Beauty makeup photography is both a commercial genre and portrait genre of photography usually dedicated to the photography of makeup and skincare products. It differs slightly from model photography and fashion photography in that the objective is to show these products in use. All experienced beauty and makeup artists have the need to showcase their products and skill to potential clients through photographs of clientele and models with the completed cosmetics.
TO LOVE BEAUTY IS TO LOVE BEAUTY AND MAKEUP PHOTOGRAPHY
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After styling the model and establishing the makeup, we’re ready to set up lighting. Lighting should be soft to match the gentle curves of the model’s face. Depending on the look you’re trying to achieve you can use either natural light or artificial light in the form of fixed or flash lighting. Direct flash isn’t recommended as a single unfiltered source of light due to the harshness that can ensue, however it can be used with a beauty dish or other soft light modifiers.
Best gear for beauty makeup photography
Our top picks for the best gear for beauty makeup photography includes light modifies and accessories to maximise the quality of beauty and makeup photographs.
The beauty dish and light modifiers
Beautiful makeup photos can be achieved using a beauty dish. A photography beauty dish can have either a fixed light source or a flash inserted. It can be coupled with a deep octa soft box and reflectors to achieve the perfect look.
If you don’t have the budget for advanced light modifiers such as beauty dishes and soft boxes or flash, you can experiment with natural lighting. Natural lighting may result in a softer less-defined edge of the model’s face and the resultant photos will show the makeup in a more natural state.
Inspiration
Look up wedding makeup preparation for inspiration and lighting ideas. When using natural light, study the shadows on the model’s face to see how it falls and drops softly away from the edge of the model. For studio lighting examples you’ll often notice the model is photographed with a dark or black background. The darker studio background of a makeup model brings more vibrancy and contrast to the image.
Build a beauty and makeup photography portfolio
If you produce excellent beauty and makeup images and want to apply for assignments with models and beauty companies create a photography website portfolio of your work. Create a unique a portfolio of your images, and upload your best ones to social accounts such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
Have fun with beauty and makeup photography!
It is always a pleasure to photograph beauty and makeup.
