Jason Christopher, LA Commercial & Fashion Photographer Bio

I recently shot for Nina Canacci.  They are a high end couture  prom gown designer.  It was a three day shoot at 10 hours each day.  We shot over 200 gowns with three models.  I have never talked about stamina because it’s just something that a photographer must have and I assume all photographers have enough stamina to shoot for a long period of time.  However the other day I was talking shop with a colleague of mine and he mentioned a friend of ours that would never be able to last 10 hours, never mind three days in a row.  Now that is not a good thing.  I mean let’s face it, any catalog shoot or advertising shoot is going to be a long day.  There are exceptions of course but the majority of jobs are 8-10 hours.

In this video you can see how hard I work and I think most photographers do work hard.  You can see my intensity.  I have a game face and I make sure that game face is on from the moment I step on set to the wrap of the shoot.  Photographers must have mental, emotional and physical stamina to execute a successful shoot.  We are the leader.  Everyone on that set looks up to us.  If we show any sign of weakness or uncertainty, then we have just lost our shoot.  The good news is we can get it back.  Grab the bull and come out like a lion in the second half and I guarantee that you will get your set back.

For this shoot I walked on the set and the first thing I saw was racks and racks of gowns.  Instead of letting that intimidate me, I remembered why I am in this business, and that is because I love women’s clothing and I love to capture the beauty and style of fashion.    So I greeted everyone with a big smile and looked over the gowns and got to work on lighting the set.  This was an easy set up.  One 6 foot silver lined umbrella to create a soft shadow on the BG and two strobes to light my white BG.   Some of the gowns were very light and were made to flow with the wind of a dancer.  It is a models job to put on a dress or outfit and know what to do with it.  It is the photographers job to know what the fabric is capable of and make sure the model is “working” the gown or outfit.   In the video you will see examples of this.

So sit back and enjoy the video.  I hope you have many questions that I will be happy to answer.

Nina Canacci Prom Dress Shoot By Jason Christopher Photography from Jason Christopher on Vimeo.

This is a behind the scenes video of a catalogue shoot I did for Nina Canacci couture prom gowns. We shot 250 gowns in three 10 hour days.

Photography lighting for catalogs is different than lighting for advertising or an editorial.  You rarely get the chance to get creative because the objective is to make the clothes look good and show details in the fabric.  Many fashion designers use some very nice fabrics and the designers goal is to sell their clothes to buyers of department stores and get them seen in magazines.  Therefore the photographer doesn’t really have the freedom to use radical lighting ratios with dramatic shadows.   So what kind of lighting is recommended for shooting catalogs ?  Well I like very nice Rembrandt lighting.  This is where you see the triangle of light under either the left or right eye.  The reason I like to use Rembrandt lighting is because it isn’t flat and it isn’t too dramatic and shows the details of the clothes at the same time.   Now for this shoot you can see I did a little variation of Rembrandt.  It’s not a perfect typical triangle of light under the eye.  You can see the shadow is more opened up so there is a little more light on the model’s face.  I chose to do this variation because when I originally showed the designer the actual Rembrandt set up, she felt it was a little too shadowed.  As you can see in the images that the model’s LEFT side is in a light shadow.  Look at the tighter shot and you see her LEFT cheek looks sculpted and my variation of Rembrandt lighting.

I accomplished this by placing a black V-Flat close to the model about three feet away from her.  This gives you a negative fill.  What’s happening is the large soft box is feathered away from the model a bit and some of the light is actually bouncing into and off of the white wall that is to the left of the soft box.  Then that light hits the model, then hits the black V-Flat which soaks up some of the light giving you the negative fill and a nice shadow.  You control the darkness of the shadow by moving the V-Flat closer into the model or farther away.  Closer in gives you a darker shadow and moving it away lightens the shadow.  So what’s cool is I only used one light for this !  I combined the natural light and one strobe to create a lighting scheme that isn’t that flat ugly typical catalog lighting like you see in JC Penny.   Please ask me questions and comment ! Click the lighting diagram and you will see it larger.

You can learn techniques like this and much more when you take my  two day one on one private fashion photography work shop. Click here for more info.

As a working professional fashion photographer I love to give back.  I love to share my knowledge with other photographers and help them learn and get a bit of a head start in this competitive field.  Some people think I’m crazy but it really does make sense  What you give is what you get.  Listen up guys, there will ALWAYS be someone better than you.   So instead of keeping your “secrets” which aren’t even secrets , all to yourselves, learn to share and you will be surprised how good it feels and what comes back to you.

