HAIR STYLISTS, MAKE-UP ARTISTS / SUPPORT SERVICES

HAIR STYLISTS – MAKE UP ARTISTS

Make-up

If a shoot has a budget for a make-up artist and a good one is available then we just sit back and let him do his magic. But on a shoot without a budget for a make-up artist or in some smaller towns where one is not available, it may well fall upon the model to do her own make-up. Even when you have a make-up artist it is necessary that you know of any corrective make-up you may need.

For learning make-up there are some great books available. You may also find theatrical make-up classes taught at some community college. The cosmetologist at the local department store may be fine giving some pointers for your street make-up, but make-up for photography can be quite different. This is especially true for B&W photos. A big part of learning make-up is just trying it in front of a mirror. Study something in a book or magazine then try it in front of a mirror. Eventually, you have to get in front of the camera with your make up on and see how it looks.

Make-up for black and white photography gets weird. Color no longer matters. It is only the lightness and darkness that matters. I guess it is a kind of a gothic thing. It takes some getting used to. You must ignore the color and only see the make-up in terms of black, white and grays.

Hair Styling

Being able to do things with your hair can be a great help when photographing. Of course it is great when you have a professional hair stylist who can do some fabulous looks and keep every hair in place, but there may not be a budget for a hair stylist. So again it may fall to the model to be able to do her own hair. Shoulder length hair is the most versatile, you can put it up, pull it back, comb it to one side, fluff it, curl it, or just leave it natural. Short hair locks you into one look, end of story. Long hair can be fun to work with but not quite as flexible. Being able to restyle your hair can be very helpful on a shoot. You can check various magazines to see what they are doing and practice in a mirror. For most modeling purposes you don't need to be incredibly creative with your hair - just so you can redo it to offer several different looks

The following list will introduce you to professionals who belong to the ever growing community of those who will assist with Make-Up and Hair Styling.