Sep 22, 2010

RayCroftArt Photography for a wedding i did

So as i mentioned a couple of days ago... this has been a very busy summer! And this is large in part to a lot of weddings! My wedding season is letting up until the middle of november (which i'm not complaining about!) but i still have so many weddings i never even posted pictures of! Its a shame really!

Ok, so here's a recent one i did and i am just really wow'ed by the photographer. RayCroftArt is a husband and wife team that specialize in weddings, senior and family portraits. I really love the personality they capture in their pictures as well as the vivid (or not so vivid) colors. They really know how to play up the artistic content! I would love to work with this outstanding photography couple again.

Here are a few shots they posted on their blog... i have some coming from the bride, but i simply couldnt wait to show these! Not all of them really show much by way of makeup but the photos are just too cool not to share!
I will mention a bit about the makeup since this is a good shot for it...
As with all my brides, I started with my Dinair Airbrush makeup kit and since it was going to be a long and hot day (it's august in aouth carolina people!) i opted for the Camouflage formulation which is a 24 hour wear and waterproof!
Ann wanted to be glamourous and really wanted to play up her eyes but still didnt want to look overdone. This is a common request from brides. No one wants to be recognized just for their makeup on their wedding day! We did a bit of a smokey eye without being done up too much and used a neutral blush... enough to accentuate her cheekbones but not so much that it stole focus. I did add a pair of 747xs lashes (my fav) and gave her a nice berry lipcolor.

I also did all the bridesmaids makeup. :D

Below are just some more fun photos to show off this awesome photog pair's work!




Thats all for now... I'm going to work on getting more photos from wedding this past summer and will keep updating as i can!

and i know, i know... i'll work on some more tutorials soon!

Sep 21, 2010

Fashion Shoot with Brett Marler and Emily!

This past weekend I had the priviledge of working with a photographer from Atlanta named Brett Marler. He is a great photographer and had some really fun ideas to do with our muse, Emily.
Now I have worked with Emily many times this summer as she really works on her modeling porfolio and she is just as sweet as can be! You wouldnt believe the legs on this girl and her devotion to learning about the modeling world!

Ok... i've gotten off track. Back to the shoot... the shoot is what I would label as a Portfolio Builder shoot. And i LOVE working on Portfolio building shoots! What happens in a shoot like this is that the model will be dressed in very different outfits. The overall goal is to get numerous different looks for her portfolio or look book or possibly even develop a new comp/zed card.
Where this is fun for me is that I get to help the model achieve those very different looks. I do not want the model to simply look like she changed her clothes. What fun is that? I like to really vary her styling from makeup to hair, but you cant wash it all off each time... so this type of shoot must be PLANNED to be successful.

First I talk with the stylist or photographer (and model if she is planning her own wardrobe) about the looks that will be shot. Then I help to plan their order and how i can adjust her makeup and hair with each look. Having it planned out also helps the shoot to speed along. You dont want to spend 30 minutes with every change. That is only going to cause the flow of the shoot to slow down.

With Brett we discussed the outfits right down to the accessories. It was great to have a photog know exactly what he was shooting. Often times, that only happens when there is a stylist involved. Then i planned the hair and makeup and sent it to him for approval. Things may change of course, and you need to go with the flow, but this greatly helped me make sure i had everything mapped out for the shoot.

Here is look 1...
Her makeup was kept clean and simple. For a shoot with lots of looks, this is the best thing to do first. If the model does any acting, this would be where you would do an actor's headshot. I did of course cover any blemishes, etc and do a bit of contour around the eyes to make sure they were seem. Liner was kept to a minimum, but i did use a bit of shadow to help inhance her eye shape. Blush used was just a sheer peach tone to make her naturally flushed.
Her hair was a bit more fun. I made 2 side ponies and then wrapped her hair inwards and secured with large bobbi pins. You dont want to use TOO much hairspray because remember, you will be changing the look shortly.

Look 2...

This look i think was my favorite of the 5 (actually, the next look which i dont have a photo of yet was very similar with only a hair change and lip color change).
Makeup I added a bronze smokey eye using the Too Faced Natural Eye palette. I dusted a light highlight powder on her cheeks. I wanted to leave the color, but give her higher cheekbones for a slightly edgier look. Lip color was changed to a very pale/blend into the skin tone (i used Myth from MAC).
Hair - super easy! Pulled back into a moderately high pony and fluffed a bit. Added a wooden headband. The focus was on her face. :D

Look 4
Now we started to play a little more with wardrobe and makeup. I actually used a very bright purple liner and a purple shadow to smoke out her eyes just a bit. We ended up playing with the glasses a bit more so you dont see the eyemakeup as much (totally fine, it happens!) There may be a shot or 2 in there that shows more of the makeup, but i havent seen them all yet. ;)
I changed the lip color again to a brighter cool pink (scandal by Too Faced) and added a touch of a pinker blush to her cheeks.
Hair again, pretty easy, just taken down and tousled.

Look 5
are you ready for this...
Ok, last look of the day is always going to be the most extreme. It doesnt always have to be THIS extreme, but it was the reason i was called to the shoot. :D
Now the above image isnt super sharp as it wasnt meant to be a close up but i cant explain the makeup very well in a shot too far away ;)
Since the outfit was um, bright, we went with a lot of bright colors! For her eyes, i used a Kryolan Cake Liner in purple (this was actually just left on from the previous look) and then i extended it for this look and also used a MAC shadow in leisuretime. I used MAC paintsticks in genuine orange and true chartreuse to extend beyond the eye and add a lot of popping color. A black liner (also a kryolan cake liner) was added on top to break up the color a bit and extend the lashes. False lashes (Creme 507) were added on top. her cheeks i used a brighter pink by Trish McEvoy (sorry i cant recall the color name). her lips were fun as well... i used the genuine orange paint stick on her lower lip and a bright pink lipstick on her upper lip.
Her hair... well as you might guess, i just tease the snot out of it. :D And used a lot of hairspray.

So thats what i call a Portfolio Builder shoot! If you are interested in booking me for a portfolio builder shoot, contact me for rates.

Quick Update... more posts to follow

Holy cow i've taken a break from this blog! It doesnt mean i havent been working though! In fact, i've been working a LOT! With my boys out of school for the summer, my husband working much more in the summer and then a lot of weddings and events... i took a step back from blogging about things and just focused on running my businesses and family life. BUT, now that the fall is here, which is always a very welcome time in my life, the boys in school and my hubby at home a little more, I am planning on being MUCH better about updating this blog. So stay tuned! Lots of fun stuff to follow and i'll do my best to update you with some photos of work from the sumer!