Jason Christopher, LA Commercial & Fashion Photographer Bio

Recently I had the opportunity to go to Nashville and shoot an up and coming country singer  named Hannah Bethel.   I got the call and was thrilled !  I LOVE Nashville !   The people are friendly and the state is just beautiful.  I also love country music.  Now I have been to Nashville several times but never in the middle of the summer. Well living in Southern California my whole life I’m used to heat , but dry heat.  It was sooooo hot and humid in Nashville that I couldn’t keep the sweat out of my eyes while I was shooting lol.

So the next step to this project was talking to Hannah herself  and throwing around ideas for her EP cover, back of the EP  as well as press kit shots.   Even though I had been to Nashville before, I still don’t know the surrounding areas and locations like I know the locations here.  So that meant obtaining some location shots and having them emailed to me.  Once we decided on the concepts Hannah had someone go out and just take some shots with a point and shoot.  So I get the shots and the locations are beautiful.  We got some nice green field locations, a really cool flowing stream, a straight long road lined with wild flowers etc.  My imagination started over flowing with ideas.  The only problem was that even though I knew what time of day the shots were taken, the shoot was still about a month away which means the location of the sun in relation to those photos was going to be different.  But that’s ok, that is something you work out when it’s time for the shoot.

I also had to use my imagination to visualize where Hannah would be placed in the shot.  This is where I want to stress how important it is that what makes a good photographer is not just his or her lighting skills but that they have that sixth sense of being able to “SEE” the shot before you shoot it.  That cannot be taught. Having an inner eye is a God given talent and you better be able to tap into it if you are going to be successful. But I had no idea what time each different shot would be taken and where the sun would be at that specific time.   It’s not like I could just call Hannah on the phone and say I’ll be right over to do some test shots so we can figure out how we want each shot to look.  So that made this whole process a bit more difficult.  But again, that’s ok because I knew I was flying into Nashville a few days early so I would use those days to go with Hannah and check out each location and note where the sun is, how the sun affected her, where the shadows would fall etc.

But before going out to Music City there was much to be done.   Hannah sent me photos of the clothes her stylist got for her.   I needed those photos so I could put the whole scene together in my mind and also make sure that the shots were designed around her music and her personality.  How did I get to her personality ?  I talked to her on the phone alot of course, looked at her Facebook page that had just regular photos of her in her daily life and I spoke with her manager.  I also listened to some rough cuts of the songs.

So now I arrive in Nashville and am slapped in the face with hot, sticky air lol.  We started our location scouting and to my shock the locations in the photos that WERE nice and plush with green were now brown and dried out.  The beautiful flowing stream was pretty much dried up and the wildflowers were pretty much non existent.   Alllll the planning of the shots, all my ideas and excitement went right out the window.  Well as you can imagine I was just lovin the situation at this point lol.  So I did what a photographer can only do in that situation.  I changed gears and scouted more.  I planned my ideas based on other locations that I liked better that even though were dried out, they had other characteristics that I could use.  For instance, an old abandoned barn, a long dirt road, etc.  I just changed the whole theme of the shoot and adapted as best I could.

Let’s move on….. I went to each location at different times of the day over the course of a couple days.  Now we get to the shoot day.  Living in Los Angeles the weather never changes in the summer. It’s just hot with no clouds.  Well as I was about to experience, Tennessee is not at all like that.

Big puffy white clouds roll by covering the sun every 5, 10, 15 min etc.  So I set up my first shot while Hannah was in make up and hair, the one with Hannah standing in the middle of the dirt road and everything looks great.  Hannah comes out of make up, I inspect every detail on her face making sure all the lines are clean and eyelashes don’t have any dried clumps of mascara ( my BIGGEST pet peeve) and tell everyone it’s time to shoot !

As I am shooting sweat is pouring down my face as I wipe it away every couple of minutes.  I’m drinking water like crazy.  Now the clouds begin to do their thing and cover the sun almost as if they are playing a trick on me.  Covering the sun, I wait for them to roll by.  They roll by I get off one frame and here they come again.  This went back and forth and I just had to succumb to the fact that the clouds ruled in this part of the country lol.  So eventually I made it through that shot.  I got some great images.

