Jason Christopher, LA Commercial & Fashion Photographer Bio

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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This is Elicia from Next Models.  We shot this using just the late afternoon beautiful crisp window light.  Her expression and body language with the necklace make this photo so evocative and maybe even erotic depending on how you as an individual looks at it.  Notice the soft hands that are so important when photographing tight beauty photography. And that is also what makes a photograph great.  If every viewer can take something different from your photo, then it is something special in my book.   Another quality that makes this photo special is that it is all natural with no retouching.

Elicia Perkins : Fashion Model

This weekend I had the pleasure of sharing my knowledge with another attendee of my private workshop. On the second day we went out of the studio to learn how to light at any time of day with minimal gear.
So I attach my favorite speed light, the Canon 580EXII, to the hot shoe of my Canon 5D Mark II.
It was a sunny day under a blue sky scattered with big white puffy clouds and a beautiful model sitting on a white country wood fence.
So I proceed to show Jeff, my workshop attendee, how to set up the 580EXII in order to capture the beauty of our fashion model while still maintaining details in the blue sky, puffy clouds and green grass. The model was facing the harsh sun so I had Jeff scrim her with a 60 inch shoot through umbrella. I then set the flash to ETTL and high speed sync mode, dialed up the flash exposure 3 whole stops and zoomed the flash head to 105mm. I was standing about 8 feet from the model with an 85mm lens on the camera.
Now this is the awesome part! I then set my shutter speed to 1/1250th of a second! My fstop was 4.5 and my ISO was 200. I shot away and this was the beautiful result even under a mid day sun. I LOVE this flash!
The possibilities are endless. The high speed sync mode is my favorite feature. I now am not limited to syncing at only 1/250th of a second! I can capture details in my background and control my contrast by using a very fast shutter speed.
Now, my only warning is have a good amount of double A batteries or use an external battery like a Quantum Turbo 2×2. Also very important is that you can’t shoot fast because you will end up blowing up the flash because of all the power your asking it to pump out by pushing it 3 full stops and zooming the flash head to it’s max at 105mm. Which is another great feature. Being able to zoom the flash head from 24mm all the way to 105mm gives the photographer so much control and room to play with.
The Canon 580EXII is one piece of gear that is always in my bag.

Hi everyone !  I just revamped my personal section on my site.  I uploaded a bunch of lifestyle photos.  Some are posed and some are candid.  The candid lifestyle shots with the mother and children were a challenge to shoot.  You’ve got to watch for everything.  It’s the little moments that are special which also happen so fast that you just cannot miss those moments.  You’re camera and eye have always got to be ready !  Here are some of those photos that capture the special moments.

Being on such a high treacherous cliff I couldn’t bring an assortment of lighting gear so I used by trusty Canon 580 EXII just enough to give them a little fill.  In Photoshop I added a bit of vignette and bumped the saturation a little.  Other than that no other post production was done.   I just told them to forget I’m there, just forget a photographer is even near you and do what you want.  So everything I captured was very natural.  Another good thing about not bringing a bunch of lighting gear is that the less invasive I am, the more natural reactions I will get from my subject.  Imagine having two strobes set up with umbrellas and sand bags right in front of them.  LOL  that would be invasive.

I love this next photo.  It just says so much.  Look at their faces and what they are saying to each other.  What I get from this photo when looking at the mother’s face is how much she loves him and what they have been through just in every day life.  She shows how much she really appreciates him as a son.  THAT is what makes a great photo.  When your subjects are speaking through their emotions.  When I am shooting and I get that from my subjects or models it’s an electricity that just runs through my blood like a flood of energy !

Again, I used my Canon 580 EXII to add a little fill and to over power the sun.  These lifestyle photos and more can be found here which also demonstrate many different lighting techniques.

Ok so you’ve got a great idea for a fashion shoot and now all you need is a great location.  Or your client and you develop a concept for  the ad campaign or look book and you need a great location.  Easy enough right ?  Well if you hire a producer all you do as the photographer is sit back and let your producer find you a location.  However, when you are first starting out you aren’t getting gigs with budgets big enough to hire a producer.  So what to do ?  You get in your car and drive !

Every time I get in my car and go somewhere I am always looking around where ever I go.  Remember when I said photographers have eyes in the back of their heads ?  It’s true !  I carry a little point and shoot camera with me and if I see a place that I think is cool I snap a few pics and keep them in a folder on my computer titled “locations.”

