Jason Christopher, LA Commercial & Fashion Photographer Bio

Photography lighting for catalogs is different than lighting for advertising or an editorial.  You rarely get the chance to get creative because the objective is to make the clothes look good and show details in the fabric.  Many fashion designers use some very nice fabrics and the designers goal is to sell their clothes to buyers of department stores and get them seen in magazines.  Therefore the photographer doesn’t really have the freedom to use radical lighting ratios with dramatic shadows.   So what kind of lighting is recommended for shooting catalogs ?  Well I like very nice Rembrandt lighting.  This is where you see the triangle of light under either the left or right eye.  The reason I like to use Rembrandt lighting is because it isn’t flat and it isn’t too dramatic and shows the details of the clothes at the same time.   Now for this shoot you can see I did a little variation of Rembrandt.  It’s not a perfect typical triangle of light under the eye.  You can see the shadow is more opened up so there is a little more light on the model’s face.  I chose to do this variation because when I originally showed the designer the actual Rembrandt set up, she felt it was a little too shadowed.  As you can see in the images that the model’s LEFT side is in a light shadow.  Look at the tighter shot and you see her LEFT cheek looks sculpted and my variation of Rembrandt lighting.

I accomplished this by placing a black V-Flat close to the model about three feet away from her.  This gives you a negative fill.  What’s happening is the large soft box is feathered away from the model a bit and some of the light is actually bouncing into and off of the white wall that is to the left of the soft box.  Then that light hits the model, then hits the black V-Flat which soaks up some of the light giving you the negative fill and a nice shadow.  You control the darkness of the shadow by moving the V-Flat closer into the model or farther away.  Closer in gives you a darker shadow and moving it away lightens the shadow.  So what’s cool is I only used one light for this !  I combined the natural light and one strobe to create a lighting scheme that isn’t that flat ugly typical catalog lighting like you see in JC Penny.   Please ask me questions and comment ! Click the lighting diagram and you will see it larger.

You can learn techniques like this and much more when you take my  two day one on one private fashion photography work shop. Click here for more info.

Ok so Day two of my private photography work shop with Kevin started off with looking over the images on my large monitor and critiquing when necessary.  Kevin will admit he was amazed at how often I pointed out little things that could ruin a photo.  For example, every single little tiny detail matters especially when it comes to the hands.  Experienced models know how to place their hands and make them look soft and pretty as they use them to pop a collar or rest them on the hips or running them through their hair.  However, an inexperienced model often develops the “claw” look.   This is when she might pop her collar with her hand and grab it with her palm facing out and her fingers bent so that her hand resembles a claw.  This is a major no no and so is palms facing camera.  Now I know what you’re going to say.  Sometimes you see models in magazines with their palms facing camera.  Well so what ?  Does that make it right ?  No it doesn’t.  I could open a Vogue and point out at least 20 mistakes that a model made in her shoot.  My God I have seen hundreds.  Don’t get into that way of thinking that just because you see it in a magazine then it’s ok.   So I told Kevin that when a model gives you the claw, it’s your job to point it out and have her correct it.  If you are shooting an experienced model it is still your job to point out a mistake and correct it.

Going over Kevin’s images I also pointed out things like the bottom of the shirt is folded up or  a bracelet was sitting too far up on the arm or the bra strap was slightly showing.   If you had a wardrobe stylist on the shoot it would be their job to watch  for these things BUT he or she might miss it and it is YOUR responsibility when looking through your viewfinder to look at everything before you click that shutter.  We also went over how he directed the model and he did a great job.  Many photographers get intimidated by the model and are afraid to direct them.  The reality is the model expects you to direct them and it is your job to direct them.  Overall Kevin really nailed some great shots.

Next thing we did was talk about how to find jobs and market yourself to potential clients.  I also went over how to approach agencies and obtain models for free test shoots.  Putting together a team of make up and hair is another step in the process and I showed him how to establish a good solid team.  By this time the make up artist and the model for the second day arrived.  Again Kevin observed the make up artist and this time he told her how he would like the make up to look.  He also used this time to get acquainted with the model which is a great time to break the ice.

Kevin wanted to learn a bit of glamor photography so in this case the make up is going to be different as well as the hair and wardrobe.  So we picked some outfits for our model to wear and we started to light for our first set up.  I showed him how to incorporate flair into his images and also how to use smoke for a cool effect.  I have a small fog machine that is great for this.  This image shows the result from our first set up.

