A few weeks ago, I had a great opportunity to help my friend Jasmine out for a photo shoot that she was participating in at Ruthven Mansion in Haldimand County, Ontario. Just from this one shoot, I feel like I've learned so much, and it has definitely opened my eyes to what I should prepare for upcoming shoots. I've been a free-lance make-up artist for about a year now, but this was the first time that I followed a theme, and was actually present for the photo shoot. I wanted to share my first experience with everyone, and hopefully help out any other new MUAs that are starting out!
Model: Jasmine Upachantho
Photographer: Judy Brooks
Going into this shoot, Jasmine and I knew that it was going to be an 18th Century vibe, and this is the look we came up with. I am by no means a hair stylist nor do I intend on stepping into that field, but looking up some tutorials, I think the hair turned out pretty nice ! We just curled, teased and pinned up all of her hair to the top of her head. We then used a mixture of baby powder and dry shampoo to give it that white/grey colour. The make-up we kept very simple, however I'm not satisfied with how her re-shaped lips turned out-something I need to practice.
The three most important things that I learned from this experience is:
Don't be afraid to over pack!
I now know that it is okay to be over prepared ! I didn't bring my whole kit with me because I didn't think it was necessary to bring extra tools and products that I won't even use. We worked with a lot of different photographers that day, and each photographer of course, has their own vision of what they want. Some wanted less make-up, some wanted more. Halfway through the session, we even changed the outfit and the theme completely, so I was definitely mad at myself for not having enough products to really change the look. So if you're in doubt about if you should bring certain products or not, always take them with you ! It's better to be safe than sorry.
Don't just pack make-up with you!
This also ties in with being prepared for everything. From now on I am going to be keeping more than just make-up in my kit such as hair styling tools, hairspray, nail polish, safety pins etc. At any time the model may need to change her hair style, or maybe they forgot to do their nails that day, and as the make-up artist, you can totally be there to rescue them. You don't have to know how to do extravagant hairstyles, but things like fixing their curls, or pinning their hair back just to change up the look, that will really come in handy and will in the end, help with the final results of the photos.
Every photographer has their own stye!
Like I stated before, every photographer has their own vision of how they want the photos to turn out. Take the time to talk to them, share ideas, picture references, and get a real feel of what they're envisioning in their mind, and bring it to life ! This will help the shoot run smoothly, and make it easier for everyone !
Here are a couple more photos from the shoot.
Model: Jasmine Upachantho
Photographer: Judy Brooks
Model: Jasmine Upachantho
Photographer: Bert Pierre
Model: Jasmine Upachantho
Photographer: Bert Pierre
Photographer: Bert Pierre
Another thing I will definitely do next time is doll myself up a little as well ! Just in case incidents like this happen, where there are behind the scene shots taken. We woke up early that morning to prepare, so I didn't have much time to get ready so I was looking not so put together. Yikes !
I had such a great time at the shoot, and this is definitely something that I want to continue to do. I will keep you guys posted on future shoots, and throw in some more tip and tricks I learn on the way!
- 9:24 pm
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