what he or she is doing.   This is NOT  the time for modeling 101. I am not going to tell you how to pose, where to look, what angles you look better shooting.  That is the job and responsibility of the model.  She is being paid because she knows how to “model” and I am being paid to photograph her.  My job as the photographer, is to direct her on what kind of looks I need her to emote.  I will help her “give good face.”  I will also talk to the model and give encouragement and keep the set “alive.”  The model is expecting me to direct her like a director would direct an actress and I am expecting that the  model knows how to take direction and turn my direction into the emotion I am asking for.   But you know as sure as the sun is gonna rise that the director on a film is not going to start giving acting lessons just as I am not going to give modeling lessons.  We are both professionals and expected to give our client what they are asking us to give them.  Let me remind you that there is a make up artist for the shoot, a hair stylist and a wardrobe stylist.  So all I am expecting from the model is to show up on time and ready to pose and take direction.

The other kind of shoot I do is model portfolio shoots.  This is where a girl will pay me good money to start her portfolio for her.  I shoot five different looks, in studio and on location.  I have a make up artist there the whole time.  I tell the model what kinds of outfits to bring and I ask her to practice posing in the mirror so she has some kind of a head start.  I DO NOT expect her to know what she is doing at all.  She has never modeled before and she is coming to me because I am a professional and I know what modeling agencies are looking for.  So I WILL tell her how to pose.  I WILL tell her where to look.   I WILL help her know what her best angles are and of course I WILL direct her to emote and “give good face.”  I also give the model encouragement and constantly talk to her and give her accolades throughout the whole shoot.  I will also point out what she is doing wrong and show her how to do it the right way.   So in this case one could call this modeling 101.  That is fine with me.  I get paid good money for this and I like to help and educate.

There is another kind of shoot that happens where we have “wanna be” models and “wanna be” photographers who are building their books and they both think they know what their role is in this kind of shoot when in fact BOTH of them are wrong, at least from the stories that I hear.   PLEASE DO NOT TAKE OFFENSE TO ME USING THE TERM WANNA BE.  I am not discounting these models and photographers in any way.  They have not reached the professional status yet and earned the right to be paid for their services because they have not perfected their craft up to a level where a client can depend on them to deliver.  They “wanna be” professional.  I was there at one point as everyone is.   Someone going to medical school wants to be a doctor, however  they have not had enough experience and perfected their skills enough to be trusted with a real human life. Can you get the analogy ?  I hope so.

Ok so now that we got the politically correct bullshit out of the way let me go on.  So as an example we have a girl who has created a profile on one of these amateur  model sites.  We have a boy who has created a profile on this site as well.  Boy “photographer” meets girl “model” and they schedule a test / creative shoot that will hopefully benefit both their portfolios as well as the make up artists portfolio.   Now because these three creative souls  haven’t been exposed to the professional world of fashion photography and modeling maybe  because they live in a city somewhere in the middle of the Bible belt, the only expectations they have come from their own little world of these online amateur modeling / photographer sites.  They look in on the chat rooms, the forums and read what everyone else is quoting as the Gospel of the modeling industry in this little bubble world community  and bingo, instantly our “photographer” and “model” think they both know what is expected of them and what is not.  The problem we have here is that our “photographer” is reading what the other “photographers” are  griping about and our “model” is reading what the other “models” are griping about and both sides are not working as one.

So on the test shoot our photographer is expecting our model to know how to pose, give good face and know all her good angles and our model is expecting our photographer to tell her how to pose, give good face and help her know all her good angles.  Well, well, well.  Can you see the train wreck about to happen ?  Not a pretty scene.  They start to argue, it gets uncomfortable and the shots end up looking like crap because NO ONE worked as a TEAM and COLLABORATED !    So listen up !  On shoots like these neither the photographer nor the model has enough experience to handle the shoot all on their own.  Therefore the solution is to help each other and if the model is not posing the way you want her to pose, Mr. Photographer,  then simply tell her and show her what you want.  I’ve actually struck a pose to show the “model” what I want.  Talk to her through the whole shoot.  Don’t just sit there like a dummy waiting for someone to pull the string on your back for your mouth to move.  And ….MOVE AROUND.  Look for good angles.  Don’t site in one place capturing one point of view.

