Catalogue & Print

© simon stewart 2014

For the last few days I have been interviewing female models who replied to an ad my studio ran looking for individuals for catalogue modelling.

Fashion photography is a fairly general term and specifically includes a number of extremely varied disciplines. Not all fashion photographers are suitable for all aspects of fashion photography and likewise not all models are either.

A major part of my business is catalogue work. Some believe it to be the least sexy side to the industry, the "Coalface of Fashion."

Commercial catalogue work is by brief definition: capturing images for designers and manufacturers and or importers/wholesalers/retailers of ranges of garments and accessories with the specific intention of making the garment as appealing as possible while maintaining  a high degree of clarity with respect to garment detail. Catalogue images require the garment to be the hero and the model definitely in line for a bronze if on the podium at all.

So What Qualities am I After ?

My clients generally are looking for a model to fit a UK size 8/10 dress,  shoe size 7 and be a height of not less than 1.7m  Models MUST fit the garment and not the other way around.

There is a bit of flexibility with height and weight - certainly considerably more than in high fashion work - but those are the parameters that we are generally after. In addition, I look for a well proportioned frame with a pleasing torso to leg ratio. No skinny calves if I am shooting legs and no overdeveloped quads if the dress is above the knee or the garment is a short pant.

Good forearm to upper arm balance is also important if I am shooting sleeveless garments. A heavy upper arm will need to be "slimmed" in post production. Uniform and symmetrical features and good skin is a plus as again the sheer volume of images required for catalogue prohibit excessive post production work due to budget constraints.

Poise, balance and grace in movement, relaxed hands and shoulders as well as joint flexibility are all aspects that I desire in a model. A pleasant demeanour and eagerness to accept direction are givens.  Eight hours and fifty garment changes are enough to test any models sense of humour - so best you start out with one.

The "Interview."

Anyone who has been to Studio Yellow knows it's a pretty chilled and comfortable environment. Once the model come through to the studio I always start off with a portrait style headshot. It allows me a few minutes to look at the models features as I set up the shot. We chat a bit, so I get to know the model a bit better and hopefully for her it's calming plus she gets a portrait to take home and give to Gran or whatever.  Frankly by the time the portrait is over - and it never takes longer than 2 to 3 minutes - I know if the model is going to make the short list.

© simon stewart 2014

We then head over to the high key stage and shoot some classic poses;  full on and 3/4 looks
and try a few variations of whatever comes to mind dependant on the model and the garment she is wearing.

© simon stewart 2104

I always shoot tethered and  the images are displayed on a 30 inch Mac cinema screen at the work station for the client to view as well as a 42 inch Sony Bravia opposite the high key shooting area purely for the models to monitor their posing.

At this point I often discuss typical posing problems with regards to hands and eyes, tense shoulders etc not only to try and assist the model for future gigs - hopefully at my studio - but also to ascertain the responsiveness of the candidate and how well advice - which could be construed as criticism - is taken.

Quite often the model may have been influenced by fashion editorial poses and it takes me a while to convince them that catalogue and editorial are worlds apart.

In catalogue the objective is to show the garment off as much as possible. Hands and hair covering crucial detail and elements of the garment structure - no matter how cool or trendy it may look -  will have a client asking for a refund or reshoot in no time.

Generally this exercise takes ten or so minutes and we fire off maybe 20 shots as we chat away. It is always enthralling for me that after such a short time we generally capture a fairly decent useable commercial shot even if the model has had no real previous experience.

Commercial modelling is not for the feint hearted. Too many models chasing too few gigs drives the daily rate down and expect early call times and a full days work. It is however a portal into the Fashion Modelling industry - no matter how humble.

Is CMOS showing CCD the bird

I see that the Danes next biggest export product after Lego and maybe canned pork and butter, Phase One, have introduced a new digital back of 50 Megapixels using a CMOS chip made by Sony. 

Digital medium format cameras up till now have only been CCD chipped (Leaf did have an unsuccessful dab at CMOS in 2001) so this really is quite a departure from design fundamentals. Why you may ask? 

Quick answer - Higher ISO's

The older generation of pros who moved from film to digital were never affected by the low ISO values of digital backs as our backgrounds were such that shooting film at sub 100 ASA's (digital ISO) was the norm. The first Leaf digital back I owned had a native ISO of 25 and a maximum of ISO100, I recall.

A whole generation of photographer exists now that have never used film at all.

That fact coupled with the way that useable ISO has been increasing as DSLR manufacturers dropped CCD (Canon in 2000) and focused on CMOS has meant a development of a new style and method of capturing images with available light. Does this mean though  that finally the CCD will be replaced in high end photography? To draw your own conclusion let's get a tad technical.

Simon Stewart©2014

Both CCD and CMOS chips convert light into electric charge and process it into electronic signals, that's where the similarity ends.

A CMOS sensor outputs digital bits and a CCD outputs an analog signal in the form of voltage.

In a CCD sensor, every pixel's charge is transferred through a very limited number of output nodes (often only one or two) which causes a bottleneck when the analog signal is being sent off chip for processing.

The upside of CCD's though is that all of the pixel can be devoted to light capture and the output's uniformity (a key factor in image quality) is high. As the CCD requires fewer on-sensor electronics this means that each photosite is bigger and can hold more charge.  The result is superior image quality with better dynamic range and more accurate colour rendition than CMOS. So a CCD should have better low light performance as well?  It would if the processing speeds were higher.