One thing to remember is not only do I have to be aware of the clouds, the sun etc., but also I have to consider and not forget that I have a subject / Hannah in front of me that is wearing make up and is hot and needs direction.  Remember, she is not a model or an actress so I am also directing her through all of this.  Not easy but….. fun !

We move on to the next shots and finish the day in the studio.  So this was a different kind of shoot in many ways.

1. I was shooting in another state.  I had to plan everything without actually being there.

2. I was shooting a singer, not a model or actress as I am so used to shooting.

3. I was working out in the elements of a totally different kind of weather pattern.

4. The locations I had chosen and planned to use totally changed and I had to choose different locations and re plan everything.

The major point is that as professional photographers we must be able to adapt to ANYTHING.  And in order to be able to adapt we must know our craft like the way we breathe.  This only comes from years of practice and patience.

Below are some behind the scenes shots and finals.  In all we shot five different looks.

Yes that’s right.  I shot this fashion swimwear campaign with just my Canon 580 EX II and a 5 foot tall reflector to fill in some shadows on the opposite side of the model.  I went with this set up because it’s light weight and portable and that flash packs a punch !  With the tide coming in and my assistant and I getting splashed alot with water, having a heavy Profoto portable pack would have been cumbersome and just one big pain literally lol.

The model was a trooper !  Lisa Peake from L.A. Models did a terrific job as the cold and damp weather set in.  At this point the photographer and first assistant need to work fast and work smart.  There is no room for error.  As I’m shooting I’m already thinking of my next shot, call it multitasking .  The sun is going down so fast that if you are not sure of your equipment you will lose that shot and the model will get frustrated and that is when you have lost the momentum and you don’t want that to happen.  Oh and let’s not forget the client standing right in back of you barking off suggestions and of course the client knows everything about photography !  Shooting a real fashion job is not as easy as it looks.  We often look at the final photo and have no idea what was going on at the shoot, what kinds of pressure the photographer was faced with and how many different people and situations he or she had to deal with.

So just don’t forget about that.  Being a successful fashion photographer takes MUCH more talent than pushing a shutter button and shooting a couple of photos of a pretty girl in a studio where it’s just you, the model and the make up artist.  Learn the gear, take time to understand what your model is going through at the shoot, learn how to deal with pushy clients that won’t shut up and take it from there.  You will be surprised at what you can achieve when you take the time to really learn what happens at a professional photo shoot.

This is Elicia from Next Models.  We shot this using just the late afternoon beautiful crisp window light.  Her expression and body language with the necklace make this photo so evocative and maybe even erotic depending on how you as an individual looks at it.  Notice the soft hands that are so important when photographing tight beauty photography. And that is also what makes a photograph great.  If every viewer can take something different from your photo, then it is something special in my book.   Another quality that makes this photo special is that it is all natural with no retouching.

Elicia Perkins : Fashion Model

Hi everyone !  I just revamped my personal section on my site.  I uploaded a bunch of lifestyle photos.  Some are posed and some are candid.  The candid lifestyle shots with the mother and children were a challenge to shoot.  You’ve got to watch for everything.  It’s the little moments that are special which also happen so fast that you just cannot miss those moments.  You’re camera and eye have always got to be ready !  Here are some of those photos that capture the special moments.

Being on such a high treacherous cliff I couldn’t bring an assortment of lighting gear so I used by trusty Canon 580 EXII just enough to give them a little fill.  In Photoshop I added a bit of vignette and bumped the saturation a little.  Other than that no other post production was done.   I just told them to forget I’m there, just forget a photographer is even near you and do what you want.  So everything I captured was very natural.  Another good thing about not bringing a bunch of lighting gear is that the less invasive I am, the more natural reactions I will get from my subject.  Imagine having two strobes set up with umbrellas and sand bags right in front of them.  LOL  that would be invasive.