Miss Model ?  If the photographer is not directing you and you need help, then tell him.  Your job as a model is to come to the shoot as prepared as you can be.  Don’t expect the photographer to give you every single pose.  If you want to become a professional model then do your homework and study !   Study magazines, fashion books, watch Americas Next Top Model. Some of that show is totally ridiculous  I know , but much of it is actually insightful.  Bring nice clothes for shooting.   You AND the photographer and the make up artist should all be involved with selecting the outfits for the shoot.  Have a theme and shoot at least four images with a different outfit and tell a story.

So in conclusion, professional models and photographers both know their roles and what is expected of them.  Amateur models and photographers don’t have enough experience and knowledge to know what to expect from each other.  So help each other out and do your homework so that each of you can bring some level of professionalism to the shoot  and everyone wins and leaves the shoot with a smile on their face rather than a frown.

Ok now it’s time to beat me up, praise me or both !  LOL   I would like to hear your sides and happenings.  And as always if you think this is an interesting article, retweet and Share and Enjoy down below.

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When I am shooting a  fashion assignment I am disciplined to the point where I only shoot the amount of images I feel I need to capture my vision or the client’s vision.  There is absolutely no reason to shoot until you fill a card, which these days could mean 400 or more images per card.  I’ve heard of some photographers who will shoot a thousand images for a portfolio shoot!  That is pathetic!  You know what that translates to?  A VERY insecure photographer who has no idea what he or she is doing and has no vision.   The photographer doesn’t have a plan, can’t see his vision unless he shoots it.  Doesn’t know his technical skills or communication skills.  It could be any of these or all of them that is causing this long drawn out shoot as a result from over shooting.

I used to work in the movie industry behind the camera.  On episodes where we had an inexperienced director we knew the days were going to go in to overtime which was good in a way because more often than not we would go into triple over time……..big paychecks.  But for the production company that meant over budget and the main reason was because the director would over shoot by thousands and thousands of feet of film, which also led to the obvious major over time for the crew !  It’s no different for a still photo shoot.

Many photographers are shocked when I tell them the size of my CF card I use most often is 2 GB.  That’s because with my 5DMark 2 shooting at 100ISO I get about 72 – 76 frames which gives me two different clothing changes.   When I was shooting 35mm film we got 36 frames per roll. At the end of that roll you had to reload.  Now let me also say that if I am shooting an editorial or an ad campaign I use the same small cards and also have much larger ones on hand just in case the client wants to see more.

For this post I will use a portfolio shoot as the main example.  So a model would come to me and back then we charged per roll.  And one roll equaled one look.  After the first look / 36 frames we moved to the second look and so on.  If you as a photographer couldn’t capture that great one shot the model needed in 36 frames you had to use another roll at your own expense!  You couldn’t tell the model she had to pay extra because she was paying per roll and it was just expected that you got the shot after one roll.  Everyone worked that way.  All photographers worked this way.  If she bought a 3-roll shoot that meant we shot 3 looks and no more.  If at the end she wanted an extra look she had to pay my fee for an extra roll.  It was that simple!  So someone please tell me why it should be any different now that we are shooting digital.  Just because we have the technology to shoot a thousand frames for a portfolio shoot does not mean we should. Who wants to sit at the computer all day and night editing out the bad shots? I sure don’t. My place is behind the camera, NOT in front of a computer. Sure there are certain little things I need to do in the computer, however, I wanna be shooting more of the time than sitting at the computer.

I personally feel that many many many photographers of this new generation have not only lost discipline, they haven’t even learned it!   If the shot doesn’t look right then don’t hit the shutter button!  Simple!   If the model isn’t giving you what you want, then you stop, pull her aside and have a short heart to heart just like a catcher does with his pitcher in a baseball game.  The catcher doesn’t let his pitcher just keep throwing pitch after pitch with the same or worse results.  Do you see the comparison?  You don’t just keep shooting and hoping for the model to read your mind as she gets more tired and frustrated.  You use your people skills that you are supposed to possess and constantly fine tune just as you are constantly fine-tuning your photography skills.