Ok so that is the easy part. Now you have to get permission to shoot on the property.  When I say property I don’t exactly mean a house or a hotel or someplace recognizable, most of the time I am talking about a piece of land in the middle of no where!  Nowadays there isn’t one piece of empty land that isn’t owned by someone or some entity.  It sucks if you ask me.

This ever popular photo was shot in Palm Desert.   I made a few calls and found out the location is actually Riverside County.  So I called the office of Riverside and the kind woman faxed me the papers to obtain a permit.  I faxed those to my client and he took care of the rest.  The permit cost $400.  The price of permits vary from county to county.  The price also varies depending on how many people in your crew, if you are going to use an RV, if your are going to use a generator , if you are going to use fire…. blah blah blah. Now of course the permit is paid by your client NOT by you.  You MUST put that in your contract.

Another popular photo was shot at Sycamore Beach in Ventura County.  Now listen to this.  You’re gonna laugh.  The permit to shoot on the beach during the day is $65.  It goes up much more if you are shooting your look book or ad campaign at night.  A park ranger MUST be there at all times, so that is an extra cost.  The model was in at least ankle deep water so we had to hire a lifeguard !!!!!  HA HA HA !  California is in so much debt at this time, you will get charged for EVERY little thing.  We had a really large RV so that added to the cost.  So the total cost of the permit came to $1,200 !!!!!! WTF ? !!!!  Now obviously I don’t have to pay for this but that affects my fee, and everyone else involved with the shoot.  The client has a fit and suddenly everyone’s fee is questioned.  The solution ?  Get to know someone who lives on the beach so you don’t have to mess with all the bullshit.  That ranger and lifeguard had the easiest job that night they will ever have.  We started hair and make up at 7pm and started shooting at 8:30 and ended at 3:30am.  Ya fun friggin night.  Really glamourous, uh huh………

I’ve decided to create a photographic gear review from someone who actually uses the gear.  One thing I don’t like about reading reviews on other sites is that they use the piece of gear for a few days and that’s it.  Well I want to read hands on reviews from a photographer who has been using the camera, flash, light etc. for longer than just a few days.

So recently I purchased the Canon 5DMarkII.  Now, I should mention that I HATE buying new gear.  I don’t look at new gear as a toy or something that I can have fun with.  A camera, light whatever is just a tool to capture what I really love which is fashion.  But because of digital I gotta keep up with the technology and that gets expensive.

The Canon 5DMarkII is a GREAT camera !   The 21 mega pixels is more than enough to shoot anything you need to shoot.   The full frame sensor is totally needed to capture the highlights and shadows, more bit depth, and the camera has the new Digic 4 processor which is FAST !   Use a UDMA CF card and you will not only be able to shoot multiple frames faster but also the images will download to the computer at lightning speeds.   Ok so you already know the technical details.  How does it perform on a job ?  The image below was taken right from the camera.  No post done at all.

I have to admit that coming from a Canon 1DS which is an old camera but still a workhorse that delivers amazing photos, was something I was very apprehensive about making the switch.  What I LOVE  about the 5D2 is that even with the battery grip it is still much lighter than any of the 1DS cameras.  I’m 40 years old now and not a kid anymore so holding a really heavy camera all day is something that my muscles just don’t like lol.

The focus issues I have been hearing about are non existent with this camera.  I haven’t had any problems.  Every shot is tack sharp.  But remember, YOU MUST USE CANON LENSES.  The electronics talk to each other much better than off brand lenses.  The only problem it does have is when I am shooting a model back lit with flair and not much contrast, it does have trouble locking focus.  But what I do is use the center AF point and I am fine.  I want to say to Canon that they should have put cross hair focus marks on all 9 AF points and not just the center AF point. I mean come on, the 50 D has cross hair focusing on all of it’s 9 AF points and it’s a less expensive camera !  What were you thinking Canon ?  But remember, when I first started shooting there was no auto focus and you had one focus prism in the center and you had to line up the two lines to get your focus so I will stop complaining lol.  When I am shooting in a normal situation with no back light and nice contrast, all 9 focus points work perfect.

I like the way the buttons are all laid out, easy to get to without having to look away from the viewfinder.  I can change my focus point with my right thumb.  One thing I must say I don’t like is that the dial on the left that changes your different shooting modes should have a lock.  I notice at times I’m on auto, or portrait etc. when I should be on manual.

