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

For this shot I used the sun to back light the models and my assistants used the large oval reflector to front light them.  Shoot low up close and wide.  I used a 28mm lens on this and was about 5 feet from the models.  It creates a sense of surrounding.  This is an editorial look.

Hi everyone !  I apologize for not posting in such a long time. Been busy shooting.  I think you are going to love these photos from a recent fashion editorial.  So as you can see I had my team, wardrobe, hair, make up, assistants.  It was 105 degrees and dry !  Under those conditions everyone really has to be extra aware to be on top of their game, even me lol.

On this shoot I had my two assistants holding a 6 foot tall oval shaped reflector bouncing the sun back into the model.  I used an 85mm lens.  The hazy look is the result of me letting some of  the sun bleed into the shot.  The model is Elicia Perkins from Next Models.  Any questions please ask !!!

So here is something I am very proud of. I used my Canon 100 2.8 macro and just two lights with one silver reflector under at chest level to give that catch light in the bottom part of the pupil.

Shooting outdoors scares many photographers.  It really shouldn’t though.  Think of it as recreating your studio light outdoors.  Yes you can use strobes but why lug out all that gear when you can achieve nice results with just one reflector, sometimes two.  My choice of color is white.  It looks the most natural and you can just use a piece of white poster board.  The larger the poster board, the softer the light because the source projects a broader spectrum of light. So in this example I was lighting my subject from head to toe.  I opted for a 6 foot tall white board, very inexpensive btw.  My assistant was standing  about 15 feet away from the model, which is far however he had no choice because the model was sitting under the roof of the stables.  So my assistant moved away until he caught the sun.

My job as a portrait photographer is to seduce, amuse and entertain.

- Helmut Newton

Got this quote from a really cool site called photoquotes.com

Many photographers have asked me how I achieve this look. What I tell them is TAKE A CHANCE ! With the digital age there is no reason NOT to take chances. Ok so how is this done ? I ALWAYS use a white board, NEVER a silver or gold reflector. Reflectors create that “glamour” look which is great for glamour but not fashion or beauty. I either have an assistant hold it or if you don’t have an assistant, your make up artist is a good choice. The board is held off camera right out of camera view and yes blind the model. It is their job to be able to deal with it. I control the contrast with my shutter speed. The faster the speed the more contrast you get. Now I invite you to ask questions !