Thread: Photography shoot tips?

Hi all. I've got my first real photo shoot this weekend and the photographer said I can either bring my own makeup & do it myself or he'll do for me (his preference as he said most people miss things that'll show up under the camera/lights). Currently waiting to hear from him what product/brand he uses, but wonder if there's anything readily available I could get myself at say either a department store or from Sephora. I'm in a small town & limited department stores (Sears, Dillards, JC Penney), and I'll be near the closest Sephora tomorrow evening for my private lesson/coaching (planning on stopping in for lipstick anyway).

Do I need a silicone primer (currently use a non-silicone & can't tell much difference when I do use it)? Would a silicone based primer fill in/spackle (lol) any fine lines under the eye & on the face in general? Any lipstick colors to generally avoid or that aren't flattering on camera? Basically any and all makeup tips for a shoot are appreciated. I don't know how long

Hair tips are welcome as well - like, if you have a hairpiece/wig/fall, do you usually wear it for the photoshoot?

And last but not least, I'm trying my darndest to avoid excessive carbs & too much salt this week so I won't be bloated up. (TMI alert) It's about that 'time' to be bloaty anyway (joy) so I don't need any extra help. Any tips regarding that or if I do turn up a bit puffy any poses that'll minimize it?

Anything else that you can think of that I should take in addition to costumes, props, makeup & music please let me know. I'm having a mani/pedi done the day before so it'll be fresh, eyebrows were done this past weekend and getting my bangs/fringe trimmed this week (rest of my hair is fine, recently done). Am I forgetting anything?

Thanks in advance ladies, I'm excited & will share my pics once I get them back. ..g.:

Body make-up? I hate it for it smeared into my costume, my skin didn't have enough time to absorb it or the silk powder didn't fixate it well, but it looked really good on our troupe-photoshoot last week!

We did the make-up ourselves, the photographer just told us when the make-up got shiny so we needed to powder.

We brought music and danced and sang a bit when we had to wait, to stay relaxed and happy. The photographer was a realyl friendly one, so that made it very comfortable to be in front of his lens.

Yay! Photo shoots are about as addictive as dancing - you're gonna love it!

I'd advise that you stay away from anything overly glittery and shimmery - this also includes any hi-gloss lip products, as well. A cream/semi-gloss finish like any lipstick with the "Amplified" finish by MAC is really nice for that moist look, but a straight-up ultra shiny gloss can create an odd glare.

When in doubt, I do my lips a little brighter or darker than normal. Everyday lip color can wash you out. If you're looking to go nude, try a rosy nude like MAC's "Cosmo." A slightly darker lipliner (MAC "Soar") creates dimension.

While I was perfecting my craft of photo shoot makeup, I used to try out a number of different looks and snap a quick pic with my digital camera so I could get a rough feel for how it would photograph. This was a great learning tool for me, so I'd encourage you to try it too!

I was considering a red lipstick, but don't want to look harsh or garish - I'm pretty pale & tend to do up my eyes as it is. Maybe a red and a nice bright pink & test drive them both at home this week. Heard from the photographer, said he mainly recommends a good primer to get the makeup on smooth & that's what he was going to do w/me. I've got a Korres silicone-free primer but I don't see much difference when I use it (smells nice tho), which is why I'm wondering if a silicone based one would work better.

Unfortunately no MAC stores are remotely close, so for this shoot I'm limited to whatever I can find around here - Sephora's likely my best bet (?) with the widest selection of colorful goodies.

I wouldn't fret over filling in the fine lines. That's what photoshop is for.... LOL

The jury seems to be out on whether or not everybody needs a primer. I'd like to hear some opinions on that, too.

P.S. - if your photographer is worth his salt, he'll PhotoShop everything to a nice smooth finish, anyway. Don't get alarmed! It's not like that scary fake Maxim look, where the models all look like they downed a barium milkshake. But PS is great for softly evening out the skin tone, and often, you won't even notice that you've been "enhanced." You'll just look like you're having a "good skin day"

Hahahaha! Star, you beat me to it ..l;,

excellent. now i just need to peruse everyone's galleries for poses I like ..l;, got a few in mind, but more is better - was told i'm blocked out for all day or until i say 'Uncle', lol

don't hold back on the glam. do you hair as fabulously as possible (I wear hairpieces anyway, but if I didn't I'd certainly enhance with something to get more oomph). get your mani/pedi in a color you can see instead of something subtle like pink or a french. pile on the jewelry. if you look at yourself and think, should I put on a bigger necklace? the answer is yes.

if you're at all able to, bring a friend along! I don't know your photog's approach to things, but chances are you will be the one who has to come up with poses, and it's possible that he might not be tuned in to things that are important to you (if a strap is turned, if your skirt is peeking above your belt, if an earring is caught in your hair, if your hair needs to be fluffed, etc.). a friend can remind you to suck in and lift up. :)

do your research on poses and practice them in a mirror until you can strike them from memory. know whether you look best with a mysterious air or a huge smile. try out lots of different shapes and angles, and not just bellydance ones. check out fashion magazines (and even ones like playboy if you can! those kinds of photographers are highly skilled in making women look as beautiful as possible).