My private one on one photo workshop with Kevin Miller was great !  Kevin came all the way out from Ohio to spend two full days with me learning and having fun shooting.   As I have said before, my private workshops are specially prepared to suit your level  and skill.  Kevin messes around with his dslr however he really wanted to get to the grit and learn the right way, learn fundamentals and learn how to work with models and put together a fashion shoot all by himself.   His particular area of interest is commercial fashion and glamor.  So the first part of day 1 started with me and Kevin only.  We went over the basics of how aperture effects shutter speed, ambient light, and the mechanics of the camera and how and why it does what it does. I went over the zone system with him which is very important.

I then went over the basics of studio lighting explaining lighting ratios and depth of field, and where to place your lights etc.  As we progressed, Kevin took diligent notes and referred back to the lighting diagrams I provide.  I showed him soft boxes, grids, reflectors, umbrellas and even gels.

It was then time to bring in the make up artist and model.  It’s very important for the photographer to have a vision for the make up and relate that to the make up artist.  When I began shooting I must admit I was intimidated to tell the make up artist what to do.  Well I soon learned that I had better tell the make up artist what to do and to let he or she know what my vision was.  Kevin listened and observed as I directed, yes directed my make up artist on how I wanted the make up to look.  A professional make up artist is used to this and will not be offended.  IF your make up artist gets offended, you pull them to the side in a calm manner and explain to them how you work.  If that doesn’t work, show them the door lol !

As the make up progressed I started to set up the lighting for  our first shot.  Kevin helped me hands on which is very beneficial so he learns as he is actually doing.  We set up a medium soft box, reflector etc.  During this period we went to check on the make up to make sure it was coming out as we planned.  The hair was now being styled and I directed my make up artist on how I wanted the hair to look.  I do this by showing tear sheets or images from the web.  I do the same with make up.

Ok so now the make up is done, the lighting is all set up so we go over to the wardrobe rack and try on clothes so we know what we will be shooting the rest of the day.  Very important part of the process.  On large jobs I have a wardrobe stylist to do all this BUT don’t you think for a second that I am not involved.  All this prep with the make up, hair and wardrobe is to show Kevin that you must be involved in every aspect of the shoot AND you the photographer have the last word OR on a large job, the art director or designer will have the last word.  Every situation is different.

Now it’s time to get down to business.  After picking out a nice outfit, I start shooting and Kevin watches and listen how I interact with the model.  From time to time I call the make up artist in to make adjustments etc.  Kevin took many many notes which was great.  After I shot it was time for Kevin to shoot. He did great. I let him do his thing and when he got stuck I helped him out like a good instructor does.

So for our first day these are the images Kevin shot. We see a great example of side lighting on the second photo.

As you can see, the styling, make up and lighting is perfect.  And let’s not forget the expression from the model.   Kevin wanted to come in tight on Nadia’s beautiful face so we shot this wonderful image.

A nice example of Rembrandt lighting.

Stay tuned for DAY 2  of my private one on one photography workshop with Kevin Miller.

Please ask any questions or comment.

Recently I shot a catalog or sometimes called a look book. A designer will call me asking me to shoot their new creations.  Normally if everything on the designer end goes smoothly, I will shoot two seasons ahead.  So this shoot which is for Simply Mimi,  we shot this in August of 2010.  The collection is Spring 2011.  The time table isn’t always exact but everyone does their best to get the designs manufactured in time for the shoot.  This will give the designer enough time to design the catalog / look book, send it out to her buyers and ship her orders to the various stores in time for the season they were meant for.  Trust me, it NEVER runs that smooth and on time lol.

So this is a small sample of what I shot.  Now let me explain something to you guys.  You might be saying to yourselves that it looks really boring.   Well, it is  !  Shooting look books is boring UNLESS it is a look book for Gucci etc.  You get my drift I’m sure.  However, the bare bones fact is that I would rather be shooting than sitting in a cubicle all day answering a phone or working the drive through window.  ” Welcome to Kentucky Fried Chicken may I take your order please?” as I spit my gum out that I’ve had in my mouth for the past 8 hours !

Catalog / look book shooting is easy, quick and you make a pretty penny for a days work or two.  Do I put all my catalog work up on my site ?  Heeeelllllll no !

I show my artistic side and creative side on my site.  IF the look book is cool enough then I will put it up on my site.

