EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Well, it is not like I am trying to get published, but I have recently got involved in the kind of high end beauty work that fits firmly into the editorial photography category. What is editorial photography? It is work that usually ends up accompanying some kind of text, story or magazine article. Specifically in my context, working with hair stylists and makeup artists, we would be looking at fashion and beauty magazines.
Don't expect me to be on the next cover of Vogue, I'm not even likely to end up on the back cover of the Sittingbourne gazette, it's just a style that I have been fortunate enough to get involved with.
After recently attending a fashion show, which had been arranged by a model I have worked with on more than a few occasions, in aid of the charity Mind, I found it opened up contacts in the makeup and hair styling arena. I was surprised to learn that they are often more than willing to collaborate on shoots to boost their portfolios. I was surprised because, I know photography is expensive and I'm sure many of us would like to recover costs from paid work, but makeup is expensive as well! It is also a consumable cost, I buy a camera and use it for years (some times) but applying makeup means using makeup and that leads to replacing makeup. Most of the makeup artists and hair stylists do a lot of wedding work though and this type of portfolio work is kind of their advertising budget demonstrating their skills.
The other really nice benefit, I have found, is that models, and even non-models, do like to have a nice make-over and so they are in turn happy to work on these projects on a collaborative basis - read collaborative as no money changing hands. The irony of owning a studio and consequently have little money to hire models is not lost on me! Needless to say I love collaborative shoots.
Shoot is an interesting choice of word. A lot, and I mean a lot, of time is spent from the photographers point of view, wandering around, looking out of windows, making drinks, adjust the lights for the umpteenth time, checking the window again, taking barometric pressure readings for weather reports and generally killing time. Okay, maybe I don't take too many weather readings but you get the idea. The makeup and hair styling can take a long time but I think it is so worth the wait. The other thing is you are usually only going to be photographing one look per model - after spending literally hours applying a look the same model is unlikely to get a second style done.
I have been fortunate enough to have been involved in three shoots so far and on two of these occasions we were working with a number of makeup artists, hair stylists and models so at least I was photographing three or four different models. On the other occasion I shot with a single model, makeup artist and hair stylist for one look.
I would like to thank makeup artist Kerry-ann Wells (click on the link for her website) for getting me involved in this style of photography and, when the great Corona Virus lockdown comes to an end, I know she has many more ideas and workshops in the pipeline which, I am pleased to say, she would like to involve me in and I for one cannot wait. If you are interested in getting involved in the workshops as a photographer, makeup artist, hair stylist or model let me or Kerry know.
I know a few people will have seen this from my social media posts but here is a link to a Spark story that can present the images from these fabulous shoots in a much prettier way than my website can and give a bit more insight into the setups I use.
