Beauty Photography | 80's Glam

Drafting this post led me to reflect on what guides my creative choices. How I came to do this shoot and chose this look over endless other options.

My conclusion is that the selection is right at the intersection of three elements:

• The inspiration, most of the time a visual that triggers the initial idea.

• The model, much like a canvas for the concept. I like to believe the model is the right fit and will wear the look so well, that it’s not only visually pleasing, but credible and can spark emotion in the viewer.

• The personal spin, made of my experiences, knowledge, tastes and views, like a layer that wraps around the other elements.

I had been in touch with Luisa for some time before the shoot came to be. The decisive time was when I could picture her in that look. Like a story unfolding in my mind. And you might agree that Luisa totally rocked in a blazer, with winged eyes and a bold curly hairstyle inspired by the 80’s glam.

View the first part of the shoot here.

Creative team model: Luisa Mariano | Hair & makeup: Nichole Lee | Photographer: Viviane Perenyi

Beauty Photography | On Perseverance

I had this idea for a long while of adding variety in my body of work. As a starting point I wanted to show mature skin models in my beauty work. The main trigger being an image I initially saw online that truly inspired me, opening my mind to the possibility.

As simple as it may sound, the truth is, I had to overcome my own fear to start this project. I doubted myself and my capacity to translate what I had in mind. So it took me some time to finally kick start the project. And to put my determination to the test, I stumbled upon a series of minor setbacks while organising this shoot. The kind that makes you doubt if you’re doing the right thing. The ultimate one being on the day of the shoot when my camera started to malfunction and the shoot prematurely had to come to a halt.

At this point, I have to say that the team on set was just amazing and so supportive. Its spirit made all the difference and helped me look at this experience from a different perspective.

I am grateful I got a chance to meet and work with these lovely ladies and how we managed to get these shots that are the start of something new…

Creative team:

Model: Penelope S. at Silverfox Management

HMUA: Ana Costa

Photographer Viviane Perenyi

Beauty | Au Naturel | Motion

As mentioned in the previous post, besides the stills, I also made a video. The same relaxed vibe with a natural look, but in motion.

Motion is something that’s on my list for a long while and that I never seemed to make room for. It’s a humble beginning, but a medium I definitely want to explore more from now on. It has triggered a lot of new ideas that I can’t wait to bring to life.

Creative team model: Luisa Mariano Hair & makeup: Nichole Lee Photographer: Viviane Perenyi

Beauty Photography | Au Naturel

On a regular basis, I like to evaluate where I need to expand or develop my body of work.

At the beginning when I did beauty shoots, I was interested to capture the elaborate looks, the transformation ones.

These days, I still want to do the creative looks, but also give more place to the natural ones. You may remember this one or that one. And as simple as it may sound, there are so many ways to capture and portray natural beauty.

This time I wanted to approach the au naturel concept differently and pepper this notion in the look, the lighting and overall feel.

• The amazing Luisa effortlessly embodies natural beauty and is the ideal canvas for this concept. Her features barely need to be enhanced to be appreciated.

• I took advantage of the natural light racking in the background to incorporate it in the shots. It adds an interesting visual element and reinforces the natural concept.

• The pose once more supports the idea. It deliberately reflects a cool and chill attitude. The one you may have when you are simply yourself.

Sharing in a coming post, the very same look in motion this time. Stay tuned !

Creative team model: Luisa Mariano Hair & makeup: Nichole Lee Photographer: Viviane Perenyi

Beauty Photography | Natural Skin

I recently wanted to shoot a skincare look and here are some of the results from the beauty shoot. I knew that I wanted to steer away from the traditional or conventional imagery that tends to be very polished and meticulously posed. After a quick chat with Nichole -makeup artist- I decided to showcase the bare beauty with a fresh, spontaneous almost candid perspective.

Here are the elements that helped me translate this concept.

• The look

The skincare shot usually features a model with hair neatly pulled back, in a slicked back style or a variation of it. I wanted to keep the look more relaxed and casual and we opted for this updo that looks natural. In the same way, the bare beauty of the skin is highlighted with a no-makeup makeup look.

• The expression

A strong facial expression -as seen here- can add interest to an image. Here, I wanted to experiment with expressive poses that add energy.

After we warmed up, shooting usual poses, I directed Lili to give me playful expressions. I allowed her to be as expressive as she wanted. I was looking for genuine and youthful expressions that would communicate spontaneity and being comfortable in your own skin.

• The lighting

Skincare imagery is often shot with soft, flattering and even light. Here I intentionally shot with a direct light, simulating an outdoor situation and as if under the sun. Because there’s nothing to hide under the sun. All to convey this notion of carefree and real.

Coming next, the second look from the same shoot: Natural glam. Stay tuned.

Creative team

Model @LiliFord at Chadwick Models

Hair & Makeup @NicholeLee

Photography @VivianePerenyi

Beauty | Summer Glow

Today’s story is an exploration of that free spirit and summer feel by the seaside when the warm light kisses the bare skin. If you start to see a recurrent theme in those beauty stories of mine, I do too. I guess this Sydney-way-of-life is slowly but surely sinking in.

Here’s a simple deconstruction of how I built this visual narrative.

