One of the most asked questions photographers get from their clients is ‘What should I wear for my photo shoot?’ Whilst ensuring your client is wearing the right style of clothing is a good idea, it is ways more important to focus on their face and what they have put on it. If you want to make sure you take stunning photographs of your clients, it is important to educate them about their makeup for the photo shoot. Here we will provide a few makeup tips that every professional photographer should be aware of.
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Use a skin primer
Using a skin primer under base makeup like foundation and concealer will help to conceal enlarged pores and blemishes. It will also provide a smoother base for the foundation, ensuring it sits well and doesn’t flake. There are a wide range of skin primers out there from both high street beauty brands and luxury makeup brands. Some even have added benefits such as being able to balance out uneven skin tones.
Speaking of balancing out uneven skin tones, if the subject is suffering from redness, use a green tinted concealer as this will counteract the colour and give you less editing to do later!
Avoid using mineral makeup
We recommend that you tell your clients to avoid using mineral makeup and foundations with SPF for their photo shoots. Whilst mineral makeup and foundations with SPF are great for every daywear, they can make people’s faces look overly shiny on camera. If your client wants to wear makeup, ask if they have a matte foundation they can use and suggest they apply it with a buffing brush to avoid streaks and uneven tones. Using a translucent matte powder over the top of foundation will also do the trick!
No glittery eye shadows
Unless applied by a professional makeup artist, it is probably best that your client avoids wearing shimmery or glittery eye shadows. Instead they should be looking to use eye shadows with a matte or satin finish. For portraits, neutral shades of brown and gold will intensify the eyes and make them pop.
Remember your subject’s eyes will be the focal point of your portrait photos so they need to stand out. Ask that they apply a couple of coats of back mascara to intensify their eyes.
It is also important that they use an eyebrow pencil or a neutral coloured eye shadow to fill in their eyebrows. The eyebrows help to frame the face so it is important they are visible on portrait photos.
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Don’t be afraid of blusher
Many women are reluctant to use blusher as they worry it will make them look clown-like, however when it comes to having photos taken, blush in a natural flushed shade can really enhance the look of the face. Blush should be applied to the apples of the cheeks and blended upwards towards the cheekbone. You can afford to apply a little more blush than usual, as cameras have a tendency to wash out some of the colour.
If your client isn’t use to applying blush, we recommend asking them to use a powder product. They are easier for beginners to work with as they blend well. Whilst cream blushers offer a longer wear time, they are a little trickier to master!
Prepare for emergency touch-ups
It your female clients are planning on wearing makeup to the photo shoot, ask that they bring it with them. If they will be standing under warm studio lighting, it is likely their makeup will start to melt or slip at some point. This is why it is important to have concealer, powder and lipstick to hand, so you can carry out emergency touch-ups and keep your photos consistent.
Although as a photographer makeup may not be your area of expertise, knowing a little bit about it can greatly improve your photos. If the makeup is right, your client will feel much happier and we all know how much easier it is to photograph someone who is confident in their appearance.
Image credits: goMainstream and bobbygiggz