By the way this is also good practice for when you do shoot that ad campaign and HOPEFULLY the client, art director, creative director are not all sitting around getting bored, frustrated and wishing they hadn’t hired you because they’ve realized that each image they saw in your portfolio came about from shoots like this where you had to shoot thousands of images to get a few usable ones!   Portfolio shoots and creative tests are great for training your eye and fine tuning your skills for that day when you do get that big ad campaign and you run your set like a five star general with confidence pouring out of your ears and you are directing your model or models and shooting efficiently, shooting only the amount of images you need because you KNOW when you have gotten that shot you need to satisfy your client.

I had a model friend who told me that for a large ad campaign he was shot by Horst P Horst.  All the lighting was done, set dressing, make up etc.  it was time to shoot.  The model gets on his mark, strikes a pose, Horst shoots two frames and says  “That’s a wrap!”    And everyone started to wrap as usual thinking nothing more.  That’s because Horst was confident, the client knew it and trusted him.  If Horst says he got it, then he got it.  In the end no one knows how many or how few shots it took to get that campaign shot.  In the end what matters is if you kept your shoot on budget, didn’t stress the model, pleased the client and have a fun relaxed shoot.  This can only happen when you are a disciplined photographer, who does not over shoot, spray and pray and lose control.

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I 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 !!!

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I want to talk a little about how colors affect mood in a fashion photograph.  Oftentimes I see that photographers over look this fact and it is very easy to over look.  Your wardrobe stylist should not over look this however, as fashion photographer we must also be aware because ultimately we take the blame and also take the praise no matter what.

Now I’m not talking about the color of the photograph.  For example if the photo has a blue tint or a sepia tint or a red tint etc.  I am talking about the clothing that your model is going to be wearing for the shoot.  I am also talking  about the color of the make up, the shades of make up, the colors of the accessories, shoes, scarves, jewelry, earrings etc.

So when you are choosing the clothes and accessories for your shoot you must keep in mind the theme of your shoot and what emotions you want to convey.

For example: the color BLUE = patience, trust and wisdom

Green = calm, soothing, and refreshing

Red = power, strength and passion

Yellow = warmth, happiness, and optimism

Orange = confidence, creativity, and cheerfulness

Black and white = elegant, sophisticated and classic.  I think the color gray falls into this category as well  

Look at advertisements you see all around.  Take notice of the color scheme in the shot.  And if you are using props these guidelines also apply.   If you are going to shoot an advertisement for Target Spring collection, you certainly are not going to dress the model in black clothing or shoot the ad on black asphalt under a cloudy ominous sky. Your fashion model will be wearing the colors of Spring which say to the viewer fun, happiness, optimism, cheerfulness.

No, you’re going to shoot with green grass, yellow outfits , orange accessories or vice versa.  Maybe some red balloons etc.

If you have an assignment to shoot a famous football player drinking a refreshing sports drink even your lighting scheme comes into play as well as any props.  The main colors will be green, Orange and red.  Green for the refreshing sports drink, orange for the confidence of the football player and red for the power and strength a football player represents.

These are guidelines not exactly rules.  Every situation is different.  I just wanted to point out that color scheme plays a huge  role in the making of a photograph whether it be an advertisement or an editorial or even a catalog.  Don’t over look anything.   Remember to observe everything around you and take note of why that photograph works.

I was watching a great movie called Brothers the other night.  Amazing movie !  It was about a soldier that goes to Afghanistan and is thought to be dead.  His wife, brother and kids struggle to keep life sane.  Now obviously this is not the point of my post.  So many times I see great photography in a technical aspect, but there is no life in the photo.  Yes the photo is lit very nice, the make up is great, hair , wardrobe etc. is all amazing BUT,  it is the most BORING photo because the model does not know how to act.

In the movie Brothers there are many scenes where there are only a few lines of dialogue and the scene is longer than those few  lines of dialogue.  The scene is longer because each character has their own plight to deal with now that the father/husband/brother is thought to be dead.  The emotional reactions are so powerful that if they added lines to those expressions, the scene would be ruined.  Sometimes in life it’s not what we say that makes us think, but it’s what we don’t say that makes us think and feel !

