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.

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 !

Recently I was asked what legal documents are required to start your fashion  photography business in Los Angeles.   There are a couple things to ask yourself.  If you are working out of your house then you actually don’t need any documents.  You don’t need a business license but if you are not using your name as your business name then you will need a DBA also known as Doing Business As.  For instance, my business is called Jason Christopher Photography.  I don’t need a DBA.    If I want to call my business something like Sharpshooter or Mainline Photography or whatever, just something other than your name, then yes you need a DBA.   When I first started I called LA city Hall and they said I do not need a business license.  Now if I had a storefront I would think that I would need one.  The best thing to do is call your local city hall and find out for sure.

What you ABSOLUTELY NEED is photography insurance that covers your gear, rental gear and liability.  That is a must have.

Other than that you just need a camera … ha ha

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 am going to Nashville June 10th to shoot country singer Hannah Bethel for her up coming EP release and some promo photos.  While I am there I have scheduled a fashion / glamor workshop.  The workshop will be a full two days and I will cover my shooting styles and lighting styles as well as how to direct and work with a professional make up artist and how to direct models.   I will also be covering business practices.  The two day workshop will be just like my two day workshop I conduct out here in Los Angeles.

This one is a little different in that I am going to be in Nashville and I am accepting six photographers and offering a much lower discounted price of $650 for two full days. The normal rate is $1,650 for two days for a private workshop.  With a small group of six photographers it will be just the right number so that there aren’t too many so you can fully grasp my techniques and have my full attention.

Day one we will be covering studio lighting for fashion and glamor.

Day two will cover how to light outdoors, especially in difficult lighting conditions.  With the use of different lighting tools like a speed light on camera, to reflectors to using actual strobes and scrims, I will show you that you don’t have to wait until the “golden hour” to make great photographs.

There will be food and drink as well as a whole lotta southern fun !  You can get more information and sign up on this workshop page and you can get the full details of what I cover in  my two day photography workshops that normally run $1,650.00 here.

Check it out and please ask any questions you may have !          

Time is running out !  Reserve your spot today !

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.

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 !

Yes, I realize that we can’t give away a city. However, we CAN give away a photo of the Nashville Skyline autographed by Jason Christopher . Printed on metallic paper, this 16 x 24 professional photo captures each and every glorious detail of Music City.

The contest is open to anyone but you kiddies have to tell mom and dad so we can ship it to the right house… ok? Just to make it fair, we won’t let anybody associated with Dream Row or Jason Christopher Photography to enter the contest.

The winner will be chosen at random and announced on April 13, 2010. Good luck!