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MUA for shoots
I wanted to hear from some of you about the use of MUA's for shoots. Models: How often for shoots is a MUA used, as opposed to how often you need to do your own makeup? Photographers: How often do use use MUA's for your shoots? If you use them often, is there anything that you require of the model? Have you ever asked a model to pitch in for the cost of a MUA? Whats your experience with using MUA's for a shoot. Most MUA's I know dont TF, so Im just wondering how often they get utilized for shoots. Id love to hear your thoughts. Dec 13 12 06:11 pm Link I’ve only worked with a MUA once, for trade. She was a friend of the model and I really liked the results for the particular look that we were going for. But in general, while there are lots of talented MUAs out there, I don’t particularly care enough about makeup or hair enough to hire one. It’s just not an important enough element of my photographs that I require any more gloss or polish than the model can already provide. Dec 13 12 06:30 pm Link I haven't used an MUA for trade shoots. But there have been many times where a hair person would be great to have. I hate fixing flyaway hairs in photochop. I could really use an assistant also to hold reflectors for me. That would be a great help. Dec 13 12 06:47 pm Link Aside from client work I generally only use a MUA for editorials or agency tests these days, and then always on a TF basis. Sometimes I will arrange a MUA on a TF basis for a test to see what she's like with a view to possibly using her for an editorial or agency test later, in which case the model effectively gets the MUA as a bonus. However, for the kind of stuff I'm shooting in tests at the moment the majority of models can do their own perfectly well enough. Providing a MUA with TF images (and more to the point, worrying about shooting something that will be useful for the MUA) is an overhead I can do without for the most part. If a model tries to insist on a MUA for a simple test then unless she's also paying the MUA I will almost certainly pass. There's always another model who won't insist on a MUA, just like there's always another model who won't insist on an escort, or one who won't demand to be paid for taking her top off. Just my $0.02 Ciao Stefano www.stefanobrunesci.com Dec 13 12 06:47 pm Link Some of the llamas I shoot are excellent at both hair and MU, some are only good with MU. A really good MUA and hair person can really lift the image up a few notches, especially if you are going for a special look like pinup hair. Depends on what look you are going for. I've paid, split the pay and traded with MUAs. Depends on who need what, it's all in the negotiations. Dec 13 12 07:24 pm Link I trade with mua's quite often, it's fun! When shooting beauty especially Dec 13 12 08:54 pm Link Gianna Virginia wrote: I love having a MUA on set, and I don't know if they were being paid by the photographer or not but once I split a kit fee with the photographer and all the rest have been free for me at least. Dec 14 12 07:17 am Link Matt Forma wrote: What does the MUA get in return? I assume images for her port? But after the MUA gets enough images for her port I would assume he or she would no longer accept TF. Am I wrong about this? Dec 14 12 09:08 am Link i prefer it when the model hires the MUA. that way if the model flakes the MUA gets mad at her, not me. i've offered to split the MUA fee with models but so far no one has taken me up on that. for my paying customers i have them pay the MUA fee in advance. MUAs are great but you have to allow time for them to do their thing, you often have to pay them unless they are just getting started, and it's one more person who could possibly flake/reschedule (one MUA had to reschedule because her kid got kicked out of daycare for the day because of a high fever). Dec 14 12 09:21 am Link we have one MUA who works at sephora and for her the model shoots are fun and good practice. but i have noticed it's getting harder to get her excited about doing TF. Gianna Virginia wrote: Dec 14 12 09:25 am Link I have almost always used one mostly because of the standard of makeup of girls I see day to day, not having a clue what a girls skin is actually like from some photoshopped web jpgs or if she's been working 7 days straight so in some ways it is risk mitigation. Most have basic hair styling skills which is a help since there is only so much models can do themselves. I have often wondered if I could get away without one with what I shoot which would really save me a lot of hassle since so few are open to testing, having to cancel if the model gets booked etc. Dec 14 12 09:46 am Link Gianna Virginia wrote: Images. Although like photographers and models a portfolio should be constantly evolving - even top make-up artists still test. Anyone of any creative discipline who isn't constantly improving their portfolio has stagnated! However, they'll just get pickier, only doing shoots that will actually improve the standard of their portfolio or tick a box they haven't ticked, rather than just add another picture. For many MUAs, it's the clean beauty images which they want the most, as these are the most marketable and demonstrate make-up skill better than many creative, fashion or glamour shoots. Dec 14 12 11:10 am Link I love, love, love working with MUAs! But in my 3.5 years of modeling and hundreds of shoots I have had an MUA involved in probably 15 or fewer shoots. Why? I model nude a lot, and even for clothed shoots some MUAs prefer not to work with models who pose nude. Here in Detroit there are a lot of MUAs but most of them prefer to work with "industry standard" models and even then a lot of them seem to refuse to test or do TF. In most cases, I could not afford to hire one and the photographers never seemed to see the point. So I started learning to do my own make-up. As a mostly art nude model I got away with not really doing it, or doing very basic stuff for 3 years, but now I like to do it and I love to play with different looks for my self portraits. Now that I have friends who are MUAs I have worked with them more often (probably 3x more here in the last year than in the 2.5 in East TN), but still I do my own make-up probably 80% or more of the time. Dec 14 12 12:29 pm Link I have an MUA for pretty much every shoot. Half the time the photographer or the business doing the shoot handles the MUA, and half the time I either find or pay an MUA, or split it with the photographer. I used to do my own makeup, and although I wasn't all that bad at it, I found that I loved the photos so much more when I had a professional MUA