Try this:  next time you watch a movie, drama preferred, look for how many times you notice a reaction from the actor without the actor speaking and note how you feel and notice how the actor who is being spoken to reacts and feels.    Then in your everyday life, when you are dealing with people in conversation face to face, notice their reactions after you have said something.  If you are with a group of people notice every person in the group.  I always say in my mind ” Cut to Joe, cut to James, cut to Holly, cut to Laura.  And in my mind it’s like a scene in a movie.  Even be nosy and listen in on other conversations and watch every person’s reaction.  You will be surprised at what you have been missing because you really haven’t OBSERVED !  And photographers are OBSERVERS of life !

Then next time you are photographing a model, or models look for subtle emotional reactions.  If your model isn’t giving you anything, then make up a story and put your model in that story, give her or him a character and watch the magic happen !

In this collage I made, I knew my model was going through some emotional turmoil.  So I bravely brought it up.  As I was shooting I was talking to her about the situation.  She let me into her soul and THAT is when the electricity runs through my body and through hers and we start making amazing photos.

We are dealing with human beings who all have something going on in their lives.  Work your way inside the soul of your model and look for the subtleties !

A fellow photographer friend of mine asked me a question today. She wanted to know what the term branding meant in relation to a photographer’s career. This is a really good question because your career as a fashion photographer, portrait photographer, wedding photographer or any kind of photographer depends on branding yourself. As photographers we are hired for our style and look of our photos.

1. The first part of branding yourself is designing a logo. That doesn’t mean your logo has to be a graphic or initials. Take for example Gucci. When you see the word Gucci you know it’s Gucci by the font style that is used. Same can be said for Quicksilver, Versace, and the list could go on. My logo for example is the font style that is used as well as the spacing between letters. The next thing you want to be aware of is your color scheme of your logo. My colors are gray background and white letters.

2. So now you have your logo and color scheme. You then make your website. Your website should incorporate your color scheme as well. My site is a gray background and white letters. It has been this way for 10 years and hasn’t changed once. People are creatures of habit. When you change up your site and colors every year or every other year that is not a very effective technique to keep your brand in everyone’s minds.
Think of McDonalds. If those golden arches suddenly were green, or blue or red or whatever, what do you think would happen ? LOL

3. Now you make your business cards and letter head for contracts and correspondence. Everything must match.

4. The next MOST important part of branding yourself as a photographer is defining your own style of shooting. Now this takes years. You need to get to know and find yourself as a photographer and shoot what you love as noted in this post.   This will become your signature style in which you will be hired for jobs.  My signature style is the back lit flare look with a little bit of fill shot outdoors.  I do not do this in post.

I really like this look and this is a technique I teach in my private photography workshops. It is a soft look that does not require much gear and you can use a reflector and or an off camera flash to just give a kiss of fill light.  I also execute this look in studio as well.

In conclusion, this is branding yourself as a photographer.  Only YOU can do it.  Only you can find yourself and your style.  Remember that this is the most important part of establishing your name / brand.   Any questions or comments please ask away !

Cheers !

I am a true photographer, especially a fashion photographer.  How many of you can HONESTLY say this ?  Think really hard because I am willing to bet that the majority of this new breed of photographers who have never shot film have no clue what the basic fundamentals of photography are .  Now I know you are all out there calling me an asshole and every other name in the book but the proof is in the photos.

I spoke to a photographer today who has only been shooting for about a year.  He told me how much he loves digital. I asked him why.  Get ready to fall back in your seats because his answer made me cringe.  He told me he loves digital photography because he doesn’t know the basic fundamental lighting techniques and he just fixes his photos in Photoshop.  If he needs an extra light he just pops it in where he needs it.  I was so thrown back I couldn’t even gather my thoughts to say anything back. Think about what this person said.  It’s SAD and PATHETIC ! And I am so damn sick of it !  Don’t get me wrong, he is a friend and a good person but it’s guys like this that are hurting the business and hurting true professionals like me and many others.