Speaking as a photographers assistant who occasionally gets relegated to photo shop duty, make sure you have all your little bits of hair out of your face. They are tough to photoshop and can ruin a beautiful photograph.

A good photographer should be looking out for the details in a shot (turned straps, hair in face, etc) but it is always good to bring a friend to remind you of posture, and to also keep an eye out for these things.

Watch your feet and make sure they are nicely pedicured. Weird foot positions, or dirty feet can really take away from a picture.

Are "bare minerals" to light for photo shoots? I just purchased it and loove it but i'm thinking of doing a photoshoot myself in the future...would heavier foundation be more ideal?

and what is primer? never heard of it ( sad i know)

With Bare Minerals, I think it depends on the lighting.

For outdoor shoots and for indoor using direct (rather than strobe) lighting, I've been fine with my minerals. The only time I ran into a problem was in a studio, with intense strobe lighting. This is due to the reflective nature of titanium dioxide, the main ingredient.

I'd play it safe if I were you. MAC, Smashbox and Makeup Forever supposedly make some excellent liquid foundations that love the camera as much as....well, as much as I do ..l;,

Originally Posted by stardancer

I wouldn't fret over filling in the fine lines. That's what photoshop is for.... LOL

Photographers have to do a lot of extra work in photoshop to smooth skin - better to get as much done in pre-processing (i.e. when the photo is taken) as possible. The less work they have to do, the less money you'll spend. Some photographers charge one cost for raw, untouched images - and another charge for each one they have to retouch.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

With Bare Minerals, I think it depends on the lighting.

For outdoor shoots and for indoor using direct (rather than strobe) lighting, I've been fine with my minerals. The only time I ran into a problem was in a studio, with intense strobe lighting. This is due to the reflective nature of titanium dioxide, the main ingredient.

I'd play it safe if I were you. MAC, Smashbox and Makeup Forever supposedly make some excellent liquid foundations that love the camera as much as....well, as much as I do ..l;,

Thanks for the recommendations. I really like Smashbox eyeshadows because they're so vibrant, and I've read good things about their primer; I'll have to try their foundation and see how it looks.

actually if the photographer is really good, he or she will set up the light in a way which is most flattering for you and there's no need to photoshop at all.

I love Smashbox's primer. I haven't used any other brands though, so I can't compare it to others.

I'm assuming you're going to Morgan. He does good work.

Although there's not enough time, seriously, all of your inquiries (including ones about hair) would have been answered on the DVD.

Primer: YES YES YES. If you have overwhelming redness, use the green tinted primer, but only where you need it.

Silicone-based foundations are superb and give super smooth results. Revlon Colorstay is a great drug store brand for smooth foundation application (not necessarily silicone-based but in lieu of one).

All of your questions about color really depend on your skin tone/color (2 different things) and can't/shouldn't be answered as a one-color-fit all response. There are a lot of internet resources that discuss skin tone and appropriate color choices.

Other 'togs can step in but I disagree about photographers being worth their salt by PhotoShopping everything. Photographers who know how to shoot, know their lighting and shoot subjects who know how to do apply their makeup need to rely less on PhotoShop.

Other recommendations about bringing a friend and researching/practicing poses I concur with, too.

Hmmmm...really? Since I'm offering the model-not-photographer point of view, I'd love to hear some other photographers chime in on the Great PhotoShop debate ..g.:

I've always thought PhotoShop was to photography what editing is to journalism: i.e. any responsible editor's job is not to rewrite a piece, but he also wouldn't publish it in the New York Times without proofreading and making minute adjustments as needed.

