Makeup for photo shoots and video shooting: three main rules

The main thing that needs to be taken into account when creating makeup for a photo session and video shooting is the light, the sensitivity of the technique and the message that needs to be expressed through the image. But whatever the message, the trivial, but always trendy concept of beauty remains a mandatory and indisputable condition. It should always be reflected in the lens.

As a rule, we receive all the most fashionable manifestations (for example, from the world’s main catwalks) not “first-hand,” but through the media. The images we see on the glossy pages of magazines and large-format screens are not only the work of stylists, designers, makeup artists, but also... the lenses of photo and video equipment.

When it comes to corrections for photo or video shooting, a makeup artist faces special challenges. You still have to correct the flaws and emphasize the advantages of the model’s appearance, create the correct face shape, and bring the shape of the nose, eyes, and cheekbones closer to perfection. But in addition to the standard set of procedures, it is worth considering that any of your actions must first of all work in the frame. Your ideal makeup will only exist in the virtual media world.

Professionals say that corrective makeup for photo and video shooting is based on several basic factors that a makeup artist must take into account.

First, the light

When starting corrective makeup, the artist should first of all pay attention to the light. Experienced makeup artists emphasize that the lighting on television is especially powerful and “eats” about a third of the makeup. And if the makeup done live seems bright enough, then in the video it may not seem enough.

However, this does not mean that you should apply harsh makeup. High technology, among other things, is also very sensitive. Therefore, rich makeup will turn your face into a mask. The equipment certainly notices all the nuances on the skin and catches all the imperfections. And large frames not only make them visible, but can even enhance them.

The best professional advice here is to remember about moderation (by the way, the most complex of philosophical categories) and the rule of the golden mean. Somewhere between an insufficiently made-up face and an unnaturally rough mask, you will find the optimal solution. Finding it can be difficult, but this is where the professionalism of a makeup artist shows itself.

Secondly, sensitivity

Naturally, video equipment is more sensitive than photographic equipment. To achieve the desired result without shocking the viewer, you should be especially careful, professional makeup artists insist. If during photography, fixing the face, we look for the desired angle - and this is enough, then in the video the model moves, and in this case the correction must be especially subtle.

At the same time, the density of the makeup and its saturation may be different. This in particular depends on what kind of camera is used - film or digital.

In the case of photography, it is fundamentally important whether the photo is in color or black and white. Makeup for color photography may be less saturated in color and makeup sophistication. And with black and white, you can afford a more saturated palette, because all colors come in only three tones - black, white and gray.

Thirdly, tasks

Corrective makeup for video shooting should take into account not only technical aspects, but also semantic ones. First of all, you have to answer the question: “What meaning should your image be filled with?” For example, we are talking about makeup for an entertaining TV show, where bright makeup and bold stylistic experiments are more than appropriate and even necessary. Or about the analytical format, where the “effect of absence of change” is preferable. This is important because your tasks determine your tools.

The “no change effect” involves the use of natural shades, that is, flesh tones. Bright colored makeup is inappropriate in a news program, although this does not mean that in static serious formats the tasks of a makeup artist are simplified.

Ukrainian professional makeup artists, in particular Marina Borshchevskaya, note that there are very few successful, memorable images in the domestic news segment. After all, here we are talking about real creativity - you need to be able to put your imagination into the rigid, almost puritanical framework of the information and analytical format. But with “entertaining” images things are much better. Among the most successful, Marina Borshchevskaya notes Katya Osadchaya, who always keeps within the framework of the image, for which makeup, hairstyle, outfit, and hat work.

The makeup artist also claims: despite a number of nuances, correction during photo or video shooting is subject to global rules for constructing an optimal visual image. The most important thing is to reveal a person, express his individuality and, of course, make him beautiful.

The material was first published in MAKEUP&YOU Professional magazine