What to look out for when working with Make-up Artists

Especially when I’m shooting in the studio I like to have a Make-up Artist on set. They know exactly what they’re doing and they’re trained to work on different skintypes.

Having said that, some Make-up Artists are trained for film or bridal Make-up, which is totally different to what you need in the Studio. So I’m gonna give you some tips on what to look out for when working with somebody for the first time.

First you should look at their portfolio and decide if you generally like their style of Make-up. If you do, great! If you don’t, politely tell them that their work isn’t what you’re looking for for your portfolio.

Tip # 2: When doing bridal Makeup, it’s super important that it’s tear-proof and stays on the whole day. In the studio the Make-up only has to look perfect for half an hour when you’re shooting. So you really don’t need a lot of foundation, setting powder, concealer and anything else that adds a lot of layers and possibly cakeiness to the Model’s skin. I would try to stick with a glowy, more skincare focused base and use as little foundation/concealer etc. as possible.

Next up: Make sure you communicate with the whole team, especially with the Make-up Artist, exactly what you’re looking for. If you don’t want lots of foundation, tell them. If you want to take it one steo further, send out a Moodboard to the team. This way everybody sees exactly what you mean and you’re on the same page.

Tip #4 is to keep an open mind. Be open for other people’s ideas and suggestions, let them have a say in the Moodboard and try something new from time to time.

When the Makeup is finished, take a few test shots and see if there’s something that needs to be adjusted. You can totally tell the Make-up Artists that something isn’t looking right on camera yet, they want their work to look the best in the photos too!

And last but not least: when you’re Retouching, make sure you intensify the Make-up, especially the colors. Cameras swallows colors, so if you want to make you photo look as interesting and polished as possible add some of that color back in. If you want to learn more about Retouching in Photoshop check out my Masterclass!