When looking at this image remember that flair is real and shot in camera, NOT done in post.  As Kevin kept shooting he is constantly giving encouragement to the model, directing her expressions and poses and keeping that photographer to model connection flowing.  One bad habit I had to break Kevin of was looking at the image on the LCD after every single shot.  That is a surefire way to not create that connection and IF you have created that connection it will break it instantly.  DO NOT LOOK AT YOUR LCD .   I turn mine off after I know I’ve got my lighting set the way I want it.  It’s no different than shooting your first few Polaroids and then shooting until your next set up.  Kevin eventually took her off the stool and shot some fabulous poses in true glamor pin up style.

This image has it all, great expression, the wind blown hair, great make up, great styling, great lighting.  It’s like cooking a stew, all the ingredients have to be there otherwise the stew won’t taste just right 

This is another clothing change we did.  Kevin went in tight on this shot and you can see how beautiful the make up and hair is as well as the edge light on HER left shoulder and arm.  That strobe is doubling up as a back light for the smoke and to also provide a nice edge light.  The model’s expression is really what makes this photo, all the other stuff just accents it and adds that special touch.  It’s important to not over use the bells and whistles.  By that I am talking about the edge light, the smoke etc.  In any photograph you make, the expression is what will sell the photo to the viewer.  To dig into the model’s soul and extract her inner most thoughts and capture them on film is the magic that happens when the photographer and model are in sync with each other. This cannot just happen.  It takes many many shoots and much practice shooting with a variety of models to nail that skill.  I provide you with the psychological tools to give you a head start and start creating beautiful images.

The second part of our day was spent learning how to shoot on location with reflectors and a speed light.  Using the sun as your friend and combining it with a speed light can get you very nicely lit images.  I also taught Kevin how to use the hi speed sync mode for his flash and also how to deal with the model who has to deal with the elements you encounter when shooting outdoors.  If it is summer then you have heat.  If it’s winter then you have cold to deal with.  Models don’t have much fat on them and they can’t wear a heavy jacket.   They still have to pretend they are in a fabulous mood even if it’s 40, 50 or 60 degrees outside.  By the same token if it’s 100 degrees outside and they are tired and sweating, they can’t just pour a bucket of cold water over themselves.  So you the photographer must make her feel like she is doing just fine and keep her interested and excited all the while making sure your technical details are correct as you watch the sun go down faster than a speeding bullet lol.   Not as easy as it sounds.   This is one of Kevin’s images from that outdoor session.

This was shot with the model facing the sun.  How did she keep her eyes open and not squint ?  I held a 60 inch white convertible umbrella up to scrim the sun.  Kevin also used his flash to add some snap to the shot.  By using the high speed sync mode he was also able to hold the blue in the sky behind her. By this time it was getting breezy and cold.  The model doesn’t show it at all.  Kevin did a great job talking to her and keeping her focused.

The shoot finally ended and we went back to go over the images.  Kevin learned a great deal of information, more than I shared with you here of course and had a great time.  He was a pleasure to work with and a wonderful person.

This is where the photography  workshop takes place.  I show you how to set up an in home photography studio with very little expense.  It’s also a huge write off !  If you would like to know more about my private one on one photography workshops please call or email me jason@jasonchristopher.com.  You may also view testimonials and information about my private one on one fashion photography workshops here.

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As a working professional fashion photographer I love to give back.  I love to share my knowledge with other photographers and help them learn and get a bit of a head start in this competitive field.  Some people think I’m crazy but it really does make sense  What you give is what you get.  Listen up guys, there will ALWAYS be someone better than you.   So instead of keeping your “secrets” which aren’t even secrets , all to yourselves, learn to share and you will be surprised how good it feels and what comes back to you.

My private one on one photo workshop with Kevin Miller was great !  Kevin came all the way out from Ohio to spend two full days with me learning and having fun shooting.   As I have said before, my private workshops are specially prepared to suit your level  and skill.  Kevin messes around with his dslr however he really wanted to get to the grit and learn the right way, learn fundamentals and learn how to work with models and put together a fashion shoot all by himself.   His particular area of interest is commercial fashion and glamor.  So the first part of day 1 started with me and Kevin only.  We went over the basics of how aperture effects shutter speed, ambient light, and the mechanics of the camera and how and why it does what it does. I went over the zone system with him which is very important.

I then went over the basics of studio lighting explaining lighting ratios and depth of field, and where to place your lights etc.  As we progressed, Kevin took diligent notes and referred back to the lighting diagrams I provide.  I showed him soft boxes, grids, reflectors, umbrellas and even gels.