So now we have the business of photography to be concerned with. If he doesn’t know the basic fundamentals of photography do you think he knows anything about how to run a photography business ?  Hell friggin no he doesn’t !

This brings me to my main reason for writing this post.   Just because we are now shooting digital, does not give you an excuse to lose your discipline which is exactly what has happened with everyone today !  With the advent of digital, photographers have gotten LAZY and don’t even know how to connect with their subject, which is what makes a great photograph.  Richard Avedon was amazing at this.   I highly suggest you all go out and get the DVD Richard Avedon – Darkness and Light by American Masters Productions.   What you will see is he used a Rolleiflex camera.  The Rollei as most call it for short is actually my favorite camera and it only cost me $250 used of course.  They aren’t made anymore.  The camera is medium format, 6×6 cm and can take 120 or 220 film. There is no meter in it, no electronics, no batteries, no auto focus and no zoom lens.  You must crank to advance to the next frame and to achieve focus you line up the diagonal line in the focus prism.  You must hold it very steady and to make it even more challenging the image you see when you look down is reversed !  So lets say you are using 120 film, you have only 12 chances to get the shot you need/ want.  That’s right you heard me, 12 chances ! That’s it !  You don’t get 1,000 chances.  So you must take your time with your subject and this gives you the opportunity to actually connect !  There’s none of this taking the shot, looking at it to see if you got your exposure correct  wile the model sits there thinking about what a moron you are.

Meet the Rolleiflex !  Click the image to make it larger.  I labeled all the elements for you.  I still shoot with this camera on tests to keep my chops up.  It slows me down, relaxes me which relaxes the model.  I have to think about the shot and if I REALLY want to push the shutter, which btw is almost silent.  What I find very ironic is this post really can apply to everyone in any business and even in family life.  We all need to slow down, think, then react.  We need to reconnect with each other and remember why the person you are photographing is so special.  Why is your wife so special when you come home and give her a kiss ?  When you put your kids to bed at night look at them, talk to them, cherish them. Slow down and tell them you love them.  Ask them if they are happy.  Tell them how happy you are.

You could ask the same questions, say the same things to your subject as they sit in front of you letting you inside their soul to see everything.  And because you took the time to really look at them, get to know them, they are going to give you all they have, just lke your wife and kids or girlfriend will give you more and appreciate you more.  Life is all connected.  It’s one big giant circle and everything is interrelated.  Trust me…… try this….. you can’t go wrong.

So who do you think got me to start shooting the Rollei ?  My mentor and great friend celebrity fashion photographer Jerry Avenaim. He has taught me what Avedon taught him, Demarchelier taught him.  The fact that I am following in the footsteps of some of the greatest photographers to ever grace this planet makes me feel so special and I thank the universe everyday for this.

Here is another view of the great Rolleiflex.  You can see the viewing lens and taking lens.  You can also see how to set the shutter speed and aperture.  Look at this camera and think about how much discipline a photographer has to have to use it.  Remember, newspaper photographers  used this, photo journalists who had to be able to get “the shot” !  PHOTOGRAPHIC DISCIPLINE  ! PHOTOGRAPHIC DISCIPLINE  ! PHOTOGRAPHIC DISCIPLINE  !  Please get this in your head and practice it.  You will be a better photographer as well as a better person.

Looking down into the Rolleiflex viewfinder you see the image is reversed.  Yes this is my living room.  The image is reversed  however, your thinking will become so clear and concise.  Your photographs will become breathtaking and you will leave your mark on this world when you leave it.  That is something I am very proud to say I have done many times and it is a feeling that you will always cherish just as you will cherish the memories of the subjects you photographed because you slowed down, stopped, listened, looked and then…….. you reacted.

I wanna hear your thoughts and experiences.

A photographer friend of mine recently came to me very frustrated.  He is very good at shooting lifestyle, commercial, weddings and let’s call it commercial fashion.  On his website he had all these sections up.  He asked for my advice and opinion on what I thought.  I told him to narrow down to two – three categories of photography that you really love.  Don’t think about how much they pay, or how much they don’t pay, just shoot what you love.

