Beauty photography image analysis

Karin Berndl

I will start my image analysis with a more natural looking shot.

The shot is shot with one beauty dish at an above the model and at an angle to which is providing slight shadows down the right hand side and under the nose.

The retouching is very natural looking as the lighting is quite even so there are no harsh shines on the models skin, only on the models nails.

Texture is visible on the skin and the wrinkles around the eye and on the fingers.

The lighting for this shot is soft but atmospheric. There is a light above the models face which is facing towards her. The shadows are relatively dark so there is probably a black reflector underneath her face also.

The shine on the models cheek bone is white which adds a shimmer to the models skin and facial hair and texture is very visible.

This will have been done using layer masks on photoshop. In my own experience the texture is achieved by creating a duplicate layer of the image, one layer should be surface blurred to where the skin is blurred but the facial features are still visible. The second layer is then converted to high pass in hard light mode, and the opacity of the layers is adjusted accordingly. 

This is a more extreme example of retouching. The skin texture is very noticeable in the white shine on the models face and in the shadow too. The skin texture can be seen in the shine from the light directly above the model on her forehead. I personally think this is too crisp and makes her neck look strange which is slightly out of focus with no texture visible. I also think it makes her skin look bumpy, not smooth like it should in beauty photography.

Here is an example of really extreme editing. This type of retouching does not make the image look unusual as it is a cropped shot of just one facial feature. The lips are lit from above. I can tell this from the slight nose shadow visible at the top of the image and the bright white gleam in the middle of the lower lip. I find the other white gleam on the top lip and very lower rim on the lower lip quite baffling. I cannot tell if they are edited in for a glossy effect or if they are from another light source. The very small star like gleams in the middle of the lower lip have been retouched in for a shimmer effect. The texture on the skin around the lips is believable.

I think the second analysed image is more appropriate to my project work at the moment as I want my models skin to look flawless but believable. The skin also looks quite matte which is a bonus effect.

Image 1 and 2's editing would apply well to portraits where as image 3 and 4, are quite specific to beauty photography where everything has to be emphasised and flawless in order to sell the product.

Lecture notes

Today we had a lecture from a woman who works at Sandra Reynolds. As I've never booked one of their models before it was great to come out of the lecture with a clear understanding of the process. In the past I was unaware that we had to create images that not only fit our specifications but fits theirs too. I don't think alot of people on the course knew this either.

Low Key Lighting

1. One light to the side of the subject with a reflector on the opposite side filling in the shadows slightly. Must be careful with the light hitting the backdrop with this lighting set up. If the reflector is moved slightly the Rembrandt lighting technique can be achieved.

2. "Butterfly lighting". Just one softbox high above the subject. A reflector can be placed below the models chin to fill in the shadows if desired.

3. A softbox high above the subject with a light behind them to create a rim of light around the subject.

4. A variation of 3, changin the softbox to a simple reflector for a darker image.

5. Rembrandt lighting with back lighting.

Lecture Notes

The lecture last week was given by previous NUA students. I actually really enjoyed hearing about the things they have got up to after university. I think it has given myself and the other 3rd years a bit of hope and direction to go in after we graduate.

I particularly liked viewing the work of Denisa Ilie - http://www.denisailie.com/ as it was mainly fashion portrait based. I think I would enjoy assisting Denisa as she seems very friendly and knows what its like to be a student so I may approach her in the future.

Research Task 0.2

10 practitioners that are relevant to my area of research.

Neil Krug

This image is full of colour and life but there is a chaotic negativity to it. The models facial expressions look bored and a little bit intimidated. The actual image has been overlayed with another image which is where the relevant element of manipulation/editing comes into it.

Andres De Lara

The shot is black and white without any colour yet it still has a hugely heightened atmosphere to it. The lighting in the shot is an example of the kind of lighting I would like to achieve moving forward in my project. The harsh shadows add a real intensity to the shot.

Alex Prager

A conceptual shot quite obviously manipulated. Links in very well with an idea I have for my second shoot involving a mass of black water / negative space. The feeling of the image is one of isolation and calm which contradicts the actual content of the image as it looks like the house is drowning which of course in reality would not be a calm situation.

Matt Crump

A photographer with manipulation skills. Creates fun and unusually striking edits turning simple everyday objects into striking pastel manipulations.

Christian Girotto

An Italian retoucher who in the case of this image, works with images with gels and contrast. I really like the overall finish of this image. It looks polished and controlled and I’d really like to convey that in my own work.

Monica Chamero

A retoucher again, who has collaborated with some great photography. I like the slight green/blueish tinge to the shadows in the image which will be Monicas work. She has really played with the authority in the shot by dulling down the models surroundings and highlighting her face (which of course will be done by the photographers choice of lighting too) but overall I think the edit amplifys the feeling of authority in the shot.