• The light. As a photographer the light is the first way I think to craft a visual story. Because the light is what brings an atmosphere and what draws the viewer’s attention. Here it’s a play with the natural morning light: direct (third photo) and diffused and the use of a reflector (gold side) to bounce back warm light and fill in the shadows.

  It would have made sense to shoot this at the beach, but personal constraints came into play and we ended up shooting this in an urban park. Would you guess ?

• The look. Alisa, the model here, is the perfect beach babe who naturally matches the theme. Her look is just lightly enhanced to let her raw beauty shine through. In the third and last frames, her pose and the way her bang is pulled back give the illusion of the sea breeze blowing on her face.

• The props. Sometimes it’s the small detail that makes the difference. And the shell here helps to reinforce the concept. It acts as a visual clue, gives a sense of place and brings playfulness in the frame.

Of course there’s more that come into play, but those three elements woven together build the core of this visual story.

Stay tuned for a radically different look, yet from the same shoot in a coming post.

Creative team

Model Alisa Pensola | Hair and makeup Nichole Lee | Photographer Viviane Perenyi

Beauty | By the Pool | Part 3

For the third and last interpretation of the concept ‘by the pool ’, we leave behind the indoor pool.

This time the scene takes place outside, on the private pool deck of a luxurious villa. The subject is leisurely sunbathing on a long chair. Effortless and chic, her natural beauty is highlighted by the warm sunlight, the water reflection and her silky hair flowing.

In reality the set-up was far less glamour. Useless to say that there was no pool in sight as it was all shot in my small living room. And to achieve this kind of lighting I asked Mia to lie down under a large transparent container filled with water. The light was directly pointing to her face filtered through the water swayed by Nichole.

Things are not always as they seem, but I love creating stories.

For the whole editorial story that interprets the theme by the pool you can view Part 1 and part 2

Creative team Model: Mia Brooks | HMUA: Nichole Lee | Photography @VivianePerenyi

Beauty | By the Pool | Part 2

Click through to see part 1 of this series.

For the second interpretation of the ‘by the pool’ concept, the subject is the girl next door who just came out of the swimmingpool after a lap or two. She’s heading to the changing room with her hair and skin wet and her natural beauty barely enhanced.

This series was part of the editorial publication Dreamingless | Issue 49

Creative team Model: Mia Brooks | HMUA: Nichole Lee | Photographer Viviane Perenyi

Beauty | By the Pool | Part 1

These beauty shots were part of an editorial feature and a series on the theme swimming pool.

Inspiration

Initially inspired by an image while creating a mood board, the theme sparked different stories in my mind. Each narrative with a corresponding look:

• Athletic

• Casual (part 2)

• Chic (part 3)

Synopsis

For this athletic look, we are at the edge of the pool, the competitive swimmer is getting ready, warming up, focused and determine to win. And in the last shot, the competition is over, the athlete has triumphed.

Messsage

It’s a combination of different elements that helped convey the message of strength and fierceness:

• The use of relevant props -swim cap and goggles- essential for the competitive context.

• The choice of make up with bold lipstick -because it’s a beauty story after all.

• The lighting -clamshell setup- to draw attention to details like the water drops on the skin and sculpt the cheekbones.

• The black and white edit that remove distraction and bring focus.

Coming soon: Part 2 of the series with a different interpretation of the theme and a casual look.

Editorial work published in Dreamingless magazine | Issue 49.

Thanks to the team: Model Mia Brooks and HMUA Nichole Lee

Beauty | Rocci

Here’s one more look that was part of this editorial feature.  The light this time creates a dramatic look and emphasises facial expression and beauty of the bare skin.

While these were outtakes, I like how strong yet simple they are.

Thanks to Rocci for lending her beautiful face and Nichole for the mise-en-beauté skill.

Beauty | In a Blur

Or when one thing leads to another. I was drafting a different post about another beauty shoot when I was reminded about these photos of Mahalia with a sparkling makeup done by Nichole.

This collaborative shoot was done towards the end of last year and the outcome was the crisp images that are included in the animation at the end of the post.

The idea to add a motion blur effect in Photoshop on these close up shots now, was directly inspired by the glittery look. A little twist to my usual approach to image editing, yet the motion blur effect works well here, don’t you think ?

Model: Mahalia

MUA: Nichole Lee

Beauty | Webitorial

I was introduced to beauty photography after collaborating several times with makeup artist Nichole Lee. My main body of work was food and still-life then. As I wanted to broaden my photographic work and challenge myself, I initiated some creative portrait shoots. Those helped me getting acquainted to photograph people. 

And from there we started to shoot beauty. I had no idea what I was stepping into and it’s been a learning curve specially with retouching. I kept at it and have developed now a body of work I like and want to grow.

This is one of the first beauty shoots we did. The face of the model, Georgia, was so fitting for the different looks developed around the theme: Warm | Glowing | Dreamy.

The warmth was a constant through all the looks with natural, earthy tones. Glowing was interpreted as a subtle luminous and radiant look throughout. And dreamy was created with the use and play of a veil and bubbles on some of the looks.

Some of these shots have been featured online on Fen Hong Se magazine.

Model: Georgia Farthing HMU: Nichole Lee