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Working with Makeup Artist
When I began shooting glamour
it was common, at least in my group, for a photographer to
have a working knowledge of makeup. It seems less common now,
and that is unfortunate. Makeup is a potent tool - like lighting
and setting - for creating beautiful images. Knowing makeup
helps a photographer envision the look he or she wants, identify
which facial anomalies can be “corrected,” and
to communicate with a makeup artist.
We all look at a model’s face and mentally evaluate
his or her features: Great profile but her nose is too long...
Beautiful hair but her cheeks are too broad... Forehead is
too high... Chin is too small... Eyebrows are too heavy...,
etc. And models make the same judgments; virtually all of
them have a feature or two that they would like to “correct.”
But what exactly is a “correct” face? In most
cases, it is the average face.
Remember those psychology textbooks that report polls where
people are asked to judge which, of a dozen faces, is the
most attractive? The face people most often choose turns out
to be an artificial, computer-generated average of the other
eleven real faces. When I hear models and photographers talk
about a facial feature they want to change, they are invariably
wanting to make it closer to the average. Of course, this
isn’t absolutely universal. There are many stunning
men and women with unusual features. But they are the exception.
For the most part, when we want to change a face for the better,
we want to bring that face to the norm.
Contouring is the most powerful makeup tool for
apparently altering the features of a face. As photographers,
we take for granted that we do that with light and shadow
- emphasize a strong feature, hide a weak one in shadow
- but makeup can produce similar effects and glamour photographers
should at least know the basics of how it is done.
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The best quick reference on the topic that
I have seen is the facial contouring “roadmap”
in the late Kevyn Aucoin’s book, Making
Faces (Little Brown & Company; 1999).
The principle of the technique is simple:
light colors tend to come forward, dark colors recede. So
if you want to “lower” a hairline, darken the
foundation as it approaches the hairline. If you want to narrow
a nose, darken the sides of the nose and lighten the bridge.
If you want to hollow out the cheeks, darken the cheeks just
above the chin line. This must be subtle, of course, or it
looks “painted-on.” But skillfully blended, the
effect can be remarkable.
Here are some photos that I shot recently
that illustrate the technique: two photos, each with a very
different look, of four models. The makeup was done by Julissa
Mercado, a very talented artist who I often work with
on photo shoots. Before the shoot, Julissa and I evaluate
the model’s look and come to an agreement on what would
benefit her the most.
Julissa uses primarily MAC
cosmetics and tools. According to Julissa, “I rely
on MAC products more than any other line. All of these treatments
began with MAC moisturizers, Studio Finish concealers - to
minimize blemishes and under-eye circles - and MAC Studio
Sticks for foundation.” The mood of a look is frequently
determined by the eye treatment, and a line like MAC, with
its broad range of colors - from everyday to funky - offers
lots of flexibility.
Finally, the contouring. Using MAC’s
line of bronzers, Julissa is especially good
at “reshaping” a face without it being obvious
how it was done.
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Jessica Hayward has just recently begun modeling and
she will do very well. She has a great figure, very long
legs, a stunning profile, and an oval face with classic
features. She came into the studio with her hair combed
straight and tightly framing her face. I wanted that simple
look for our first photographs. Julissa reshaped her eyebrows,
highlighted her lips and eyes, and contoured her chin. Jessica
has a low hairline and very full-bodied hair. When you frame
her face closely with her hair, you have to be careful that
it does not block the light to her face. As you can see
by the catchlights in her eyes, I placed the key and fill
lights on either side to evenly light her face and get the
light under the edges of her hair.
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Here (to the right) we are
going all-out for a wild vamp look. Again Julissa highlighted
Jessica’s cheekbones, lips, around her eyes, chin,
and the bridge of her nose. Julissa also “raises”
Jessica’s hairline by giving the hair more volume
up front. And she used bronzer to contour her cheeks, jaw-line,
and the outer bridge of nose.
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Nell
Rose, a lovely young woman I work with frequently, is
highly versatile and can look convincing in any number of
roles. She is one of those models that photographers are
crazy about: I have yet to find a photographer that hasn’t
asked to re-book her.
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For the first look, we were
going for all-out fun. This is an example where the makeup
artist takes on the role of stylist as well, determining
the entire look of the model, not just her hair or makeup.
Just as photographers come to a shoot with ideas they want
to try, so do good makeup artists. The wise photographer
listens to those ideas. Here Julissa had used pink extensions
in Nell’s hair and rhinestones under her lower lashes
to set the tone. Julissa highlighted her cheekbones, lips,
chin, and the bridge of her nose. Nell has a roundish oval
face and contouring serves to elongate it a bit. Here Julissa
contoured her cheeks, jaw-line, and the outer bridge of
her nose.
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To the right, same model, different shoot, different day,
and a very different look. This was for a commercial shoot
and we wanted an older, upscale tone. Julissa’s work
on Nell’s hair is the centerpiece. With its contrasting
colors and up-do style, Nell’s hair serves to establish
an opulent look, make her look a bit older, and visually
elongate her face. For makeup, Julissa highlighted Nell’s
eyes and cheekbones, and contoured her jaw line and the
bridge of her nose.
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Julissa brought Rachel into the studio with this first look
in mind. Rachel was not looking to become a model, but rather
to replace some photos which she paid for, but never received,
from a local “modeling school.” My first impression
was that she had beautiful figure but a very young, innocent
face. The first look uses that youthful face to advantage.
Julissa highlighted her eyes and cheeks, and lightly contoured
the sides of her nose. Rachel has a “cute” nose
which flares to a rounded end. The hair pulled neatly to
one side and the flower all contribute to the youthful look.
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In the second look (to the right), I wanted
something older and more sophisticated. Here Julissa highlighted
her cheekbones and lips, and then contoured her cheeks,
jaw-line, and eyelids. Heavy contouring on the sides of
her nose narrow it and minimize the roundness. With wild,
wavy hair and a sexy outfit, the look is complete. These
two photos often prompt the “Is that the same girl?”
question.
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Rebecca Ronin has just begun modeling.
She is very petite with wonderful facial features: large
eyes, full lips, and a great profile. Her heart-shaped face
means she has a high forehead and a small chin. Julissa
lightened her chin to emphasize it, and highlighted her
jaw line, lips and eyes. I framed Rebecca’s face closely
with her hair. I like photographing faces from this high
angle; eventually, almost every model I shoot has a few
of these in her portfolio. One thing to watch for when shooting
from this angle is that the chin can visually merge into
the neck. To counteract this, I feathered-off the light
striking her neck to establish contrast with her chin.
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This look features
Julissa as a stylist: it is entirely her creation.
Julissa announced she wanted a winter look and pulled out
a white hat and scarf. I told her to go for it. My contribution
was to make sure to get light under that hat brim, put a
blue filter on the backlight, and press the shutter. In
addition to the usual highlighting of cheekbones, lips,
eyes and chin, Julissa lightened, and visually lengthened,
the bridge of Rebecca’s nose. The soft blue eyeshadow,
the blue background, the whiteness of hat and scarf, set
the winter tone. The hat frames her face and lowers her
forehead, while her hair frames and squares-off her face.
Having the brim cocked to one side, a very nice touch, is
Julissa’s contribution as well.
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