Black Velvet....

Most fashion photographers I know have a huge amount of respect for black fabrics.  I honestly still have restless nights prior to shooting a collection that has black garments, especially if the fabric is a velvet or velour or the nightmare of them all, silk panne-velvet.

Black fabrics really suck up the light - guess why they are used as backdrops -  and to try and bring the required detail out one needs to pay special attention to exposure and lighting or risk the possibility of "closed blacks" that are not recoverable regardless of your post processing abilities.

One of my solutions to the problem - and believe me I wouldn't have sleepless nights if I had all the answers - is to expose at least half a stop more on the fabric if I have a fair skinned model and up to one and a half times more if the model is dark. If the garment has pleats and folds I position lighting to express these details as much possible in the same manner you would carefully skim light over a models torso, if you were looking for muscle definition.

The best velvets are still made from pure silk and have a sheen that can cause additional problems and require the softest most diffused light source you can lay your hands on as fill, with a snappier harder light source to skim the fabric as a side light.

When I browse through the clients garments and fabrics prior to a shoot I try to get involved with model selection if there are black fabrics involved. Hey, even if there aren't I still interfere. Seriously though, if the post production budget is tight, the client will simply be better rewarded with choosing a darker skin tone. If the funds and time are there, I am happy to shoot Nordic "Ice Maidens" in black panne all day long.

For me shooting digital medium format at as low ISO as the back is capable, allows a bit more tolerance when trying to draw out fill light in post production using Capture One.  Ideally though, get the lighting right and use fill as a bonus.  As both a Phase and Leaf user I personally feel my Leaf Aptus backs handle these conditions better than my P45+ but that is a very subjective comment.

Finally thanks to Alessandro for the crop suggestion on the above image which was shot this week during a "time out" break at Studio Yellow.Simon Stewart - Fashion & Beauty

Sue Wong.....The Queen of Beads

Model: Christina Wen  Photographer: Simon Stewart
  Stylist:Kendrick Osorio

Miss Wong recalls the luminescent bottle of glass beads she received from her grandmother when she was 3 years old and still living in Mao & Jiangs Communist China.  She considered this bottle of beads her most prized possesion and the inpiration that would eventually make her one of the West Coasts most celebrated designers.


Sue Wong tries to capture that fleeting beauty that exists in the very fibers of both fashion and nature. 

The words of American author and poet Henry Thoreau recounting his experience of living on Walden Pond, her inspiration:

 "The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat intangible and indescribable as tints of morning or evening. It is a little star dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched." 


Taking specifics from vintage garments from the Twenties, Thirties and Forties, Sue extracted the hand-made detailing such as beadwork and embroidery and redesigned an entire new garment, incorporating the elements of the vintage embellishments into her new design.

These elaborate creations were displayed and hung from wires suspended from the ceiling to create a gallery effect in her boutiques. She attracted a glamorous following including Bianca Jagger and Goldie Hawn who were drawn to the beauty, magic and uniqueness of her designs. With complex beadwork, feathers, lace and embroidery to enhance ultra-feminine lines, her dresses have the power to transform any woman into a goddess.


Sue Wong never fails to astonish. It’s hard to believe that when she was five years old, her mother bribed a border guard with her wedding jewelry to get them out of China and into Hong Kong. A year later, Wong and her mother finally arrived in Los Angeles. Neither spoke English, and Wong had yet to see her father, who had come to the United States before she was born.

Today, Sue designs about 1500 garments a year, making every moment count isn’t a choice it’s a necessity. She’s involved in every aspect of her business, from the designs, to sales, to making deals with Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus, to PR, to putting on events ― all on an average of four to five hours of sleep a night. 

Still employing the revered age-old couture techniques implemented by the finest Couture houses in Europe, and evoking the allure and glamour of various eras such as Weimar Berlin, 1930s Shanghai and Pre-code Hollywood - every design though, belongs in the now and is decidedly very Sue Wong; exquisite fabrics shimmering with incandescent beads, unique embroideries and layered textures embellished with passementerie and soutache combine to create works of art that are graceful, elegant, unique,timelessly beautiful and truly humbling to photograph.


Sue Wong truly captures and embodies through her work, her mantra of:

"Beauty. Magic. Transformation. "

Makeup Artists ..

In the fashion and beauty industry your make up artist is a key to creating great images. Sadly, fashion is not all about shooting images for Vogue or Elle. Catalogue work, often for lower end brands, is the “coal face” of the industry. Budgets are tight and often the client may provide their own MUA who is an unknown entity.

Always bear in mind that the final image results will always be a direct reflection of your ability in the clients mind at any rate. Attempts to blame abysmal images on the lack of a competent creative team, will fall on deaf ears after the event has occurred. So best be in a position that you can take an inexperienced MUA under your wing for the day and get the best possible result.

If I am at all in doubt about the MUA’s experience I will always mention even in a humorous way that it is much easier to edit imperfections and warm up flesh tones in post-production than attempting to fix flesh tone and colour with excessive makeup. It follows that If your MUA is not trying to match the colour of foundation to the natural colour of the models skin in neck/chest area you may want to heed this as a warning that you may be working with an artist who may be more at home with makeup for weddings and such social events than he/she is with a photographic shoot.

My approach, is to spend a few minutes chatting to the MUA before she gets to work.  I help her set up in the make up area and by doing this get a first hand peak at what kit she has with her. The range and quality of brushes and how well worn they are. The products she is using gives me a heads up on who I am dealing with. In the general chit chat about what looks we want to achieve for the day I’ll name drop and see if they have heard of photographers Steven Meisel or Craig Mc Dean or has any interest in high end fashion and make up. If this is positive I go deeper and ask what they think of the work of Pat McGrath (mua who Meisel prefers to work with) Stephane Marias and Francois Nars?  We may then natter about latest products from MAC and Bobbi Brown and "has she used the uber kewl new illuminating powder from Guerlain?"

Sure, I sometimes ruffle feathers but in general by understanding that the photographer is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their craft,  the MUA will be happy to accept guidance if she/he needs it  -  or at least take your opinion seriously if he/she doesn’t.