As a graphic designer you find over time that you need to work with other specialists to get jobs done. You may need to get advice from a print tech or a web developer; on the occasions that photography is being done you may need a food stylist or a make-up artist.
It’s important to have at least basic knowledge of these parallel fields; not to the extend that you’ll become an expert and dispense with contracting specialists, of course. What’s needed is the knowledge to communicate what you need in ways meaningful to the specialists. It’s like when you visit France; if you learn a few phrases in French they’ll love you for it, if you just repeat yourself shouting that you want a “cross-ont” you won’t get very far.
In this post I have interviewed my Sister who is a veteran of the beauty industry and has worked all over the world. So let’s sit down with Alice, enjoy a coffee and croissant, and get a few pointers on make up for photography.
C: Hi Alice, so you’re an experience Beautician?
A: Yes I have been in the beauty industry for 10 years.
C: What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
A: I always wanted to work overseas and had the opportunity a few years ago to do beauty therapy on a cruise ship travelling around South America & Alaska. That was definitely a highlight.
C: I’d like to get an understanding of how make up can be used to get the best photos.
Could you outline what you’d do to get a natural look on a model for a photographer in a studio?
A: When doing a makeup for a photo shoot, it is important to use a primer before the foundation as it gives an overall smooth appearance to the skin. You also want to use a foundation that doesn’t make the skin shiny, as you want a matt look. I think it is nice to keep the makeup natural with just highlighting the model’s facial features.
C: How would this differ from a more glamorous party look? What else would you do?
A: It depends for a more glamorous look or for a night out. I would be more dramatic. I think it is important to focus on one thing then being dramatic with everything for example. If you have heavy eye makeup you would just have a nice nude lipstick or if you wanted the lips to be the feature you would give the eyes a soft light look. So you are drawn more to the bright bold red lips.
C: How important is getting make up right in photos?
A: You have to know what suits a persons , if they are not comfortable with the look it will show. Also facial features play a huge role. For example if someone has close-set eyes you want to correct that by using light eye shadows in the corners to give the appearance their eyes are further apart.
C: How could you use colour to achieve different looks or results?
A: Again I guess it depends on the look you are going for. Black smoky eyes are very sexy. Or soft pastel colours with a dewy look is more romantic and sweet. Different colours compliment different colored eyes. Blue eyes earthy colours bring out their eyes more.
Thanks Alice for sharing your expertise. These skills and knowledge can be helpful to know during the planning stage before a photographer and makeup artist are even consulted. This knowledge can also be applied to Photoshop. Having a broader knowledge base is helpful across the board. There are those times too that a client may just need a few quick snaps of the office team for a website and they don’t want the expense of a photog, now you have a little knowledge that may help, assuming that you have a camera and know how to use it…