The LCD screen is awesome and very accurate. The menus are easy to navigate and very self explanatory.  I like the way it feels in my hand WITH the battery grip.  Without the grip I must admit the camera feels small but then again, I shot just as great photos with my Canon AE-1 which is MUCH smaller than this camera.   We’ve all gotten spoiled.

The camera is very solid and I don’t have to worry about knocking it around a bit.  The material on the body makes it easy to hold and handle.  I actually only use the one battery that came with it and I get through  a whole 10 hour shoot day without having to recharge it.

The quality of the images of course is AMAZING.  With the new full frame sensor and 21 mega pixels you can make a friggin billboard.   The color tones are very accurate and even the white balance is accurate.  I ALWAYS shoot  a color card but never seem to need it.  The camera does everything but wipe your …………… well you know  lol.

Would I recommend the Canon 5DMark II ?  You bet your ass I would.   You can’t go wrong.

Recently I photographed a beautiful fashion model for an editorial.  As you all know I like to keep my  fashion lighting very simple and raw concentrating more on the emotion and feeling of a photograph.  I decided to shoot in a hotel room on a bed with white sheets.  The only photo gear I brought was of course my camera, lenses and my Canon 580 EX II.

For this particular shot though I used the night stand lamp and  that’s it.  I took off the lamp shade which revealed two very bright energy efficient bulbs.  Then I put the lamp on an upside down trash can set just out of frame.  I wanted a really grainy look so I set my 5D Mark 2 ISO to 1000, put it on sticks and set my exposure to 1/25th @f/5.  If any of you “pros” out there think I am giving away a secret well you’re wrong.  You wanna know why you’re wrong ?  I learned this technique from Helmut Newton.  Now go take your secrets and ………

Ok I got that off my chest lol.  So now this is where the real seasoned photographer needs to come out.  I have a half naked 19 year old young girl on a hotel bed.  You think she feels really confident and secure ?  No, she doesn’t.  So it is my job to earn her trust, let me dig deep into her soul and capture her soul on film, well a CF card lol. I shot this in color and in post changed it to black and white.  If anyone has ANY questions please ask !

lingerie model photographed on bed

My recent fashion swimsuit photography shoot at the beach was amazing.  I happened to get my hands on some behind the scenes photos taken with a cheap point and shoot but they give you the idea.   Now when I say we had a 100 foot RV I didn’t measure it but as you can see it was damn long !  We had the art directors, model, make up and hair artists, crew etc. all fit in quite nicely.  When shooting on location where you know it will be uncomfortable for the models, your crew and everyone you really need to rent an RV.   A well fed and warm crew is a happy crew !  In one of the photos you see me standing there with a stand in while the model stayed warm in the RV.   Unfortunately no one took any photos of me shooting        LOL  the story of my life.

RV used for our night photo shoot

Art Directors for the photo shoot

fashion model getting her make up applied

When planning a photo shoot the art director and photographer will make a story board of each scene to be shot.  In this story board you see a photo of the location, the swimsuits that the model will wear and the accessories such as jewelry.  Everything is planned out days before the photo shoot so everyone knows exactly what is going to happen.  You end up with a photo shoot that runs smooth with hopefully very little problems.

storyboard for night swimwear photo shoot

Then when it comes time to set up the lighting you need to have a stand in.  A stand in is very helpful because you can get your light set up pretty close to perfect while the model is getting her make up changed and changing clothes.

Stand in used for setting up the lighting

Just remember the more prepared you are the smoother your photo shoot will go.  The end result is a very pleased client that will call you back for another photo shoot.  If you like this post and think other photographers or anyone else associated with the photography business would find this helpful please click on the share buttons

The third day of our fashion photography workshop involved learning how to light on location mixing the sun with your off camera flash and really using it off camera instead of mounting it on your camera.  One of the really cool things we did was mounted Dave’s Canon flash on a c-stand bounced into a Photoflex umbrella !   One of the benefits of mounting the flash to a c stand with the arm is that you can boom it out at any angle you want and of course you don’t end up with a photo that looks like you used harsh on camera flash.

We spent the whole day experimenting and just shooting, shooting and shooting.  I would observe Dave as he photographed the model and suggest different things to say to the model as he was shooting.  We had a nice lunch and ended up with great photos.  Dave is a great guy and learned so much.  Dave gave his testimonial however if there is something specific you would like to ask him about his three day workshop please don’t hesitate to email him.  His email is dave@daveclee.com and as always I encourage you to email or call me if you would like more information.

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 !