It was then time to bring in the make up artist and model.  It’s very important for the photographer to have a vision for the make up and relate that to the make up artist.  When I began shooting I must admit I was intimidated to tell the make up artist what to do.  Well I soon learned that I had better tell the make up artist what to do and to let he or she know what my vision was.  Kevin listened and observed as I directed, yes directed my make up artist on how I wanted the make up to look.  A professional make up artist is used to this and will not be offended.  IF your make up artist gets offended, you pull them to the side in a calm manner and explain to them how you work.  If that doesn’t work, show them the door lol !

As the make up progressed I started to set up the lighting for  our first shot.  Kevin helped me hands on which is very beneficial so he learns as he is actually doing.  We set up a medium soft box, reflector etc.  During this period we went to check on the make up to make sure it was coming out as we planned.  The hair was now being styled and I directed my make up artist on how I wanted the hair to look.  I do this by showing tear sheets or images from the web.  I do the same with make up.

Ok so now the make up is done, the lighting is all set up so we go over to the wardrobe rack and try on clothes so we know what we will be shooting the rest of the day.  Very important part of the process.  On large jobs I have a wardrobe stylist to do all this BUT don’t you think for a second that I am not involved.  All this prep with the make up, hair and wardrobe is to show Kevin that you must be involved in every aspect of the shoot AND you the photographer have the last word OR on a large job, the art director or designer will have the last word.  Every situation is different.

Now it’s time to get down to business.  After picking out a nice outfit, I start shooting and Kevin watches and listen how I interact with the model.  From time to time I call the make up artist in to make adjustments etc.  Kevin took many many notes which was great.  After I shot it was time for Kevin to shoot. He did great. I let him do his thing and when he got stuck I helped him out like a good instructor does.

So for our first day these are the images Kevin shot. We see a great example of side lighting on the second photo.

As you can see, the styling, make up and lighting is perfect.  And let’s not forget the expression from the model.   Kevin wanted to come in tight on Nadia’s beautiful face so we shot this wonderful image.

A nice example of Rembrandt lighting.

Stay tuned for DAY 2  of my private one on one photography workshop with Kevin Miller.

Please ask any questions or comment.

I love to shoot fashion.   There are so many reasons why.  I love the couture clothing, I love to photograph women and I also love to create a mood.  One of my favorite techniques to create mood in an image is to use a fog machine.  You can pick one up for about $25.  In these photos I used a medium soft box as my main light and placed it camera left.  To light the fog I placed a strobe behind her and off camera.  My assistant ran the fog machine off camera right.  The back light was about 2 stops brighter than my main.   You have to tell your model to be in character all the time and to NOT look back at the machine.  The fog dissipates rather quickly and it’s difficult to get just the right pattern of fog so it doesn’t look like it is being shot out in a stream.   My assistant used a piece of cardboard to blow the fog around and “shape” it so it looks the way it does.                                             

Now if you look at the photo on the left you will notice an edge light on her cheek.  That is coming from the back light that is illuminating the fog.  So in essence you can kill to birds with one stone.  It’s actually a very challenging shoot.  If you get a model in that is inexperienced she will want to always look back at the fog machine because she is so in awe of it, why I have no idea, but I go crazy because the fog will be perfect and the model will decide to make sure it looks perfect and will look back and I miss the shot.  Oy vey !  lol  So reinforce to your model to stay in character and DON’T LOOK BACK at the friggin machine !  Sara, the model in these photos is an experienced model so I didn’t have to remind her to not look back.

Yes these images were retouched.  The model’s skin was smoothed and of course contrast, levels etc., the standard stuff was done.  My lighting however, was just how you see it.   And that’s really all there is to it.  A two light set up and that’s it.  Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions, comment whether you like it or don’t.  You won’t hurt my feelings.

You can learn how to shoot like this and much more by taking my private one on one photography work shop.

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Hello 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 !  

I recently had the pleasure of photographing a new jewelry line by Flori Manning.  The designer herself called me from Chicago where she lives, we talked over the concepts, budget etc. and the next thing you know she is on a plane to  Los Angeles to shoot her look book with lil ol me.

We had a great model and some beautiful jewelry as well as great make up and hair.  One of my make up artists Lori Young did a great job with the make up and hair.

As for the lighting, I used my typical beauty lighting set up. One small white satin umbrella above the model and in front of her and silver reflector on a stand below to fill in any shadows and light up that jewelry.  We shot 9 different looks.  Here we see two of them.

When prepping for a photo shoot with a client who is based out of town you have got to be very thorough and write everything down from every phone call.  Ask your client to email you samples of the look they are going for.  The more specifics you get from your client the easier the shoot will flow.  Because there is no initial in office meeting, everything must be done via email and phone.  It’s not as easy as an in person meeting but it can be done effectively.