So what is involved in shooting a catalog / look book ?  As you can see the lighting is all the same.  You MUST bring out the texture of the clothes and show them well.  This is not about being fancy and artistic with your lighting with dark shadows and moods.  These look books are for buyers of major department stores and they want to see the garments they are investing in.  Sometimes I will also shoot a lifestyle shot or two or three etc. to go along with the look book if the client asks.

So there ya go.  One of my recent catalog / look books.  Hit me up with any questions you have.  Trust me, I haven’t included every detail in this post because I am trying to get you all to think about what else is involved and ask me questions so we can get some interaction going 

Here we have from left to right; fashion model, designer, Jason Christopher- photographer and a fashion model.

I love to shoot fashion.   There are so many reasons why.  I love the couture clothing, I love to photograph women and I also love to create a mood.  One of my favorite techniques to create mood in an image is to use a fog machine.  You can pick one up for about $25.  In these photos I used a medium soft box as my main light and placed it camera left.  To light the fog I placed a strobe behind her and off camera.  My assistant ran the fog machine off camera right.  The back light was about 2 stops brighter than my main.   You have to tell your model to be in character all the time and to NOT look back at the machine.  The fog dissipates rather quickly and it’s difficult to get just the right pattern of fog so it doesn’t look like it is being shot out in a stream.   My assistant used a piece of cardboard to blow the fog around and “shape” it so it looks the way it does.                                             

Now if you look at the photo on the left you will notice an edge light on her cheek.  That is coming from the back light that is illuminating the fog.  So in essence you can kill to birds with one stone.  It’s actually a very challenging shoot.  If you get a model in that is inexperienced she will want to always look back at the fog machine because she is so in awe of it, why I have no idea, but I go crazy because the fog will be perfect and the model will decide to make sure it looks perfect and will look back and I miss the shot.  Oy vey !  lol  So reinforce to your model to stay in character and DON’T LOOK BACK at the friggin machine !  Sara, the model in these photos is an experienced model so I didn’t have to remind her to not look back.

Yes these images were retouched.  The model’s skin was smoothed and of course contrast, levels etc., the standard stuff was done.  My lighting however, was just how you see it.   And that’s really all there is to it.  A two light set up and that’s it.  Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions, comment whether you like it or don’t.  You won’t hurt my feelings.

You can learn how to shoot like this and much more by taking my private one on one photography work shop.

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When a fashion model calls me asking to shoot for her model portfolio what does that involve ?  I get this question often and I love to answer my fellow photographer comrades.

ASK QUESTIONS – GAIN INSIGHT – GIVE ANSWERS

The first thing I ask the model is if she is new and has no photos at all or is she a working model and just needs to update her portfolio.  If she tells me that she is  just starting out, doesn’t  have an agency yet and needs to start a portfolio, then I ask her how tall she is, what color hair , measurements etc.   That will lead to her emailing me a couple of snapshots of herself so I can get an idea of what type of modeling she should get into.  If she is 5′ 6″ – 5′ 7″ then I know she is not going in to high fashion.  If she has a beautiful body and great hair and is physically fit then what I would do is:

1. Shoot a beauty shot that emphasizes her beautiful hair and skin.

2. Shoot her in a swimsuit. It can be in studio or on a beach or even the desert.

3. Have her bring a running outfit or a tennis outfit.  Maybe she does yoga.  A fitness shot is important.

4. Shoot  a commercial fashion / Hollister/ Abercrombie type shot.  Commercial fashion is big in Los Angeles and actually it’s big everywhere.  You can’t go wrong with this look.

5. Lingerie is popular and pays good money for a model.   If she doesn’t want to do lingerie then I would change it to something in the look of a catalog “Gap” looking shot.  So that is five different shots.  I shoot in studio and outdoors at a couple different locations that suit the shot.

This is a nice variety of images that show the model in enough situations for the agent to get an idea of where the agency can place her and which castings to send out on.

Now some might not have a home studio and can only shoot outdoors.  That’s ok.  I just shoot both because I have a home studio.  The more variety you can offer the better.  I know what agencies want to see because I have been doing this so long and have seen hundreds and hundreds of model portfolios.

MAKE UP ARTIST

I ALWAYS include a make up/ hair artist and keep the make up simple, not over the top.  Remember that the model is a product to the agency and the agency is selling the product.   When I hold a casting I wanna see what the model looks like and I don’t want to see photos that the photographer has retouched so much that she looks fake.  Do not over do the retouching guys.  Save that for your advertising clients and editorials.

