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If you was a Photographer.
Hi folks, I wanted to ask the question; "If you were a Photographer, how would you go about selecting a MUA and Hairstylist for a shoot? What are the things to look for on judging there skill level? Thank you. -Adrian Aug 20 14 11:30 pm Link Can they do what I want? If I want clean beauty and all they have in their portfolio is high fashion or character work... that is a no go. Likewise, if I want FX for a particular shot, I wouldn't hire a MUA who's portfolio is nothing but natural looking brides. Aug 20 14 11:44 pm Link Yeah I hear you on that but I'm looking more in the line of Blending and color pallet I guess. Maybe some other things I'm not aware of. Some times people have better skills then what there current port shows. I want to be able to see it. You dig. Aug 21 14 12:31 am Link as having a pro-make-up training, and working as pro-mua: When i judge mua's portfolio i judge at 3 levels: -technical (how are the eye-shadowblends, lip-lines etc), how did you apply powder/skintones etc -do you understand faces? is the make-up blended into the face, or is it a loose part of the face? did you correct the face, does the shapes enhance the face? are the lines correct? does it express the theme of the shoot? -how creative are you? and how well does it blend in with a particular face Herman www.hermanvangestel.com make-up-artist, wardrobestylist, art-director, and only then photographer Aug 21 14 01:58 am Link Thank you Herman. Some good advice there. I'll use it as a guild line when selecting. I use to draw when I was younger so I can see your points. Aug 21 14 03:17 am Link Herman van Gestel wrote: +1 Aug 21 14 03:56 am Link AHphotography wrote: Adrian review of an MUA's book is irrelevant owing to the lion's share of imagery you find is overcooked to the point that merely showcases the artistry of the graphic artist who rendered the aforementioned... I cringe when I see a lip line totally missing the labial roll (raised area at the outer edge of the lip/skin interface) Another fav of pixel pilots is to overdraw the cupid's bow to a point of absurdity.. Aug 21 14 07:23 am Link Make life easy...hire one that works with a pro like Herman lol.....takes all the guess work out...haha When all else fails, you hire a great retoucher! Aug 21 14 07:27 am Link Thank you guys, Some really useful information. Would like to hear some feed back on Hairstylist as well. Best way to educate one's self is to ask a lot of question. Aug 21 14 10:52 am Link You can do a Test - it's a great way to see if the skills and team chemistry are there for all involved. Aug 21 14 10:58 am Link I've done shoots before and worked with some really good MUA. I'm just looking for ways to determine MUA and Hairstylist skill level that i'm not aware of, same way I would determine a Photographer skill level if I was asked. Aug 21 14 11:10 am Link Camerosity wrote: I agree, Thank you for sharing some very useful points. Taking it all in. Aug 21 14 11:46 am Link AHphotography wrote: Quality: Does the makeup look like the artist did a solid job? Models can easily be under-made or over-made up. Does it look like they have a grasp on color theory or are they slapping every color under the sun onto a face? Aug 22 14 12:06 pm Link One of three ways: First, the client hiring me is also hiring the stylists. So, I don't select - I simply work with the other crew members that have been hired. Hopefully they suit the job the client wants! Second, the client hiring me asks for referrals to stylists so she/he can hire MUA/H, etc. So I give the client contact information for a number of stylists I've worked with who I feel would be appropriate for the project, and let the client see who is available, whose work they like, and negotiate rates with that person or people. Occasionally I might give out information for a person I've met through networking and whose portfolio I like, but haven't worked with yet - making sure my client knows that I can't vouch for that person's work to the same extent that I can for the stylists I've actually worked with, especially repeatedly. Third, the client wants a quote for a shoot including styling. So I contact stylists I've worked with who I feel would be right for the particular shoot, see who is available, and check with them as to their rates for the project at hand. Then I quote the client a price that covers my rates AND the styling. When I'm responsible for providing stylists, it's always going to be someone I've worked with before. That list expands from the shoots where the client brings in a stylist and I like their work. That stylist then might be one of the people who