There is nowhere to hide in beauty photography. Skin, the line of the make-up, the shadow of a lash, the way light moves across a face: every detail shows, and every detail matters.
Make-up first
A beauty shoot begins at the make-up table long before the camera. Here we wanted to bring out a sharp, graphic eye make-up and flawless skin. Every line of the make-up was drawn with an eye on how the camera and the light would read it.
Building the light
In the studio, light is the sculptor of the face. A soft yet precise light kept the skin smooth and the features defined; we adjusted the angle and strength again and again for the sparkle in the eyes and the transitions across the face. In beauty photography, a few centimetres of light make a different face.
A single strong image
From the make-up chair to the final frame, every step served a single, strong image. Retouching is the last link in that chain: completing what the light and make-up built, without taking the skin away from its natural texture.
In this ten-minute video you can follow, from start to finish, how a beauty advertisement is prepared in the studio.
The Finished Work
Beauty Face Shot — frames from the shoot