PRINT SIZE

The standard print size for a model portfolio is 9″x12″  Some agencies do use smaller books but the majority use 9″ x 12″ prints.

CLOTHING

As far as clothing is concerned I have the girl bring her own clothes.  I email her examples of the look we will be going for so she can plan.  Always have her bring twice the amount of outfits.  So five looks she should bring ten outfits.  That way I have choices and I can mix and match if need be.

LIGHTING

You DON’T  want to use flat boring lighting, but you also don’t want to light too dramatically either.  Remember as you are going through the day that she is going to try to get an agent and the agent wants to see what she looks like.

Now I want to remind you that this photo HAS NOT been retouched yet and the model did have slight acne, but with the combination of a great make up artist and soft beauty lighting, this image will only need slight retouching.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to light your work so it doesn’t have to go through hours of retouching.  It only creates a bigger budget for the client no matter how small or large the client is.

To sum up, when you get the call to shoot a model portfolio you want to:

1. Ask questions – gain insight – give answers

2. Shoot five different looks.

3. Shoot in studio (if you can) and shoot on location

4. Include a make up/ hair artist

5. Use clean flattering lighting.

Talk to your model during the whole shoot.  Direct the model especially if she is new and never shot before.  You need to help her feel confident and sexy.  You are the one person she is counting on to make her shots great and that those shots get her an agent !

Now get out there and shoot shoot shoot !  Ask me anything you would like and share with everyone ! 

Recently I had the opportunity to go to Nashville and shoot an up and coming country singer  named Hannah Bethel.   I got the call and was thrilled !  I LOVE Nashville !   The people are friendly and the state is just beautiful.  I also love country music.  Now I have been to Nashville several times but never in the middle of the summer. Well living in Southern California my whole life I’m used to heat , but dry heat.  It was sooooo hot and humid in Nashville that I couldn’t keep the sweat out of my eyes while I was shooting lol.

So the next step to this project was talking to Hannah herself  and throwing around ideas for her EP cover, back of the EP  as well as press kit shots.   Even though I had been to Nashville before, I still don’t know the surrounding areas and locations like I know the locations here.  So that meant obtaining some location shots and having them emailed to me.  Once we decided on the concepts Hannah had someone go out and just take some shots with a point and shoot.  So I get the shots and the locations are beautiful.  We got some nice green field locations, a really cool flowing stream, a straight long road lined with wild flowers etc.  My imagination started over flowing with ideas.  The only problem was that even though I knew what time of day the shots were taken, the shoot was still about a month away which means the location of the sun in relation to those photos was going to be different.  But that’s ok, that is something you work out when it’s time for the shoot.

I also had to use my imagination to visualize where Hannah would be placed in the shot.  This is where I want to stress how important it is that what makes a good photographer is not just his or her lighting skills but that they have that sixth sense of being able to “SEE” the shot before you shoot it.  That cannot be taught. Having an inner eye is a God given talent and you better be able to tap into it if you are going to be successful. But I had no idea what time each different shot would be taken and where the sun would be at that specific time.   It’s not like I could just call Hannah on the phone and say I’ll be right over to do some test shots so we can figure out how we want each shot to look.  So that made this whole process a bit more difficult.  But again, that’s ok because I knew I was flying into Nashville a few days early so I would use those days to go with Hannah and check out each location and note where the sun is, how the sun affected her, where the shadows would fall etc.

But before going out to Music City there was much to be done.   Hannah sent me photos of the clothes her stylist got for her.   I needed those photos so I could put the whole scene together in my mind and also make sure that the shots were designed around her music and her personality.  How did I get to her personality ?  I talked to her on the phone alot of course, looked at her Facebook page that had just regular photos of her in her daily life and I spoke with her manager.  I also listened to some rough cuts of the songs.

So now I arrive in Nashville and am slapped in the face with hot, sticky air lol.  We started our location scouting and to my shock the locations in the photos that WERE nice and plush with green were now brown and dried out.  The beautiful flowing stream was pretty much dried up and the wildflowers were pretty much non existent.   Alllll the planning of the shots, all my ideas and excitement went right out the window.  Well as you can imagine I was just lovin the situation at this point lol.  So I did what a photographer can only do in that situation.  I changed gears and scouted more.  I planned my ideas based on other locations that I liked better that even though were dried out, they had other characteristics that I could use.  For instance, an old abandoned barn, a long dirt road, etc.  I just changed the whole theme of the shoot and adapted as best I could.