I told him this is something we all go through in the beginning of our careers.  He was concerned and insecure because he doesn’t know what he loves the most.  Eventually I told him you will know what you love the most.  It took me three years to finally know in my heart that I love shooting fashion and beauty.  But not just fashion and beauty, fashion and beauty advertising.  It all works out.  When we first start shooting, we literally have to get to know ourselves again, but this time we have to get to know ourselves as a creative.  We go through growing pains, emotional let downs, the highs and the lows.  Trust me, every single photographer out there who is working has gone through this process.  It’s a friggin roller coaster and you know what ?  It sucks !  It really does.  I mean come on, can you really say in your heart that you loved your teen years as a kid ?  Hell no ! But eventually we grow up, well MOST of us do lol.  And we find our way.  The path opens up right before our inner eyes and heart.  Sometimes it takes a road trip all by yourself and just shoot.  Shoot whatever you think is cool, beautiful, weird or whatever !  Just shoot !  Take at least three days and just drive.  No destination in mind, no preconceived notions.  Just drive and stop when you want to and shoot.  If it’s a stupid cactus or a stupid wood fence and you think they look cool, shoot them !  Take your digital camera but also take a film camera.  Yes that’s right a film camera.  It’s time to grow up !  I can guarantee that when you return from your little trip, you will feel totally different.  Will you have found yourself ? I don’t know.  But if you don’t, take another road trip.

The voyage of self discovery is something that every creative goes through and listen to this, you will go through ANOTHER voyage of self discovery again in your career and probably another time too !  That’s ok though.  As creatives we don’t ever want to get stuck in a rut.  We feel stale and useless.  I will mention my very good close friend and celebrity fashion photographer Jerry Avenaim who coined the phrase voyage of self discovery.  He had his own voyage of self discovery early in his photography career.   To this day he still goes through discoveries here and there.  I do, my other colleagues do, actors do, you name it.  If you are a creative you will always continue to develop.

The reason I am talking about this is that as photographers you MUST shoot what you love.  If through your own voyage of self discovery you find that you have changed, then go with it.  Never forget this though; clients will hire you because they love your style.  It could be your lighting style, the way you pose your models, the emotion you evoke from your models or it could be that they don’t even know.  All they do know is that when they look at your portfolio, it grabs them and never lets go !  And that is the photographer they want to shoot their next campaign, look book, catalog or whatever.  Your passion for what you shoot does show in the photo.  The photo that you produce is in some way an extension of you !  Yes !  It’s true !

So as I leave you with these words of wisdom, don’t make growing up complicated.  Trust your own gut.  I will be 41 Dec. 6th and I can tell you that my guy has NEVER ONCE been wrong, NEVER !

I want to know your thoughts on this.  I want to hear all your voyages of self discovery.

This photo by the way was one of my first photos I ever shot with a real model.  It isn’t really fashion but it is by far the most popular photo I have ever taken.  It is a photo that gets me very much work because you FEEL when you look at it !

Beautiful Ballerina

I recently learned something new in my fashion photography career, yes even at my stage of this business I am still learning.   I won’t say the client’s name however, I am really upset and also upset with myself.  Here is what happened.

I shot a very high profile person/celebrity and the shoot went great.  They had their own retoucher do post.   The contract covered everything so I thought.  I left out one phrase.  That phrase is :  Photographer shall receive all digital retouched files. I didn’t include this in the contract because I have never had to.  The clients always send me the retouched high res files without me even asking !  But what I learned this time was that every client is different and some don’t realize that it is common courtesy to give the photographer his retouched files.  Legally the client does not have to hand those over, however it has never ever been a problem.

So long story short I have been going back and forth with the client trying to work something out.  It’s not just me that needs those files, it’s my team, hair, make up, wardrobe and the models !  The bottom line is that in our business there are no set contract terms.  Everything is negotiable except for the fact that the photographer owns the rights to the photos.  Their reply was that I have the photos so why do I want the retouched photos ?  Well you would think that is a “duh” kind of answer however, they don’t see it that way.  Will I end up getting them ?  I don’t know, but I sure as hell am trying.