Jason Christopher, LA Commercial & Fashion Photographer Bio

How does a new photographer who is trying to build their portfolio get quality fashion models to test with ? I have been asked this question many many times.  So I figured I would blog about it.

I will tell you how I did it.  Back in the day there was no internet, well there was but it was all dial up and very very slow.  Not many sites had made their way on the world wide web yet especially actual model agencies.  So the only way to look at models to test with was to literally walk into t he agency tell the first person I saw that I was there to look at model zed cards to shoot for my portfolio.  LOL the receptionist walked me to the woman who handled the “New Faces” board.  Was I nervous ?  Actually no I was not.  I compare it to when a child is faced with a task and has never experienced failure so they don’t know what failure feels like.  I had no reason to be afraid because I had no idea what to expect !

So I explained to the agent that I was a new photographer who needed to step up the quality of my portfolio / book with real models who had that model look.  Now you are probably asking what did I walk into the agency with ?  I had a book.  I had photos of my sister who used to model and still looked good.  They were mostly head shots.  I had photos of her beautiful friends and they introduced me to their friends and so on.  Of course what was missing was the styling, make up and that “fashion look” and I knew that.  I even had some family portraits thrown in with some great portraits of children I had shot.

Now even though I didn’t have a book like Irving Penn, Mario Testino or Sante D Orazio it didn’t matter to them.  What the agent saw was that I knew how to compose and light a shot.  More important, I knew how to take girls that had no modeling experience, except for my sister and make them look pretty damn good.  All that was missing was a good stylist, make up and hair.  But the agent didn’t just hand over a bunch of zed cards and say here ya go take your pick ! She told me to shoot some more and come back in a month to show her more.  It was just paying dues.  She also told me to study fashion magazines.  And this is THE most important part of how to shoot fashion.  As a fashion photographer you MUST know fashion !  Shit, the term fashion photographer has the word fashion in it !!!

So I sat my ass in Barnes and Noble and looked at every fashion magazine that existed.  I shot more and more and went back to that agent and she was impressed.  She gave me one model to test out.  From there the ball kept rolling.  She did have alot of feed back for me and I did make mistakes.

My challenge to you all is to forget Model Mayhem, One Model Place and any of these online “anyone can be a model” sites, grab your balls and walk into an agency just like I did.

If you are interested in the feed back she gave me and find out what mistakes I made, just ask !  I look forward to your questions.  This topic is covered heavily in my private fashion photography workshops where I teach you all you need to know of the ins and outs so you don’t make mistakes and you can walk into a modeling agency with confidence.

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

Had another great private photography workshop last weekend with a super nice guy who came allllllll the way out from Ottawa Canada !  He also signed up for three days not just the two days !

The first day of the workshop I went over portfolio set up, size of prints, how they should be organized etc.  I say “they” because you should have a portfolio for each one of your specialties.  Dave has only been shooting for 4 months and he is very good.  Aside from being creatively talented you must also know the business and how it works.  I explained contracts and what should be included.  We talked about how to get real models to shoot for your portfolio, how to direct them etc.  I also covered tax write offs and most important I taught him about usage !  USAGE USAGE USAGE !    Dave had no idea he should be charging usage fees.  So I really covered many areas on the business side that will increase his business sales.  I then prepped him for the shoot with the model on the second day.

Most photographers these days when they are just starting out will build an in home photography studio which is a great idea.  But many really don’t know how to go about it to make it practical and useful for everyone on the team, make up artist etc.  So instead of renting a studio we shot in my home studio.  We started the day with showing Dave how to direct a make up artist, what looks good with certain outfits.  My make up artist explained about the different foundations etc.  Dave gained a wealth of information seeing how I have set up my studio and how I have made it work for me.  So I shot the model first.  It was a great way for Dave to observe how I direct the model, what I say to the model, and basically how I conduct a fashion shoot.

So now you can see my in home studio.  Obviously for large commercial shoots I rent a very large photography studio in LA, but for workshops, head shots etc. you’re in home studio will work perfectly !

You can see that we used a two light set up.  That light that is facing Dave is for the flare.  And here is the final shot not retouched btw.  Dave did a great job and absorbed everything I taught him.  Stay tuned for the third day !

Hey everyone !  I am now offering private fashion photography workshops.  Here is the rundown:

2 day workshop.

First day in studio, second day outdoors.  Each day will be a solid 8 hours and will include a model and make up artist as well as lunch.  I will cover studio/location lighting, make up, styling, directing a model and much more.  You will also get hands on experience by actually shooting the model.  This is a great opportunity to learn a great amount of technique in 2 days where it would normally take years.  You won’t have any distraction of other photographers as you would in a group workshop, it’s just me , you and the model.

The price for the 2 day workshop is $995.  If you live out of state I can set up your hotel for you. All you have to do is show up !  To book a session please email me and or call me.  818-889-9559 jason@jasonchristopher.com