Let’s move on….. I went to each location at different times of the day over the course of a couple days.  Now we get to the shoot day.  Living in Los Angeles the weather never changes in the summer. It’s just hot with no clouds.  Well as I was about to experience, Tennessee is not at all like that.

Big puffy white clouds roll by covering the sun every 5, 10, 15 min etc.  So I set up my first shot while Hannah was in make up and hair, the one with Hannah standing in the middle of the dirt road and everything looks great.  Hannah comes out of make up, I inspect every detail on her face making sure all the lines are clean and eyelashes don’t have any dried clumps of mascara ( my BIGGEST pet peeve) and tell everyone it’s time to shoot !

As I am shooting sweat is pouring down my face as I wipe it away every couple of minutes.  I’m drinking water like crazy.  Now the clouds begin to do their thing and cover the sun almost as if they are playing a trick on me.  Covering the sun, I wait for them to roll by.  They roll by I get off one frame and here they come again.  This went back and forth and I just had to succumb to the fact that the clouds ruled in this part of the country lol.  So eventually I made it through that shot.  I got some great images.

One thing to remember is not only do I have to be aware of the clouds, the sun etc., but also I have to consider and not forget that I have a subject / Hannah in front of me that is wearing make up and is hot and needs direction.  Remember, she is not a model or an actress so I am also directing her through all of this.  Not easy but….. fun !

We move on to the next shots and finish the day in the studio.  So this was a different kind of shoot in many ways.

1. I was shooting in another state.  I had to plan everything without actually being there.

2. I was shooting a singer, not a model or actress as I am so used to shooting.

3. I was working out in the elements of a totally different kind of weather pattern.

4. The locations I had chosen and planned to use totally changed and I had to choose different locations and re plan everything.

The major point is that as professional photographers we must be able to adapt to ANYTHING.  And in order to be able to adapt we must know our craft like the way we breathe.  This only comes from years of practice and patience.

Below are some behind the scenes shots and finals.  In all we shot five different looks.

Hello everyone !  Let me start by apologizing for not posting for such a long time.  I took time off to go on vacation, visit relatives and refresh the old motor lol.  Now I am back !

I recently had the pleasure of shooting a great beauty campaign for Cala Beauty Care Products.   I got the call from an advertising agency, sent them a quote, signed my contract and the planning began.  They wanted everything shot on a white background.  So I gathered my crew, booked the studio and had a great shoot.

You will see that the model was beautiful.  We actually had two models.  What was interesting about this shoot was that I had beautiful models but the focus was on the products.  For instance in this shot as sexy as it is, my client wanted to show the cool silver looking acrylic nails she was wearing.

The wardrobe stylist matched the sexy booty shorts with that shiny silver color as well as the high heels.  So as we see everything matters in a photo, even down to the shoes and shorts the model is wearing.  To light the already white background my assistant used two Profoto heads on each side of the set mounted with medium sized white umbrellas.  My key light was a white beauty dish.  We put up white V- flats on both sides of the model to reflect some edge on to her.

The team was actually pretty large.  I had two manicurists, one hair stylist, two make up artists and a wardrobe stylist.  The owner of the company was there giving direction to the woman who hired me from the ad agency who acted as art director.  You would think that with that many people things could get crazy, but everyone knew their place and did their job as expected.   As photographers we still need to remember that we are in charge of EVERYONE.   I have eyes in the back of my head too.  I am always aware of everything going on around me.  Occasionally I will check on the make up and hair, manicurists etc. just to make sure the boat is sailing smoothly.  Ok so check out some other images.

And this is how a couple of the photos were used.  The client printed 8 foot posters to display at their booth for a cosmetic convention in Las Vegas. I took a shot of the set for you guys.  That is my assistant Ryan.  Any questions or comments please shout away !  

I have been asked many times why I choose a certain lens for the different photos I have shot whether the photos are for a campaign or a catalog or even a personal model portfolio shoot.

