When I began shooting glamour it was common, at least in my group, for a photographer to have a working knowledge of makeup. It seems less common now, and that is unfortunate. Makeup is a potent tool - like lighting and setting - for creating beautiful images. Knowing makeup helps a photographer envision the look he or she wants, identify which facial anomalies can be “corrected,” and to communicate with a makeup artist.
We all look at a model’s face and mentally evaluate his or her features: Great profile but her nose is too long... Beautiful hair but her cheeks are too broad... Forehead is too high... Chin is too small... Eyebrows are too heavy..., etc. And models make the same judgments; virtually all of them have a feature or two that they would like to “correct.” But what exactly is a “correct” face? In most cases, it is the average face.
Remember those psychology textbooks that report polls where people are asked to judge which, of a dozen faces, is the most attractive? The face people most often choose turns out to be an artificial, computer-generated average of the other eleven real faces. When I hear models and photographers talk about a facial feature they want to change, they are invariably wanting to make it closer to the average. Of course, this isn’t absolutely universal. There are many stunning men and women with unusual features. But they are the exception. For the most part, when we want to change a face for the better, we want to bring that face to the norm.
Contouring is the most powerful makeup tool for apparently altering the features of a face. As photographers, we take for granted that we do that with light and shadow - emphasize a strong feature, hide a weak one in shadow - but makeup can produce similar effects and glamour photographers should at least know the basics of how it is done.
The best quick reference on the topic that I have seen is the facial contouring “roadmap” in the late Kevyn Aucoin’s book, Making Faces (Little Brown & Company; 1999).
The principle of the technique is simple: light colors tend to come forward, dark colors recede. So if you want to “lower” a hairline, darken the foundation as it approaches the hairline. If you want to narrow a nose, darken the sides of the nose and lighten the bridge. If you want to hollow out the cheeks, darken the cheeks just above the chin line. This must be subtle, of course, or it looks “painted-on.” But skillfully blended, the effect can be remarkable.
Here are some photos that I shot recently that illustrate the technique: two photos, each with a very different look, of four models. The makeup was done by Julissa Mercado, a very talented artist who I often work with on photo shoots. Before the shoot, Julissa and I evaluate the model’s look and come to an agreement on what would benefit her the most.
Julissa uses primarily MAC cosmetics and tools. According to Julissa, “I rely on MAC products more than any other line. All of these treatments began with MAC moisturizers, Studio Finish concealers - to minimize blemishes and under-eye circles - and MAC Studio Sticks for foundation.” The mood of a look is frequently determined by the eye treatment, and a line like MAC, with its broad range of colors - from everyday to funky - offers lots of flexibility.
Finally, the contouring. Using MAC’s line of bronzers, Julissa is especially good at “reshaping” a face without it being obvious how it was done.
Jessica Hayward has just recently begun modeling and she will do very well. She has a great figure, very long legs, a stunning profile, and an oval face with classic features. She came into the studio with her hair combed straight and tightly framing her face. I wanted that simple look for our first photographs. Julissa reshaped her eyebrows, highlighted her lips and eyes, and contoured her chin. Jessica has a low hairline and very full-bodied hair. When you frame her face closely with her hair, you have to be careful that it does not block the light to her face. As you can see by the catchlights in her eyes, I placed the key and fill lights on either side to evenly light her face and get the light under the edges of her hair.
Here (to the right) we are going all-out for a wild vamp look. Again Julissa highlighted Jessica’s cheekbones, lips, around her eyes, chin, and the bridge of her nose. Julissa also “raises” Jessica’s hairline by giving the hair more volume up front. And she used bronzer to contour her cheeks, jaw-line, and the outer bridge of nose.