do my makeup. And I feel a bit more confident when I'm really happy with my makeup job. I just don't have the same skills and experience that they have, so I figure it's best to leave it up to the pros. But that's just me. A model with better makeup skills may feel differently. Dec 14 12 12:56 pm Link I never hire or use MUAs. I've done a few shoots where I would gladly have hired a MUA, but haven't because I don't want to be on the hook to pay an MUA if the model cancels last minute, and I think it's unfair to hire a MUA and bail out on them last minute. Dec 14 12 01:03 pm Link I find that MUAs are much less willing to work on a TF basis. Photographers rarely have an MUA present, I've only had one photographer provide an MUA, I always have to either pay or do my own make-up even when doing paid work. Photographers I've worked with thus far haven't wanted to even split the cost  I can do the day to day make up, natural look but not the over the top things I want to add to my port, which is why they're not there. I have to get the clothes, shoes, accessories, hair and make-up...it gets pricey!!! I'm going to an MUA at Sephora for upcoming shoots because I can get MU done as long as I buy one of the products used. Dec 14 12 01:12 pm Link Abbitt Photography wrote: I had to do this recently and felt like a real tool, at least they don't get left with studio fees etc like we do. All part of the testing game though, I guess everyone understands if someone gets paying work they will ditch the test and good people get booked a lot. Dec 14 12 01:15 pm Link I am also a photographer/muah, and I own my own production company. I utilize muah's for all projects. I find muah's to be important for various reasons, namely it makes my life easier. Instead of telling a model what I want, and have them do what they please instead as they feel they 'look better' that way, I have a trained professional, who knows the exact look I want, and the professionalism needed on set. As a model I tend to do my own muah work.*As I am one* but I find it quite nice to have one on set to do the work for me... I get to relax and be a goof whilst getting done up. I like that. Dec 14 12 01:26 pm Link A good mua can make all of the difference in the world. I'd say about 40% of the time I shoot I get a mua, including when I'm producing my own scenes. You get what you pay for in my experience, and the good muas are all booked up/busy/will not work for discounted rates, because they don't need to, just like a good model. many muas suck at hair or will just show up with a curling iron or flat iron. My fav 2 muas are just as good at hair than they are at makeup. I have also encountered many bad muas. They go on my "no list" and are never hired again. Unfort, I've enountered more lazy muas or muas that obv don't know what they're doing, or have 1 look for EVERY girl they do, and/or no passion for their job. You just have to shop around and stick with whom gives you great work 100% of the time. Dec 17 12 01:02 am Link Abbitt Photography wrote: it's called a "kill fee" and is def necessary. Which is why if I'm ever hiring models, esp if I want/need more than 1 on set that day, I always have backup. Dec 17 12 01:04 am Link I wish more photographers would use MUAs. Particularity for a beauty type shoots. They think they can do without when in reality you have more post work to do. Using professional makeup artist pays for itself during post hours. Good MU & styling can make or break a photo. All can be on point technically but it still is blah with bad hair/MU! I started as a MUA/stylist (I still do it for my shoots) or I hire because sometimes I just want to shoot.. I hate doing glamour/fashion/beauty/boudoir etc type shoots without pro makeup, I always have to fix crap, orange skin, smudgy liner, patchy foundation, shine, blah mascara clumpy application, black eye buggers.. Senior portrait fixes are the worst. Dec 17 12 07:01 am Link I rarely use an MUA and when I do, it's on a trade basis. (I'm pretty clear on my profile that I'm here to learn, practice my photo skills, develop my vision and network and am looking for like minded individuals.) It's not that I'm opposed to bringing one. But it's a pain in the ass to try and jive another person's schedule into the mix. Plus, I am NOT a beauty photographer so 9 times out of 10, the model is perfectly capable of doing her own MU and hair. Dec 17 12 08:28 am Link As a dancer we rarely get closeups, and for most body shots I often just do my own makeup as I prefer to use the "setup time" to warm up. Most MUA's take more than an hour to do hair and makeup, which is okay for most genres of modeling, but it eats up way too much precious time for dance warm up. I think my only advice to MUAs (with regards to time) would be to judge how neat you want things to look based on the style of the shoot. If it's head shots, then you want to spend a lot of time, if it's dance or action body shots then spend less time. Dec 17 12 05:06 pm Link I've only been shooting for a couple of years, but my models rarely use a MUA. They pretty much take care of themselves. I personally don't care unless we are looking for a specific shoot. Even then I did a zombie shoot last fall and everyone did their own makeup. Turned out great. Dec 18 12 04:27 pm Link I use and MUA and hair stylist on about 75% of my shoots. I have a deal with the salon that is the same building as my studio. I do a lot of photos for them and they do work for me. Sometimes I have had to pay them but not always. It makes a big difference in the images and it also makes it much easier for me to find models who will tf with me when I through in the MUA and HS. I highly recommend finding someone you can work with often and keep them around. It has been well worth my time and investment. I almost always have a backup scheduled if I am working with a model for the first time just to make sure the team isn't left hanging because I don't like paying a kill fee. But it is only fair to do so. Dec 18 12 05:35 pm Link Ive been an MUA for about 6 years now. When i first started i definitely worked for free to build clientele as well as get my kit together in exchange for the copies of the photos for my portfolio. Once you get some time underneath your belt then i believe it IS beneficial to at least have an MUA on set but beauty shots or extensive shoots that require a glam squad (weddings, videos, etc) as for regular photo shoots then it should ultimately be up to the photographer if they are willing to pay. We are here to enhance the beauty that you models already have, so whether we're there or not...we are ALWAYS needed  Dec 21 12 08:58 pm Link |
