Jason Christopher, LA Commercial & Fashion Photographer Bio

So last Sunday at 2pm one of my assistants calls to tell me he just got a tip from a make up artist that a model friend of his from Spain is in town for 3 days and asked if I would like to test her.  As soon as I saw a few photos that he emailed me I jumped on it.  This is one of  the shots that I converted to B&W in post.

Ok so why the title of the post ? Because the ONLY light I used was the natural light coming in from the bedroom window.  I metered with my handheld meter and shot my ass off.  It is a little blurry on purpose. I was hand held  standing above her on a matress.  Lens was my 85mm.  Settings were ISO 800, 1/15th shutter speed, F/2.2.  You guys like ?  *QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS WELCOME*

natural lighting for fashion or beauty

This is Taylor with Brand Models.  I just love her eyes and her innocence.  I used one light and that is it. I used my small umbrella that is white inside.  I used my 100 mm lens, my favorite of course. 

Beautiful fashion model

I LOVE this shot. I strive to get into the soul of a person and bring it out in the photograph. Photography is and should be a very intimate experience. If the photographer cannot bring out the soul in the model and let it shine, then the photo is useless in my opinion. You can get the lighting, styling etc. all down perfect, but if the viewer does not connect with the eyes then you have not done your job as a photographer. I don’t care if it is a catalog shoot, an editorial or advertising job, you must connect with your subject. I shot this with my Canon 100mm Macro F/2.8 lens.

So I just shot some new beauty photos. Most photographers use a beauty dish, however they can be expensive, especially for a photographer who is just starting out. What is the solution ? This photo was shot with just one small umbrella, a small silver reflector at breast level, and a strobe hitting the background with it’s regular 7 inch reflector attached for separation. I placed the umbrella camera right about 2-3 feet above model’s eye level. Of course you need to tell the model to be aware that this is her ONLY light source so do not turn your face away from it. Any good model of course would know this. This was shot at 125th @ F/8 , 100 ISO. The make up and hair artists were standing by right next to the model ready to jump in and make tiny little adjustments to hair and make up. When shooting beauty like this, it is VERY important to pay attention to EVERY detail, thus my team was stepping in every couple of minutes or so adjusting something.