A bit more info on the technical side of a shoot like this must be mentioned.  In the first shot you see the model is wearing a necklace AND earrings.  In this situation I needed to set a very tight f stop to make everything sharp from the necklace all the way back to the earrings.  I set it to f/13, so my strobes were popping !  lol   In the second shot we don’t have earrings in the shot, however, the necklace must be sharp from the closest edge to camera all the way back to where it rests on the back of her neck.

Any questions or comments are welcome !

Just an update about my private fashion photography workshops for you all.  They are going great !  I just had the pleasure of working with Jeff Corzine.  Jeff is from Malibu and we spent two days with a great model and make up artist.  We went over certain lighting techniques and when I taught him how to properly use the Canon 580EX II he was blown away by all the great features this flash has to offer and the amazing images one can achieve with it.

Jeff also learned how to direct a fashion model to achieve amazing results just by talking to your model and choosing the right words so she can act out a situation and a feeling in her head which translates to film, or in this case the final digital image.

I will post some images from our workshop very soon !  If you would like to know more about my photography workshops please contact me via phone or email  and I will be happy to discuss details with you.

Ok here are a couple images from our workshop. This first shot the model is dressed in a long beautiful form fitting gray dress. I didn’t want to light the whole dress from top to bottom. I wanted her brighter at the top and gradually get darker as the light falls lower. So I feathered the medium soft box. It was raised high above the model and tilted down so that the bottom part of the soft box hits from the middle just barely enough down to the bottom. I didn’t want the bottom of the dress to go totally black. I directed the model to keep her poses towards her key light. And in this case there was only one light anyway. That is also how you see that HER LEFT side goes a bit darker. I placed the light slightly in front of her so that it wraps around her but not too much. If I had put the soft box directly on her right side the left side of her would go completely dark which I didn’t want.  The second photo shows how to use fill flash without getting that harsh look.  I explained how I achieved this in the previous post in the gear review of the Canon 580 EX II.  Again, any questions please ask.

Cheers,

Jason

This is a very popular beauty photo of mine that everyone asks how I lit and how I got the cool looking catch lights.   I want to clarify a couple things first though.  Catch lights are the reflection one sees in the pupil of the eye of the actual light modifier that the photographer uses.  How a photographer creates those catch lights is based upon which light modifier he or she uses.

So catch lights can be in the form of an umbrella, a soft box, a beauty dish, a Mola reflector , a bare bulb, a Photoflex or Westcott reflector etc.  And it is where you place those light modifiers that determine where you see the catch light / reflection of your light modifier.  Ok so with that said here is the photo that demonstrates my use of a small umbrella and a round 36″ silver Photoflex reflector.

In this next photo I show you the close up of the eyes so you can actually see the metal splines of the umbrella on top of the pupil and the round silver reflector on the bottom of the pupil.

I created a lighting diagram for you.  In this beauty lighting diagram the background paper is gray in color.  The model is about 9 feet from the background.  The strobe that is behind the model is facing the back of her hair and is placed 3 feet away from the model and is one and a half stops brighter than the main light.  The ratio will vary depending on the lightness or darkness of the hair color.  The strobe is on a stand and the same height as the model’s head.

The umbrella I am using is a Westcott  32″ white satin with the black backing left on it.  I place it right in front of the model and above eye level as you can see in the catch light.  It’s about 4 feet away from the model.  I am standing right under it.

The silver Photoflex umbrella is placed on a Westcott reflector arm at breast level and I angle it until I like the amount of  fill.  This is subjective to each photographer.

Be sure to click the images so you can see them much larger.  Lighting techniques like this are part of what I teach in my private photography workshops.  We learn one on one as you watch me set up the lighting , shoot and direct the model.  Then it is your turn to shoot and direct the model.  Hands on experience is vital to learning.  I welcome your comments, questions and thoughts.

I know you all like behind the scenes photos and videos. I posted the video and now I am posting some photos of me shooting a real fashion shoot !
I had a wonderful crew who worked VERY hard for me and the results are amazing !

You can see how simple the lighting is and yet how effective it is. Those glass panels were lit with two Speedotron units. I decided to do this because I know that frosted glass, which is what those panels are made of, would diffuse the light and wrap around her creating a “heavenly” look and what is the name of the clothing line ?  Gods Daughter.

So as photographers we don’t just click a shutter button. We come up with the concepts that will tell the story behind the clothes.  Notice in the last photo the top of the glass wall comes up to her calves.  One wrong step and she would have fallen 20 stories.  Yes I do whatever it takes to get the shot. 

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 !