gets a call from me for the next shoot! Aug 22 14 12:29 pm Link Thank you everyone for some sold advice. It's sure will help me select the people I'll be working with. -Adrian Aug 22 14 01:11 pm Link with everything being edited in post now, you have no idea what you're getting by just looking at a portfolio. If you want to be safe, go through a respectable agency. If that's out of your range ask successful commercial photographers, They always know who the good artists are. Aug 23 14 12:59 am Link BodyPainter Rich wrote: Brides makeup??? Aug 23 14 07:12 pm Link if you see a port you like, contact, meet, and see if you can do a test shoot with the mua..if she works out and your rates meet, works....they are trying to make some money just as you are but am sure there are many that will do TF if your work and creds stand up also that might lead to paid collaboration...Mo Aug 23 14 07:30 pm Link AHphotography wrote: Well..., I am not a MUA... and I don't plan on becoming one, so, I don't need to know exactly how a certain look is achieved. Aug 23 14 09:55 pm Link Well first I look for at their grammar, then their portfolio... I really want to know if they can transform a face, not simply make a pretty girl more pretty. Aug 23 14 10:05 pm Link I shoot mostly weddings, I look for diversity in their portfolio. I hate seeing the same eye shadow on 10 girls in the folio. I also like to see different lipsticks as well as good coverage foundations. I also like calm personalities when I meet them. In my business part of the job of mua is to keep the client in a calm happy mood till she walks down the aisle. Nov 03 14 07:30 am Link Depends on where you are, and how badly you need one. When I was in Dallas, I had several local MUA's to call on, some of whom did only make up, some who did make up and hair, and some who did make up, hair , and styling. Obviously, when possible, I got the latter, because that gave me the most for the buck. Sometimes the shoot schedule determined who got used, as they had to be available. Where I am now, I expect to have to be all things........as I am no longer in a major market, with access to all the support people I once had access to. You can't judge their skills until you work with them. A portfolio is nothing but an indicator, and until you have worked with them, and know what they are capable of, you can't be sure. Like all of us, they have their own personalities, prejudices, and quirks. Sometimes you will find one really good to work with, and another, not so much. You simply have to take a leap of faith, the first time out. Nov 03 14 12:48 pm Link From a hairstylist and makeup artist's point of view: I have been hired through referrals from other photographers. Through an art director, stylist, or model. A lot of time through here. And other sites like this one. Also the South Florida production guide. Or my professional web site. I always ask when hired, "How did you find me and/or why did you hire me?" The answers are, range of work. I have been told I was hired because I have men in my book. Very hard to do clean male makeup. I was told because I have work that has been published. And told they heard I was easy to work with. See if your vision and the makeup artist/hairstylist vision are close to the same. Interview them, really talk and listen to them. Sometimes we bring different ideas to the table you weren't considering. And when you find someone you like, stick with that person. I have photographers that I have worked with for years. They think it and I already know. R- Nov 06 14 02:42 pm Link I've always felt that the most important quality that a MUA could have is the ability to see beyond what a model looks like . . . and has the skills to transform a face into something sale-able to magazine editors that are looking for contemporary erotic beauty Knowing how makeup and flesh are rendered through a camera lens on digital and how the effect of various lighting on a model can be different depending on a wide variety of technical factors. It's not as easy as it looks KM Nov 06 14 02:53 pm Link Lallure Photographic wrote: Pretty much this, and a bit of finger crossing too. Nov 07 14 06:14 am Link AHphotography wrote: I just look at the MUA's work and see if there working style is what I am looking for. Then I find out if I can afford them! Nov 07 14 07:50 am Link Would not want to see a book with a lot of heavily retouched work. Would wonder whether I'm looking at the work of the MUA or the retoucher. A good retoucher can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Nov 12 14 05:46 pm Link Ken Marcus Studios wrote: Totally agree... and IMATS provides that opportunity... Nov 13 14 10:02 am Link |