In a CMOS sensor, each pixel has its own charge-to-voltage conversion, so that the chip actually outputs digital bits not analogue voltage like a CCD.  With each pixel doing its own conversion, uniformity is lower, but it is also massively parallel, allowing sizzling speed. 

The contradiction here is that the less noisy CCD with bigger photo sites should have better low light performance. Not so - the advantage is that CMOS sensors not only have their own charge-to-voltage conversion but the sensor often also includes amplifiers, noise-correction, and digitization circuits, adding gain to an image. Circuitry is so close to each pixel, the camera can boost the exposure as it is recorded. Microlenses on a CMOS chip  assist photons find the photosites so they aren't "wasted" striking the other sensor components found on CMOS sensors. Tweaked CFA's (colour filter arrays) help improve ISO's albeit at the expense of perfect colour rendition.

The result is that faster on chip processing of a CMOS sensor produces better low light images than a CCD but not necessarily better IQ or CR.

Developments in the world of digital Medium Format are always slower and more deliberate than in 35mm. It really is an expense thing. At $35 000 a pop for a new digital back photographers are inclined to hold onto their equipment as long as it is delivering and meeting clients expectations.
Simon Stewart

The end of a year and I find myself in one of the planets great nature conservancies,  the Kruger National Park in South Africa.
The Park is extensive, measuring some 400km from north to south. Photographic opportunities abound for the patient. For me, I enjoy the smell of the African bush, the heat and above all, the tranquility.
I dearly would love to capture great wild life images but I lack the patience and the specialist equipment to succeed in this highly competitive genre.
This time last year when I was here in Kruger, I brought down my Hasselblad with an HC 300mm, my longest lens, which translates to a focal length of about 220 in 35mm speak. I lugged it around in the vehicle whilst traversing rutted gravel roads cringing every time I hit a bump and dreading to know what the vibration was doing to my kit.

Eventually, perchance, I came upon a black rhino. All fingers and thumbs with excitement I fired up the Hassy. Split seconds were needed to meter light, turn on an Elinchrom ranger pack and strobe head - set speeds and apertures far removed from my comfortable studio setting of 320th sec and f11 only to hear a resounding thunk from my camera and a lens error number 42 notification. Camera completely jammed.  The accommodating Rhino sniffed around the vehicle for a few moments and trotted back into the thick bush from where it had come. The lens had to go to Sweden for a $1000 service.  So ended my brief career as a Medium format wildlife photographer.

Nowadays I bring down my Fujifilm XPro1 and snap away knowing that I am not capturing anything particularly memorable, hey, I am on holiday!
I did shoot this published image of African Wild Dogs sparring in 2011 on a Nikon D3X just to prove  I can direct animals as well as models!
On serious notepaper though, those who know me will be aware that I am a huge advocate of Medium format in the fashion and portraiture industry. Certainly the bush though, is not ideal for MF.
Nikon and Canon make great telephotos for wildlife and nature. More than that though this equipment is bombproof really "journo" tough and quite reasonably priced.
Phase and Hassy lenses top out at 300mm which is not enough for serious wild life work. Sure you can get larger lenses custom built at a price but the reliability of a MF system in harsh conditions is my concern.
Years ago I remember filling out a questionnaire for Hasselblad on what improvements I would personally like to see. I did mention that multiple focusing points could be nice but my major wish was that the body could be built by Nikon.

A safe New Year to everyone.
                                                             

Light Fall-Off and the Inverse Square Law

 18% grey 5 m wide cyclorama side lit actual measured percentage brightness at 1m intervals

Are you placing lights in a studio thinking about f stops, angles, hardness and the resultant shadows but not about "Fall Off.?" Perhaps you never did "get" the inverse square law.

FACT: Light  looses 75% of it's intensity in the first two meters from the source. Three meters out, it's down to 90%. Having lost most of it's punch in the first few meters it then looses very little as it travels further away from the lightsource.

A key to producing professional images, certainly in the genre fashion and beauty, is a clear understanding of light fall off and what causes it  i.e.  the inverse square law of light.

Fall off can range from zero to intense and is much more evident when the model is side lit.

Zero fall off light is termed "flat light."  Much like you get on a overcast day. If we were shooting the face or mask of a model on an overcast day and turned the one side of the mask to the sun (well where we knew the sun should be) the light would be evenly distributed all over the mask. Meter the one cheek then the other, the readings would be the same.  Zero fall off.

Model on an overcast day © Simon Stewart

Rapid fall off is when we turn the mask to a light source - say a softbox - and the one side of the mask is well lit but the other side is quite dark. In other words the light that first strikes the one side of the mask has lost it's intensity rapidly just in the space of a few inches. The kicker here is that the closer the subject is placed to the light source the greater the fall off. The further away from the lightsource the flatter the light.  The reason is that light looses it's intensity at a phenomenal rate in the first few critical meters and then eases off. So for maximum light fall off you need to work really close to the source definitey within 3 meters of a reflector or  the diagonal of a square or rectangular soft box or the diameter of a circular one. i.e with a 60cm x 60cm softbox 85cm to the subject is the ideal distance for rapid fall off.

There are masses of theoretical diagrams out there showing this relationship between light source and intensity fall off but I shot the image above in the studio up against an 18% grey cyc 5 meters wide instead.  The excercise was hardy scientific so the results were not quite as accurate as they should be but they are factual.  It should give you a good idea of what I am rambling on about.

Put a model in the left hand zone and the light will be faling off by more than a half (75% in theory) over her body and face - high drama indeed. Now move her two meters away (adjust the apperture) and the fall of is minimal. The lighting ratio much closer, garment evenly lit, not much drama and typical catalogue look.

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.