Good fashion and editorial photography requires a wide range of skills, including the ability to direct, pose, style and light. Being a fashion and editorial photographer in Los Angeles, I have had the opportunity to work with wonderful makeup, hair and clothing stylists, all of whom contribute their considerable talents to any shoot. I love the technical and artistic challenges associated with showing off clothing, styling, model, makeup and hair to greatest effect. I have always been drawn to beautiful bone structure, and the use of effective lighting to enhance a model’s facial features has always been a passion of mine. I love Rembrandt lighting, five-strobe setups and use of continuous light sources. I also love using beauty dishes, either with diffusion or with a grid.
I particularly adore beauty photography, which focuses on faces and the showcasing of makeup and accessories. Styling plays a huge role in beauty photography, and I have been privileged to work with many fabulous stylists, makeup artists and hair artists. Studio lighting also plays an important role in good beauty photography, as a photographer’s lighting setup is key to highlighting dimension and detail in the makeup and accessories. Finally, good retouching – usually involving a combination of high-frequency separation coupled with dodge and burn technique – helps bring beauty images to life.
I also love shooting models wearing stylish clothing in either studio or environmental settings. From location scouting to storyboarding to deciding on styling to casting the model to setting up the lights, I love it all. I have had the pleasure of collaborating with many talented editors and art directors to help their vision come alive. I have also had the pleasure of bringing my own vision and finished photography to editors who then choose to run my work in their publications. In all cases, the actual shoot has been a joy. Finally, I have truly enjoyed working with the many beautiful models who have graciously shared their talents with me and my camera.
Models and makeup artists often tell me that they find me incredibly nice to work with. My goal with fashion, editorial and model photography is to always ensure that everyone feels comfortable, and that we work together as a team to create something amazing. It’s the collaboration by multiple talents that make a shoot truly come alive.