I love lips ! lol So I shot this with my Canon 100mm 2.8. Now of course this was retouched. NO ONE has lips like this naturally. So I lit this with a small umbrella above the model, her face was tilted up looking at the umbrella. Right below her chin I placed a 36″ white foam core board. I was standing above the model on an apple box. If you would like to see the before shot please email me.
I LOVE this shot. I strive to get into the soul of a person and bring it out in the photograph. Photography is and should be a very intimate experience. If the photographer cannot bring out the soul in the model and let it shine, then the photo is useless in my opinion. You can get the lighting, styling etc. all down perfect, but if the viewer does not connect with the eyes then you have not done your job as a photographer. I don’t care if it is a catalog shoot, an editorial or advertising job, you must connect with your subject. I shot this with my Canon 100mm Macro F/2.8 lens.
I have been asked many times what lens is best for shooting beauty. I use a Canon 100mm macro F/2.8. You can also use an 85mm however I prefer the longer lens. Anything over 100 is not necessary, it will be heavy and you need a steady hand or a tripod for beauty photography. I especially love the 100mm for outdoor beauty with the sun back lighting your model. The compression is beautiful ! This image was shot with the 100mm 2.8. It’s not a very expensive lens, around $600.
So I just shot some new beauty photos. Most photographers use a beauty dish, however they can be expensive, especially for a photographer who is just starting out. What is the solution ? This photo was shot with just one small umbrella, a small silver reflector at breast level, and a strobe hitting the background with it’s regular 7 inch reflector attached for separation. I placed the umbrella camera right about 2-3 feet above model’s eye level. Of course you need to tell the model to be aware that this is her ONLY light source so do not turn your face away from it. Any good model of course would know this. This was shot at 125th @ F/8 , 100 ISO. The make up and hair artists were standing by right next to the model ready to jump in and make tiny little adjustments to hair and make up. When shooting beauty like this, it is VERY important to pay attention to EVERY detail, thus my team was stepping in every couple of minutes or so adjusting something.