I love this next photo.  It just says so much.  Look at their faces and what they are saying to each other.  What I get from this photo when looking at the mother’s face is how much she loves him and what they have been through just in every day life.  She shows how much she really appreciates him as a son.  THAT is what makes a great photo.  When your subjects are speaking through their emotions.  When I am shooting and I get that from my subjects or models it’s an electricity that just runs through my blood like a flood of energy !

Again, I used my Canon 580 EXII to add a little fill and to over power the sun.  These lifestyle photos and more can be found here which also demonstrate many different lighting techniques.

So since the advent of digital photograhy many fashion photographers have asked me why their photos don’t look like film.  Some of the complaints are that everything is too sharp, too much contrast etc.  Well there are many reasons why these things happen, however the main consideration is that they are using too tight of an aperture.  For example they are shooting at f/11 or f/16 or even f/22.

When shooting with a 35mm DSLR, shoot as if you were shooting medium format.  When shooting medium format you lose alot of depth of field.  Consequently your model or subject is very sharp and the background is out of focus and you get very beautiful bokeh.  The best way to achieve this is to use a long lens.  For this photo I used my Canon 200mm 2.8 on sticks and shot it at ISO 200 f/4.5   1/200th.   I also used my Canon 580 EX II on ETTL.  Now here is where my little secret comes into play.  I bumped up the flash power to +3 stops and zoomed the flash head to 105mm.  I was a good 25 yards away from the model.

I got a great smile out of my model by joking with her, complimenting her and not just sitting there clicking the shutter like a robot.  I connected with my model because I took my time and composed and thought about the shot in my mind before I even thought of clicking the shutter.  Very simple make up and no shoes, great smile and a very beautiful girl in nature make this a very marketable stock photo.

In this next photo I told my model to walk along the log and try to balance in bare feet.  I also directed her to look at the camera and smile, laugh and just be silly.  The important thing to remember here is that she can’t just do all this like she NORMALLY would.  Normally one would smile too big and you would lose the eyes, and / or she would laugh so hard that she would get a double chin.  So directing your model and constantly reminding her to keep her chin up and look at the camera and don’t squint the eyes is of utmost importance.  The result is another very marketable photo that the model can also use for her portfolio.

In this photo again I used my Canon 200m 2.8 on sticks about 25 yards away.  Notice the beautiful bokeh again.   I shot this at ISO 200 f/4.5 shutter speed was 1/325th. I also used my Canon 580 EX II on ETTL, bumped the power up +3 stops and zoomed the flash head to 105mm.  What I did different for this shot is set my flash to high speed sync mode. In high speed sync mode this allows you to set your shutter speed to whatever speed you want.  I set it to 1/325th so I could keep my ambient light down.  Remember, you control your flash exposure with your aperture.  Any questions or comments are welcome !

Ok so your  client tells you that you will be shooting their fashion look book or ad campaign on location and you naturally assume it will be an outdoor location.  Ahhhhh lest we forget that location also means indoors and not just in studio .  This photo shoot for my client’s look book was pretty cool.  It was inside club Elevate and even during the day it was pretty dark inside.   So I hit her with a key light with a 40 degree grid.  Behind the pebbled glass were two lights at full power.  Remember that I wanted to create a heavenly look and my vision was to have bright white light around her.

High Key Lighting

So here is an instance where I had to light on location but it was indoors.  Something about this picture to me is special.  Remember me telling everyone that you should never let that camera out of your hands as long as there is a model in front of your lens ?  Well while my assistants were tweaking the lights I kept my eye on the model.  She just happened to look down for whatever reason and just the way her arms were positioned and her legs and the way her hair fell I saw it and shot it.  I think it’s the best shot from that series.  No we can’t clearly see her face but that is ok.

Never forget, as a photographer we are creating a mood, a fantasy, a feeling. We do this so our client can sell their clothes.  It’s not always about the model’s face.  Keep your eyes on the model and your camera ready to shoot just like you would do if you were holding a gun in war !!  This photo btw is right out of my camera.  It hasn’t gone through post yet except for removing the metal seam connecting the glass panel that was going right through her body from head to toe and it looks great!