Granted, a smoother makeup application and proper lighting cut back on the post work immensely and make everything turn out sooooooo much nicer, most photographers I know (even the most technical, "old-school" guys) use a modest amount of PS for subtle editing/adjustment of colors, textures, skin tones, and correcting minor errors. The "sharpen" tool is valuable just for making our bling look even blingier ..g.:

I'd have to agree that it's bad practice for a photog to rely strictly on PhotoShop, especially when the skin starts taking on that inorganic, way too smooth, X-ray kinda glow! Or when they PhotoShop you to look bustier, younger, thinner, or whatever - but to be realistic, that only happens in a slim minority of cases outside of Cosmo and Maxim. It's usually used much more conservatively. But some photographers seem to think that they're taking some sort of stand by not editing their work, and in more cases than not, their pictures just look raw. And some people explicitly tell their photogs "Don't photoshop me!" And they ask me why something's "off" about their pics.

As always, all things (PS included) in moderation. That's all I've got to rant and rave about today ..g.:

*off soapbox*

P.S. - Now I'm intrigued to order your DVD, Yodazhia! It sounds like you've covered a lot of my Q's, too ..g.:

I am not a photographer, however both of my parents work professionally as photographers, so I get to do assistant work. Yay!

A good photographer will need to use photoshop either minimally or not at all. If photoshop is what is needed to make the photo look good, then it probably wasn't a very good photo to begin with.
I generally have my dance pictures only minimally edited post production, to clean up any strange looking details.

i'm not a photographer either. my boyfriend is. i attached a photo he took of me that has not been photoshop-ed at all.

sure some photoshop has to be done sometimes like you can play around with the lighting the contrast and to clean up something that shouldn't be in the pictures. but now because there're so many tools, some people simply click click click whatever and then go home and spends days to change the pictures.

sure if you're doing for a magazine possibly you have to photoshop the models to certain requirement but personally, since all pictures boyfriend took of me is for fun only or to sell a costume, i prefer my face and body not to be changed because yes, even tho i put on loads of makeup, sucked in tummy and arched my back so much it hurt in order to look thin, that's still me.

if you already have a great photo, any photoshop would probably make it stunning. whereas some photographers who take just so so photos and make them good by huge amount of photoshops.

so i'm just saying beware of lousy photographers. sometimes i see photos posted that are just so average and not look like it's taken by a professional and i can tell the models can look so much better with better lighting and if the photographer would just guide them regarding postures and expression better. it's like it's important to get a good dance teacher, getting a good photographer is equally important.

Originally Posted by wingaki

if you already have a great photo, any photoshop would probably make it stunning. whereas some photographers who take just so so photos and make them good by huge amount of photoshops.

That's exactly what I'm getting at, but wasn't eloquent enough to say early in the morning, with no coffee ..g.:

Sometimes, it's a minor tune-up of color or texture that can make a world of difference. Especially when you're blinged out to the max and want all of your rhinestones and beads to really POP! I have a couple of examples of pics that my boyfriend ran through PS strictly for the purpose of enhancing the shine of a fabric or clarifying the detail of beads and crystals - the difference is small but monumental.

Having a photographer for a boyfriend is fun, isn't it?

And P.S. - you're so stunning!!!

Totally reccomend Azhia's DVD! Invaluable advice on that bad boy!

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Having a photographer for a boyfriend is fun, isn't it?

mmmm..... not really... yes and no. i love the end products but he's so strict with me. he's nice with everyone else but he expects me to deliver like professional models so it's never fun because i'm not pro and and i hate being photographed. i feel there's a dark cloud above my head everytime he says let's take some pic of you!

Originally Posted by DancingRuya

Any tips regarding that or if I do turn up a bit puffy any poses that'll minimize it?

Angling your body at 3/4 to the camera is slimming, or try this trick to narrow your waist: turn your hips side-on to the camera but your shoulders straight-on.

As for Photoshop, I agree with those who say it's preferable to do as much in-camera as possible, with lighting and makeup, and rely on PS only for perfecting the shot.

I hope you have a great time!

Originally Posted by Nepenthe

Photographers have to do a lot of extra work in photoshop to smooth skin - better to get as much done in pre-processing (i.e. when the photo is taken) as possible. The less work they have to do, the less money you'll spend. Some photographers charge one cost for raw, untouched images - and another charge for each one they have to retouch.

I totally forget that not everyone is married to a professional photographer who does all their shoots and photo shopping for free. ..l;,

Originally Posted by stardancer

I totally forget that not everyone is married to a professional photographer who does all their shoots and photo shopping for free. ..l;,

LMAO ..l;,

My boyfriend Stacy knows I'm only dating him for his camera and his superior command of the liquify tool.

KIDDING.

But if a model and a photographer can't have ridiculous amounts of fun as a couple, then I don't know who can!