Nell Rose, a lovely young woman I work with frequently, is highly versatile and can look convincing in any number of roles. She is one of those models that photographers are crazy about: I have yet to find a photographer that hasn’t asked to re-book her. click image for larger view For the first look, we were going for all-out fun. This is an example where the makeup artist takes on the role of stylist as well, determining the entire look of the model, not just her hair or makeup. Just as photographers come to a shoot with ideas they want to try, so do good makeup artists. The wise photographer listens to those ideas. Here Julissa had used pink extensions in Nell’s hair and rhinestones under her lower lashes to set the tone. Julissa highlighted her cheekbones, lips, chin, and the bridge of her nose. Nell has a roundish oval face and contouring serves to elongate it a bit. Here Julissa contoured her cheeks, jaw-line, and the outer bridge of her nose. click image for larger view To the right, same model, different shoot, different day, and a very different look. This was for a commercial shoot and we wanted an older, upscale tone. Julissa’s work on Nell’s hair is the centerpiece. With its contrasting colors and up-do style, Nell’s hair serves to establish an opulent look, make her look a bit older, and visually elongate her face. For makeup, Julissa highlighted Nell’s eyes and cheekbones, and contoured her jaw line and the bridge of her nose.
Nell Rose, a lovely young woman I work with frequently, is highly versatile and can look convincing in any number of roles. She is one of those models that photographers are crazy about: I have yet to find a photographer that hasn’t asked to re-book her.
For the first look, we were going for all-out fun. This is an example where the makeup artist takes on the role of stylist as well, determining the entire look of the model, not just her hair or makeup. Just as photographers come to a shoot with ideas they want to try, so do good makeup artists. The wise photographer listens to those ideas. Here Julissa had used pink extensions in Nell’s hair and rhinestones under her lower lashes to set the tone. Julissa highlighted her cheekbones, lips, chin, and the bridge of her nose. Nell has a roundish oval face and contouring serves to elongate it a bit. Here Julissa contoured her cheeks, jaw-line, and the outer bridge of her nose.
Julissa brought Rachel into the studio with this first look in mind. Rachel was not looking to become a model, but rather to replace some photos which she paid for, but never received, from a local “modeling school.” My first impression was that she had beautiful figure but a very young, innocent face. The first look uses that youthful face to advantage. Julissa highlighted her eyes and cheeks, and lightly contoured the sides of her nose. Rachel has a “cute” nose which flares to a rounded end. The hair pulled neatly to one side and the flower all contribute to the youthful look. click image for larger view In the second look (to the right), I wanted something older and more sophisticated. Here Julissa highlighted her cheekbones and lips, and then contoured her cheeks, jaw-line, and eyelids. Heavy contouring on the sides of her nose narrow it and minimize the roundness. With wild, wavy hair and a sexy outfit, the look is complete. These two photos often prompt the “Is that the same girl?” question.
Julissa brought Rachel into the studio with this first look in mind. Rachel was not looking to become a model, but rather to replace some photos which she paid for, but never received, from a local “modeling school.” My first impression was that she had beautiful figure but a very young, innocent face. The first look uses that youthful face to advantage. Julissa highlighted her eyes and cheeks, and lightly contoured the sides of her nose. Rachel has a “cute” nose which flares to a rounded end. The hair pulled neatly to one side and the flower all contribute to the youthful look.
In the second look (to the right), I wanted something older and more sophisticated. Here Julissa highlighted her cheekbones and lips, and then contoured her cheeks, jaw-line, and eyelids. Heavy contouring on the sides of her nose narrow it and minimize the roundness. With wild, wavy hair and a sexy outfit, the look is complete. These two photos often prompt the “Is that the same girl?” question.
Rebecca Ronin has just begun modeling. She is very petite with wonderful facial features: large eyes, full lips, and a great profile. Her heart-shaped face means she has a high forehead and a small chin. Julissa lightened her chin to emphasize it, and highlighted her jaw line, lips and eyes. I framed Rebecca’s face closely with her hair. I like photographing faces from this high angle; eventually, almost every model I shoot has a few of these in her portfolio. One thing to watch for when shooting from this angle is that the chin can visually merge into the neck. To counteract this, I feathered-off the light striking her neck to establish contrast with her chin.
This look features Julissa as a stylist: it is entirely her creation. Julissa announced she wanted a winter look and pulled out a white hat and scarf. I told her to go for it. My contribution was to make sure to get light under that hat brim, put a blue filter on the backlight, and press the shutter. In addition to the usual highlighting of cheekbones, lips, eyes and chin, Julissa lightened, and visually lengthened, the bridge of Rebecca’s nose. The soft blue eyeshadow, the blue background, the whiteness of hat and scarf, set the winter tone. The hat frames her face and lowers her forehead, while her hair frames and squares-off her face. Having the brim cocked to one side, a very nice touch, is Julissa’s contribution as well.