Get it right IN CAMERA !  My mentor and good friend celebrity fashion photographer Jerry Avenaim taught me this a long time ago.  Always be ready !  Photographers have eyes in the back of their head and we also notice EVERYTHING around us even when other people don’t think we can see what is going on on the other side of the set or in the make up room etc. but we do know.  Good photographers are good observers.  When I am at the store, in a restaurant, at my nephew’s football game, the bank… you get my point.  I am always observing.  Develop that quality and perfect it.  I guarantee you will gain by leaps and bounds in your photography.

I recently was hired to shoot for a clothing line up in this cool club called Elevate in Downtown LA.  Drew Maw a cinematographer is doing a documentary on me and made this incredible video with his Canon 7D !

Fashion Shoot For Gods Daughter Clothing from Jason Christopher on Vimeo.

Behind the scenes video shot by Drew Maw. This was a photo shoot for a new clothing line called Gods Daughter.

Outdoor fashion lighting can be a problem with some photographers.  We have the elements to deal with, the hot sun, the constantly moving sun, wind etc.  Add the fact that if it is a test you can’t afford to hire an assistant to lug heavy lighting gear around for you.  Most of us don’t own a Profoto 7B pack because they cost around $4,000 to $5,000.  So what does one do ?

Outdoor Lighting With a Speed Light

I shot this fashion photo with one Canon 580EXII and that’s it.  No bounce cards or any attachments to the flash and it was attached to the hot shoe, not off camera.  The time of day was 1:25 pm.

As you can see the sun is facing the model.   Many photographers would think you don’t need a flash, the sun is hitting her.  Well that all depends on the look you are going for.  I like to use flash no matter where the sun is.  In this case the flash brings out the details more and gives the image a crisper look.

So I put my flash on the camera.   I was standing about 6 feet away from the model on a wide lens, 44mm so I could capture the entire scene around her.  I set my flash to hi speed sync mode so I could shoot at 500th shutter speed.  Why shoot at such a high shutter speed ?  So I could capture a nice blue sky and not blow out the background.  My  fstop was 6.3 ISO was 160.  Now when you use such a fast shutter speed you obviously need to demand more power from your flash.  Also using an fstop of 6.3 demands more power.  So I set my flash exposure compensation to plus 3 stops !  I also set my zoom head on the flash to 80mm instead of letting it set itself to 44mm automatically.  As you can imagine I was asking my flash to do alot and demanding a ton of power.  So I had a Quantum battery pack attached to it to give the flash the extra power it needed.  And that is really all I did with this shot.  I didn’t haul out the Profoto 7B with a beauty dish and another light for her hair.  I positioned her so that her hair was lit by the sun and my key light was my flash.

This situation is why I cannot stress enough that you MUST  know your fundamentals.  If I had put the camera on auto then this shot would look nothing like you see now.  ** This and many other photography fundamentals are techniques I teach you in my fashion photography workshop. It’s a two day workshop and you come out knowing MUCH more than you did when you first walk in.  Check out the workshop page for more info and please feel free to call or email me with any questions you have concerning  the workshop.**

If you have any comments or questions about this post, ask away ! 

With the new purchase of my Canon 5DMark II I also bought a Canon 580EXII speed light. This combination is simply amazing ! I shot this in not so great lighting conditions but because of the solid power of the 580EXII I was able to over power the sun and still maintain details in the highlights because I used Hi Speed Sync mode.
If I didn’t tell you I used a speed light flash you would probably think I used some really elaborate lighting set up.
If your curious about the details & how I pulled this off, ask me

Photographed with a Canon 580EXII

So this is the lighting diagram I promised to show you for this image of our model laying back on the log.

Photo that demonstrates lighting for photo shoot on the beach

This is a lighting diagram of my lighting

So as I said in a previous post I was right under the soft box and sometimes I was standing with my legs really wide to capture her at the perfect angle.  The soft box was roughly 8 feet up on a C-stand and tilted up so I didn’t blow out the log and also to throw some light on the beach sand in the background.

So as you can see a one light set up is all that was needed.  Pretty friggin easy.