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Disappearing makeup
When I do makeup for shoots it always looks great in person and I go heavy on the blush and shadow but when I see the unedited images it looks like the blush just disappeared! What can I do about this? I use RCMA foundation and Mac blushes. Apr 16 15 07:21 am Link Jackie McClay MUA wrote: Jackie, I deal with this issue constantly... especially since I'm oft the MUA on the shoot, and occasionally the hair stylist also... Apr 16 15 07:38 am Link As a photographer I always start with close ups. That gives the makeup artist a chance to adjust. While she adjusts the makeup I like to also adjust my lights. I tend to shoot with a start and stop intent. I like lots of pauses like the old film people did with polaroids. I find that although the workflow isn't as fast, the results are much more controlled. Everyone on set is allowed to pause the shoot for adjustments or ideas when it comes to a commercial shot. I have learned that more makeup is better up front. everything can be turned down a notch if i need to. Apr 16 15 08:18 am Link photographers vary in style, exposure and lighting just as make-up brands photograph differently. you learn with the photographer and the make-up brands. my mua knows that with my studio lighting, she has to darken some shades up to 1 1/2 tones. for beauty work, we also test. when she is about to start on eyes, she can ask for a test shot to see where the tones are. then we take another test before she completes. i also warn the mua if the shot is low key - and the tones will show up darker. this is all usually covered in the pre-production meeting when everything is hashed out before anyone starts. always look at the digital or polaroid, not the just the face. you want to see how it photographs in the end. Apr 16 15 09:50 am Link Jackie McClay MUA wrote: If I've learned anything about makeup throughout the course of my magazine career, it's that you should never believe your own eyes . . . only go by what you see on the computer monitor (or in the old days, what you saw on the polaroid). Apr 16 15 09:57 am Link Ah test shots! You know, I never thought to ask! Thank you all! Apr 16 15 10:43 am Link Thomas Van Dyke wrote: Does this hold true for natural light? Apr 16 15 12:58 pm Link Jackie McClay MUA wrote: Thought this was going to be about sticky fingers ....never mind ...carry on Apr 16 15 01:05 pm Link Mark Salo wrote: Mark, this is highly variable depending on the "quality" of daylight involved... Case in point, direct unfiltered midday sunlight is possibly one of the harshest illumination sources to deal with... If doing a beauty narrative, invariably a scrim is mandated... That said, defused heavy overcast is possibly the most forgiving illumination source available at any price.... mother nature's huge soft-box in the sky... one of the most faltering scenarios for skin texture... Apr 16 15 03:04 pm Link Mark Salo wrote: Thomas Van Dyke wrote: Thank you, Thomas. Your post and another by GPS today have justified the cost of my VIP membership for another year. Apr 16 15 04:04 pm Link No matter what lighting you're shooting in, you ALWAYS must do a test shot. Always insist on one, no matter what. I love when photographers have their lap top with them and they can take a photo and you instantly see it on a monitor, it makes my job so much easier because you can see exactly what the makeup looks like throughout the shoot. But, always do a test shot, examine the makeup and adjust accordingly. Usually you just have to go pretty heavy, especially if the photos will be in black and grey, then you must go very heavy for it to translate. As long as everything is blended properly, it will be okay. Hope this helps! Apr 17 15 02:03 pm Link It's a generalization, but a good rule of thumb is to remember that 30-40% of what you see with the naked eye will disappear in the photograph. The amount of color on the face you "lose" in theatrical settings can bump as high as 70%, which is why stage makeup looks so extreme in natural light conditions. The light conditions the photograph is being taken in matter too, for example is this a high key shot? If so, adjustments will need to be made. This is one reason why makeup artists love highly pigmented cosmetics, they allow us to apply less makeup and still achieve the color depth and vibrancy we need. MAC blushes today contain a fraction of the pigment they used to many years ago, that might be part of the problem. Try La Femme or Ben Nye for an inexpensive option with a lot more pigment. If consumer-popular brands are important to you or your clients NARS give a more professional end result than does MAC. In the meantime, ask to see the test shots as others have mentioned and consider your lighting more carefully. Apr 21 15 02:15 pm Link JONATHAN RICHARD wrote: Oh no sorry lol although I've had that happen plenty of times lol very frustrating Apr 22 15 06:33 am Link check the monitor. That's where I make my adjustments. Apr 22 15 09:25 pm Link |
