Tips and Tricks: How to Build the Best Portfolio for your Makeup Career
The first (and maybe one of the most important!) things to remember:
Makeup in real life looks completely different than in the photo. In a photo, images can be professionally edited by photographers you collaborate with, to help further establish your vision and artistry in the makeup application. The makeup artist's portfolio should demonstrate your unique style and passion as an artist - providing different images based on who and what you are presenting for. It should reflect the technical features in which you succeeded, as well as the simple skills that you mastered. You must also show your flexibility to the client so that they want to invite you to various projects in the future.
What needs to be done to present your portfolio at a high professional level? First of all, you must invest in high quality photography. In this blog we will talk about how to take photos for a portfolio correctly, and how to expand on your artistry to create a solid set of imagery that translates your artistry!
Here are some tips and tricks on creating an excellent starter portfolio that you can continue to build upon as you gain your professional experience!
Preparing for your shoot:
Research a photographer; find a photographer who is also looking for collaboration and most importantly a photographer that creates clear and beautiful beauty based imagery that resonates with your style - if you like their work, it will be an effortless collaboration! Finding a photographer that is also looking to expand their portfolio work (this is usually called TFP “time for prints”, where no one gets paid - but everyone benefits to improve their portfolio). You can consider in investing in a photographer if there is a professional whose work you can’t dream about not using in your imagery - however it is best if your first experience on set is one that is a mutual collaboration, as this will provide a learning experience and beneficial material for all, with the most minimal cost investment.
Contact modeling agencies and find out if some of them are interested in test makeup (this is something a photographer may have to do, the photographer will likely have relationships already with these agencies as well). Other options are searching through websites such as modelmayhem.com and networking online. Test makeup means that a model, photographer, hairstylist and makeup artist create together for free a look that will then be photographed and all participants will receive the imagery. Payment for test makeup will be a photograph that you can include in your portfolio. This is also a great opportunity to work in a team during photography – a good experience since in the future collaboration with team members will become an integral part of your career, if editorial and/or fashion makeup is what you are looking to achieve.
Choosing a studio - Not every photographer has their own room for shooting, so it is better to choose an already proven studio, if the photographer does not already have one in mind. Make sure that the walls are not too bright. It is better that a special studio background for photography be pulled (this is traditionally called a “seamless” and can come in a variation of colors for the photoshoot, though the most traditional is a weight or neutral tone). You need to choose a background that will complement the frame, and not conflict with the image of the model. For beauty shooting a more closed aperture is considered the best. The value of F/8 or F/9 is quite enough, while the shutter speed is about 1/160. With these settings, the work of the makeup artist will be visible. If it is too open, all the details will be smeared and there will be no image clarity. Your photographer should have experience in the best shooting conditions, but it is always good for you to have knowledge so you can express how you would like your makeup to appear for your photographer to translate. For drawing light, it’s better to choose an octobox. It allows you to create soft shadows, emphasizes the texture and makes the background a gradient. But the portrait plate will create a harsher light. The light drawer must be placed in front of the model on a stand. For starters, one source and reflectors are enough. Colored nozzles will make the light more interesting. The color of this nozzle should be combined with the tone of makeup. Everyone has dark circles under the eyes, which, like sweat, become too noticeable in the photographs. Although you do not need to remove them completely, you must make sure that they do not stand out more than the cosmetics themselves, and do not attract the attention of the viewer. You can hide the dark circles using a generous amount of concealer, but this can make the face of your model unnatural. The best alternative is to use a reflector. When using the reflector at a right angle, the face of the model will be well lit, this will remove shadows and make the eyes sparkle. Most reflectors come in a variety of colors, such as gold or silver, to give your photos a specific shade. The makeup of your model will slowly fade during the photoshoot. All these details will be visible in closeups. To make your model look fresh throughout the shoot, take regular breaks and quickly refresh it. Photo processing is a serious matter, but remember, you should never use filters! Photo processing should give exceptional image quality, but not a false makeup appearance.
Tips to always ask your photographer prior to the shoot:
Be sure to find out when the photos will be ready – have the photographer commit to a date so you can be sure to know when to expect your imagery!
Tips for building your portfolio and applying makeup on set:
A general rule should be that your portfolio includes approximately 15 high-quality images, however this is not a set rule - in many cases “less is more” and always only select your best work that is applicable for the task at hand. Many artists will have different portfolios that they show depending on the job request. This initial portfolio will become the backbone in kickstarting your career - but will likely not remain in your portfolio forever. Your portfolio is always growing, and as soon as you get a paid job, you can include in the portfolio pages of magazines, covers, television commercials etc.
