Essential Makeup Tips Every Photographer Should Know

A makeup artist is such a crucial aspect of a team for many photographers. Having an expert on board during a photoshoot is crucial for the final images to look great. It also means less editing in Photoshop fixing imperfections! Though with life, anything can happen (i.e. a last minute cancellation with a makeup artist). This happened to me a few times… Thinking back, all I wanted was to know at least some makeup basics to save the day and make the final images more compelling. So today I teamed up with a Birmingham U.K. based professional makeup artist Eleonora Manzi to share with you makeup tips for a photoshoot that every photographer should know.

A quick note: If you are not working with makeup artists (MUAs) for your photoshoots yet, start doing it! Makeup artists help us capture our creative visions, make our clients/models feel and look incredible, they also raise production value, heightening the quality of the final images.

On the other hand, not having a MUA during a photoshoot often results in less variety of looks, and the quality of makeup being applied may not be great (unless your model is also a makeup artist!).

Makeup Tips Every Photographer Should Know

CONTACT THE MODEL

The very first thing I would recommend to do when you know that a makeup artist cannot attend a photoshoot is to contact your model right away. Ask them to ether travel with no makeup on and bring their kit to the shoot, or just put foundation on and bring the rest of their make up kit to the shoot. They can apply their makeup on the photoshoot set right before a photoshoot.

This way, makeup will be fresher (instead of putting it on and travelling on the train in a hot summer day to a photoshoot), and if there are any inconsistencies in texture they can be blended more and fixed right away.

This leads me to another point:

MAKEUP IMPERFECTIONS TO LOOK OUT FOR

MUAs have an eye for great makeup, a skill some photographers lack. So, in case you don’t have a makeup artist sticking around during your shoot, here are some of the common makeup imperfections you can look out for to fix on the spot and save you time in post-production.

Eleonora recommends to keep your eye on:

Foundation

Make sure is not patchy and model’s complexion matches their neck and shoulders.

Eyeshadows

Check if they are blended well. If they look patchy, use a clean makeup brush to blend them more.

Dark circles under the eyes

Mascara and/or eyeshadows might start to fall down if a model is showing a range of emotions (pulling different faces). You can easily fix it with IPA (isopropyl alcohol) on a cotton bud which will gently remove unwanted makeup.

Makeup melting

If you are shooting during a hot sunny day or using constant light, because it’s warm makeup might start melting slightly. You will need to reapply powder to prevent shine on your model’s face.

It would be a good idea to have a powder, concealer, lipstick/lip gloss as well as IPA handy during your photoshoot for quick touchups. If you see something with you model’s makeup that is not right, fix it on the spot and DO NOT leave it to Photoshop. Been there, done that. Save your time! When it only takes 2 seconds to fix a little lipstick smudge during the shoot, it will take you 10-15 minutes salvaging on it in Photoshop.

LIGHTING

Remember, the quality of light you are using during the photoshoot will affect the way makeup looks in the photos.

Soft light (translucent umbrella, soft box, overcast day) is more flattering than harsh light (direct sunlight, beauty dish or a bare flash). Soft light helps to smooth the texture of the face while also flattening skin imperfections.

If you are using a harsh or a more directional light, make sure the foundation is applied well so it makes the skin appear smooth as this type of lighting will bring out skin texture.

If you are willing to learn new skills,

INVEST IN YOUR OWN MAKEUP KIT

You can (if you want to) invest in a simple “emergency” makeup kit that you can use for future shoots. Some of the very basics Eleonora recommends to get are:

Concealer

Use concealer to cover blemishes and spots.

2 types of foundations (light & dark)

You can mix it together to get the exact colour to match your model’s complexion.

Translucent powder or a fix spray

Cover sweat and stop makeup from smudging and melting.

Natural colour eyeshadow palette

Make sure it has brown and black shades, as these colours suit most of complexions.

Red and natural colour lipstick

Eyeliner

Mascara

Also don’t forget a few makeup brushes, cotton buds and disposable brushes for mascara, and you are ready to go!

With this simple and inexpensive kit you can fix and touch up your model’s make up during your shoot and even create your own NATURAL MAKEUP LOOK.

For a natural make up look Eleonora recommends using brown and black eyeshadows and mascara to accentuate model’s eyes, as well as little contouring to define and enhance the structure of the face (which means less ‘dodging and burning’ in Photoshop, woo!).

PRO TIP: Camera doesn’t pick up makeup intensity and vibrancy as it is in real life. I’ve worked with MUAs for quite a while now and that’s the lesson I’ve learnt: MORE makeup. So even though you’re going for a subtle natural look for your photoshoot, apply more makeup than you would for an everyday natural look, so it’s visible for the camera.

KEEP IT HYGIENIC AND SAFE

First thing’s first, if you are going to help apply/fix your model’s makeup make sure you’re following Covid-19 guidelines. Here’s a great Covid-19 beauty guide I found.

To keep your makeup hygienic, Eleonora points out to remember to decontaminate everything. You can use IPA (isopropyl alcohol) with 99.9% alcohol that kills any bacteria on your makeup. MUAs use it clean their brushes and to disinfect their products.

Spray IPA a few times over your eyeshadow palette; put it on the brushes before using them as well as wash them after.

It’s not only about disinfecting your kit but also keeping it hygienic during the makeup application. When using an eyeliner, use a clean brush to get some of the product out of the packaging, and use your hand as a palette. You can do the same with lipstick: scratch some of it out on your hand and use a clean brush to apply it.

DON’T use your own makeup on others in case it’s not disinfected properly. Buy a new separate kit to use on your models. For example Makeup Revolution is very inexpensive makeup: it blends well and stays on throughout a whole photoshoot.

This is it for today. Thanks for checking out this weeks blog! Do you want to learn more about makeup for a photoshoot? Feel free to check out Photoshoot Prep: Tips From a Pro Makeup artist.

If you know any other makeup tips every photographer should know, please share them in the comment section below. Also, make sure you check out Eleonora Manzi work on Instagram and Facebook.

Stay safe!