The answer isn’t so clear cut.  I can tell you that my most used lens is my Canon 85 1.8.  Why do I love this lens ?  For the reason that I can get full body shots to three quarter shots to half body shots, all with one lens.  And this lens is very light which does matter after you have been shooting for 5, 6, 7 , 10 hours.  The contrast and saturation is great and I always get sharp crisp images which is VERY important when shooting a clothing catalog.  When shooting clothing  you MUST capture the details in the fabric and I don’t care what kind of fabric it is, it is your job as a photographer to make sure every detail of the clothing is clear and well defined.  This is especially important now because of the internet.  A popular trend for designers is to show the model full body and when the user scrolls over the jacket, blouse, pants, jeans etc. a magnified image pops out that shows the incredible detail of the stitching or quality of the silk, denim etc.

So with just a little movement back and forth on my part I am able to give my client choices from full body all the way to half body shots.  Now granted, knowing that my client is going to include a pop out of tight close up of the fabric I will move in for a half body shot.  That brings me to my next favorite lens for shooting fashion. That lens is the Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro.

I can get as close as one inch to the garment and capture every little detail including the little fibers of each stitch !  At this point I would be on a tripod of course.  If I am shooting a beauty campaign which I just completed by the way, I will roll out this amazing lens.  I’m on sticks and got my 100 macro attached to my 5D Mark 2 and I can shoot away with full confidence.  I will even get in tight on one eye to show the clarity and quality of the eye shadow, nail polish, lip stick etc.   It’s not L glass but I will give you my opinion on L glass……… YOU DON’T FRIGGIN NEED “L” GLASS !!   Ok ?  Get over this crap that you have to have “L” glass to get great shots.  My God I get sooo irritated when I see that a photographer has just wet his pants because he just bought a new lens with “L” glass.  Do you think all the greats used “L” glass ?  No they didn’t.  Why ?  Because it didn’t exist and guess what ?  They were still hired to shoot the great campaigns and Vogue covers and their shit still looked amazing.  Helmut Newton, Herb Ritz, Sante D’ Orazio, Irving Penn, the list goes on, never shot with “L” glass and ummm well, they have gone down in history as some of the best shooters in history !

Ok enough ranting lol.  Seriously though, if you wanna waste your money and you have the money to waste and it makes you get a warm feeling all over then go for it !  Spend spend spend !!!! Canon still won’t sponsor you.. he he.

I will admit that I do own two lenses that are made with “L” glass, but that is not why I bought them.   So another favorite lens of mine is my Canon 28-70 2.8 L.  Many times when I’m shooting in a really cool location I like to capture the location and the model in the same shot to tell the story with a more dramatic effect.  So I will move in VERY close and zoom out to 28mm and capture that awesome sky in the desert or beautiful beach, blue water and blue sky and oh ya, the beautiful model as you can see in these two shots.

So there you have it.  These are the three lenses I shoot with most often.  If I want to REALLY compress my image and background I will break out my Canon 200mm 2.8 L and I ALWAYS put that on sticks.

So I’m sure some of you will disagree with my on the whole “L” series debate.  I wanna hear your side.  I would also love to know what some of your favorite lenses are and why.  And don’t forget to click the subscribe to my newsletter link.  It’s at the bottom of my LINKS section.

Cheers !!!

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Yes that’s right.  I shot this fashion swimwear campaign with just my Canon 580 EX II and a 5 foot tall reflector to fill in some shadows on the opposite side of the model.  I went with this set up because it’s light weight and portable and that flash packs a punch !  With the tide coming in and my assistant and I getting splashed alot with water, having a heavy Profoto portable pack would have been cumbersome and just one big pain literally lol.

The model was a trooper !  Lisa Peake from L.A. Models did a terrific job as the cold and damp weather set in.  At this point the photographer and first assistant need to work fast and work smart.  There is no room for error.  As I’m shooting I’m already thinking of my next shot, call it multitasking .  The sun is going down so fast that if you are not sure of your equipment you will lose that shot and the model will get frustrated and that is when you have lost the momentum and you don’t want that to happen.  Oh and let’s not forget the client standing right in back of you barking off suggestions and of course the client knows everything about photography !  Shooting a real fashion job is not as easy as it looks.  We often look at the final photo and have no idea what was going on at the shoot, what kinds of pressure the photographer was faced with and how many different people and situations he or she had to deal with.

So just don’t forget about that.  Being a successful fashion photographer takes MUCH more talent than pushing a shutter button and shooting a couple of photos of a pretty girl in a studio where it’s just you, the model and the make up artist.  Learn the gear, take time to understand what your model is going through at the shoot, learn how to deal with pushy clients that won’t shut up and take it from there.  You will be surprised at what you can achieve when you take the time to really learn what happens at a professional photo shoot.