Jason Christopher, LA Commercial & Fashion Photographer Bio

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.

Shot this with my Canon 1DS at 28mm. I actually used a polarizing filter to richen the blue sky and green grass.

*PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS OR COMMENT*

Shot this up in the mountains of Sacramento. Shot with my Canon 35mm film camera on Fuji Velvia. I set my camera on a tripod, got in the cold water and dragged the shutter. Used a wide lens, 28mm. What would have been cool was to use a fashion model in the shot.

      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.

Ok I want to share these shots with you because this is a great example of how one can achieve very nice lighting that looks like it was shot with a very expensive set up like Profoto or the likes thereof. The reality is that I used my Metz 55 mz-4 attached to my Canon off camera shoe cord. So let’s go over how I accomplished this look.

First of all I was alone. Yes I had a make up person but this was an experiment that I wanted to do and I purposely did not get an assistant. Many times we can’t afford an assistant when we are just starting out. So we are left with having to be resourceful, otherwise the shoot cannot happen.

1. Attach your off camera shoe cord to your hot shoe on your camera then attach the other end to your flash unit. The underside of the end that you attach your flash to will have a threaded hole that will screw onto either a light stand or tripod.

2. Now you place the flash where ever you like and adjust your exposure accordingly. With these shots I back lit the model with the sun and used my Metz as my key light. I wanted to achieve a bright crisp look so I over exposed with the flash. I did use my lens hood as I was pretty much shooting straight into the sun. My camera settings were: 250th @ F/11.

Ok so at this point I am going to split this post into two separate lessons. I am still feeling this whole instructional blog thing out. If you would like to learn more about this shoot please say so. Without your feedback I can’t give you what you want or need.