Lauren Kristin

Whether this shot was edited in the darkroom, or using lenses and reflections or its been altered on photoshop the fact of the matter is that the image has been ‘manipulated’ in someway. It works really well and emphasises the dark and grungy look to the shot. The model looks quite lost amongst the texture that surrounds her. I think it might be quite interesting to play around with texture in my images.Guy Bourdin

He plays with the female shape, sometimes emphasising the curves, often drawing attention to the odd shapes and angles it can make but still produces a seductive and unusual image. I like the deep tones and rich colours in his images along with the underlying feeling of confidence and brazenness.

Mert and Marcus

A modern day Guy Bourdin using the female shape in unusually complimentary ways but sells himself through the use of dimly lit scenes with colours that explosively react off each other creating a sensual rich feeling

Research Task 0.1

Utilising the information from the Monday morning session:

• You must locate at least one article relevant to the area you are looking at from each of: Book/Monograph, Journal ,Online Source.Book: Cecil Beaton - The New York years.
Relevant because he is one of the worlds largest known fashion photographers who elaborately planned his sets which relates to my Research Report theme because he used his artistic eye to ‘manipulate’ and image into what he wanted the public to see. Not relevant to todays digital manipulation but it comes into the ethics of creating images
Journal: -Online Source : JSTOR - Digital Ethics: Computers, photographs and the manipulation of pixels.
Relevant because it has lots of information on different sides of what is right and wrong about image manipulation. Very informative.
Further reading from this task:

• Look into famous manipulated images and the repercussions of them being published. 

• Begin to plan through a spider diagram points for Research report then Google Scholar those point accordingly.

London Fashion Weekend.

Photographing London Fashion Weekend
I enjoyed this experience so much. Over the last 3 seasons I have learnt so much about photographing catwalk.
In this last session I realised that shooting at f5.6 works much better than at f3 or f4 because I have more focus control. I have purchased faster memory cards so I dont miss crutial shots and not only did this benefit me greatly during the catwalk shows but it will benefit me in personal shoots too. I’ve learnt that shooting with a 70-200mm lens works well for me as I can shoot wherever the model may be on the catwalk and again, I don't miss any shots.
I think shooting catwalk is something that I really enjoy and could happily go on to shoot in the future.

Client work.

Another trip to Cambridge.
During my last shoot day with Sarah, we shot several looks for her blog. 4 of which, I shot in a Ballet studio. It took me a little while to master the lighting in this dimly lit room, but with the help of some mirrors and my external flash I managed to get the hang of it. This shoot day was quite a learning curve for me as I was not very experienced with on camera flash at the time, and the pressure of the situation forced me to figure it out and master it in a short space of time.
I've really enjoyed working with Sarah in the past and hope to continue it in the future. As her fashion and personal taste changes, I have to change my style of photography too and I enjoy the challenge that that sets me. We have a strong working relationship and great communication skills and I always come away from a session with her feeling as though I have learnt something new.

Richard Mosse at The Photographers Gallery.

I visited several galleries on my last trip to London but the one that stood out most to me was The Photographers Gallery. Shamefully it was the first time I had ever visited the place but I can safely say it will not be the last.
Seeing one of my favoured photographers work taller than the average human being was incredible. The images have a much stronger impact at that scale than what they do in a book or on a screen. The colours are much richer and the depth of the images take on a whole new meaning and feeling at that scale. The beautiful destruction behind the photographs really became real in that room. It was quite refreshing being able to see every single detail in the background of the landscape shots and also quite baffling when attempting to pick out flaws in the editing and print and not being able to. 

London Graduate Fashion Week!

London Graduate Fashion Week was such a great experience. Seeing my work 2/3metres high with so many people looking at it was such a rush of both excitement and motivation. Sadly the only thing that ruined the day was that despite being promised, the three NUA photographers were not credited below each image like we were told we would be. It was great to shoot in such a well lit environment as it minimised my work after the shoot.

NUA Graduate Fashion Show

Shooting NUA Graduate fashion show was a huge eye opener. I was so impressed by the standard of talent that the university was producing. I found the event extremely beneficial as I am now in touch with a lot of the designers from the show. Alot of my images will be used in their personal portfolios and now I have contacts to work with in the future! I shot both the rehearsal run through and the evening show and I was really happy that I shot both shows because it gave me time to work around the dim lighting issue by the evening show, which was of course the only show that mattered.
3 of my images have been chosen by the NUA Marketing team and will be exhibited at London Graduate Fashion week where I will also be allowed to photograph the NUA show from the press pit.

Reflective Journal

I will be using this blog as a Reflective Journal for my professional practice. I will journal university tasks, evaluations, my freelance work on the side as well as many other things that form a part of my growth as a practitioner.