Media Make-Up Assessment Shoot
I
was asked to photograph some media make-up models, to assist the make-up
artists with their upcoming assessments.
This challenged me hugely as I had never had to pose non-models unknown
to me before. I introduced myself and had
a discussion with the make-up artist prior to the shoot to ascertain their
requirements, to find out if there was anything in particular they wanted me to
do/not to do, etc. This was the start of
a professional working relationship. I
was relied on fully, to pose the model and make her feel at ease. The make-up artist requested simple, high
key, landscape, portrait, full length and portrait/head & shoulders
photographs, of which I was able to provide all. Here are a few examples of my images:
IMAGE 1
i
For
this shoot, I used 2 x soft boxes – one as a main light and the other as a fill
light – placed in front of the model, to the corners, at 45 degrees. I used the wireless flash trigger and a white
background. No tripod was used. My
camera settings were ISO 100, Auto WB, 1/160 sec, F/8. In photoshop, I increased the brightness and
contrast a little, and used ‘smart sharpen’ to inject some additional detail
into the hair, jewellery and staff.
If
I did this shoot again, I would’ve increased the brightness on the soft
boxes. For example, they were set
between 4 & 5, but I would increase them both a little to around 5 or 5 ½. I also would’ve
used a tripod to ensure a sharper image.
If I’d had more time, I would’ve also liked to try this against a darker
background and using a RIM light to make the model stand out from the
background.
These
are other photographs from the same media make-up shoot. I used the same light set up, camera settings
and minor Photoshop enhancements:
I placed the model further away from the
background in this image to ensure there were no shadows – and it was
successful! The Staff she is holding, blocks the light a little though so there
is a slight shadow across her face. In
future, I could use a Reflector the other side to combat this.
I
focussed more on the forehead detail and eyes in this image, which has thrown
some of the hair at the back a little out of focus, giving it a delicate blurry
depth of field effect. I have managed to
capture catch lights in her eyes, giving her a less ‘soul-less’ look.
Images of the details were required for this
assessment so I captured this image of the model’s hands framing the
necklace. This shows the detail in the jewellery,
the nails, some of the hair, and body paint. I think the slight angle gives
this image some additional interest.