Makeup that you will be applying on a photoshoot does vary than makeup for traditional clients in person. Here the brightness of colors and textures are of particular importance, since lighting equipment often “eats” the contrast in the makeup, making it calm and consistent.
When working with the photographer, always ask to see how the image appears on camera - a “test shot” prior to the photoshoot, so you can confirm that you like the makeup.
The camera is very sensitive to skin imperfections, therefore it is necessary to even out the overall tone of the face. Depending on the look you are trying to achieve, mattifying products are preferred (but make sure the skin does not look too dry). It is also preferable to use dry corrections, they look much more advantageous, giving the skin a velvety texture. A little bronzing powder with a slight shine can be applied to the neckline and shoulders, which will give the skin brightness.
For the eye area, it is important to choose products of a light texture, because a dense corrector can highlight wrinkles under the eyes. Pay attention to the correction of the shape of the face, because due to the bright light sources used at photoshoots, the face of the model could appear to look flat. Eyeshadows should be applied a little brighter than usual, but blending should be flawless and symmetrical. At least three colors should be chosen so that the eyes do not appear flat in the picture. It is advisable to use shadows matte or with satin gloss, in the photo they will look brighter than shadows with shiny particles.
Emphasizing the contour of the eyelids with a pencil and shading it, you will create a soft smoky effect that does not allow your eyes to disappear in the photo.
For a photoshoot it is very convenient to use false eyelashes. Do not be afraid that they will look unnatural: the main thing is to choose the right length and gently brush natural eyelashes under the false with a brush, and make sure that the glue is never visible!
After the photoshoot, look at the photos on the computer. Look carefully at the settings of the head and shoulders, if they fall into the frame, unnaturalness in the portfolio is not needed. Pay attention to whether the shadow from the nose of the shape has distorted, or if some other shapes have spoiled the shadow. Pay attention to the folds of the skin (neck in a bend, for example) and many other little things. Choose the best work - and then select from them only one – the most spectacular, where the makeup is presented in all its beauty, where the model is good and relaxed, in an interesting presentation, where the light and shadows are magnificent.
This is how photographs are taken for the makeup artist’s portfolio. For beginner makeup artists, this may seem difficult, but over time you will get used to it and you will succeed!
What to do when there is no way to use professional equipment? You can take good pictures at home on your mobile phone! Here are some tips and tricks on taking good photos of makeup using your phone.
Use a grid. The grid will help you build a symmetrical frame. Intersections of lines will tell you where it is better to position the main object.
Control the focus. If your frame has a distinct foreground and background, you can emphasize by changing the focus point. The smartphone has a built-in function that allows you to change the focus point even after the photo was taken.
Master the settings. Brightness is responsible for how the frame will be: light or dark. Contrast counts for light changes: if we increase it, the light areas become even brighter, and the dark ones become even darker. Saturation makes your colors more vibrant: most often it is used for landscape photography. Sharpness allows you to highlight details. Temperature (white balance) allows you to convey a feeling of cold or heat in the frame.
Watch the light. It should be soft daylight or artificial evenly filling the entire face, for example, as on dressing tables or ring light.
Find the right angle. The model should look at the camera from the bottom up. Such a pose will lengthen the neck and visually open the face. When taking a profile photo, let the model slightly stretch her chin: this technique will help to correct the cheeks and make the face younger. The model should not pinch their mouth and stretch their lips.
Do your makeup brighter. The camera eats up brightness, so the makeup for the photo should be richer with additional textures. If you do contouring, make it a little deeper. Eyes should not be in the shade, they should be in the light.
Learn to take a selfie. Especially now, when there is no opportunity to leave the house, we often do makeup for ourselves. If you are the one taking images of yourself, you may look to invest in a tripod and additional lighting that complements the natural light provided.
Practice more. Take 100-200-300 photos to find your best angle. And then a beauty photo will only take you a couple of seconds.
Use photo-processing apps, but don't get carried away with filters! Unnatural filters should never be used, only the smallest and most natural edits. Here are some good apps to process your photos:
The VSCO Cam is not only a photo editor, but also a shooting application. It will be especially useful for those who lead Instagram and want to process all the pictures in one style. You can save individual settings and apply them to all new photos.
Snapseed is a very intuitive and versatile photo app. The application has all the basic tools: from adjusting brightness, contrast, shadows, saturation, cropping and rotation to darken and brighten photos, spot correction, brushes and eraser as in Photoshop.
If you are a student of Online Makeup Academy you can start collecting your portfolio right during your course – send good quality photos of your homework to mentors (never send filtered photos!), and then use them for your portfolio.