I shot with a beautiful model named Randi. All we wanted to accomplish was one perfect beauty look. I used a 100mm lens. My set up was a small umbrella overhead and in front with a medium silver reflector at breast level.
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
There are so many topics I could cover within this blog that I could drive myself crazy. That is why I started this post. Any questions you have about fashion photography, portrait photography, wardrobe styling, make up artists, shooting agency models, portfolio discussion, portfolio review etc. ask me here. It will benefit us all ! 
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My assistant shot some photos of me shooting that I thought you all might enjoy. This was a shoot for NXS Hair Extensions.
Los Angeles photographer Jason Christopher
NXS Hair Shoot
beauty photo campaign
Beauty Model
This model is from Ford Model Agency. For this shoot I kept it simple. I used just one small umbrella above and a medium silver reflector by Photoflex. I placed a strobe on both sides of the background with a yellow gel. The yellow gel combined with 18% gray paper gives you an olive color. In the end though the art director decided they didn’t like that color and in post they had the retoucher just make it white.
So I recently shot my actress friend Crystal Allen. I shot this on the balcony of her apartment which overlooks the beach. The walls and floor of the balcony are white. Late in the day the light hitting the balcony is soft and beautiful. I placed her just a bit out from the door jam so that the light from the white floor hit her face and eyes. On an 85mm lens my exposure was f/5 80th of a second. My ISO was 200. Choosing an f stop of 5 allowed the background to blur out. She was standing a good 12 feet from the inside living room so that allowed it to go dark thereby focusing all the attention to Crystal. At this time of day you don’t have very long to get your shots so you need to direct your model very well. Crystal is an actress so that made my job very easy. I just gave her adjectives to act out. For example I would say, give me vulnerable, shy, nervous, strong, confident etc. This image has not been retouched and it really does not need much because I exposed so well. Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions or comment.
actress crystal allen
I love lips ! lol So I shot this with my Canon 100mm 2.8. Now of course this was retouched. NO ONE has lips like this naturally. So I lit this with a small umbrella above the model, her face was tilted up looking at the umbrella. Right below her chin I placed a 36″ white foam core board. I was standing above the model on an apple box. If you would like to see the before shot please email me.
red glossy lips
I have been asked many times what lens is best for shooting beauty. I use a Canon 100mm macro F/2.8. You can also use an 85mm however I prefer the longer lens. Anything over 100 is not necessary, it will be heavy and you need a steady hand or a tripod for beauty photography. I especially love the 100mm for outdoor beauty with the sun back lighting your model. The compression is beautiful ! This image was shot with the 100mm 2.8. It’s not a very expensive lens, around $600.
beauty lighting with one umbrella
This was photographed with a Canon 100mm F/2.8 macro lens. As you can see from looking at the catch light in the open eye, I used one light source which was a small umbrella. I placed it just above the model and a bit in front of her. When shooting a beauty editorial it is wise to get up close and pay close attention to detail. Of course you lose depth of field the closer your lens is to the subject therefore you must use a very small f stop. Remember, the larger the number, the tighter your aperture will be.
Macro beauty photograph . Shot with one small Photoflex umbrella.
