Beauty Photography | Pastel | Part 2

I recently got a comment on one of my photos on Instagram from a fellow photographer saying that he wished all of his models were able to do this.

This was the very strong expression on the model’s face. And I couldn’t agree more with him. What makes a good model to me is her ability to give, better than follow direction, to fit in a role. Do we expect her to be bold and defiant or sassy and fresh ?

Here for this pastel theme shoot, I wanted Kristina, the model, to embody grace, delicateness, fragility and innocence. Her features are perfect for this notion. The makeup and hand poses were all supporting the story. Yet ultimately it’s her expression that brought it all together.

And to be honest there’s a lot of satisfaction seeing the story emerge from a collective effort, where everyone brings their talent to make the narrative come to life.

This is the second part of the Pastel theme shoot. View part 1 here.

Creative team

Model Kristina at FiveTwenty Model Management

Hair & Makeup @NicholeLee

Photography @VivianePerenyi

Beauty Photography | Pastel | Part 1

Before I share with you the outcomes from the pastel theme shoot we did recently, here’s the first part with a clean skincare look. Aligned with the main theme of the shoot, beauty here is depicted in a soft and ethereal way.

The skincare look is very different from the one shared a few posts back. This time, it’s all about the porcelain complexion and that ‘classic’ skincare visual.

Here are the combination of elements that helped achieve that specific look.

• The model: Kristina was selected for her facial features that were naturally suited for this look. She embodies delicateness, which makes her the perfect match.

• The look: Hair and makeup are kept simple, subtle yet refined to enhance her features.

• The lighting. I was not looking at creating any highlights here, rather an even, soft and flattering light. So here I used the softbox with a double diffusion and I filled shadows by placing white flags under her chin and on her left side.

• The edit: The colour balance was corrected to give the images a slightly cooler feel and reinforce the diaphanous skin.

Stay tuned for the second part of this shoot, coming soon.

Creative team

Model Kristina at FiveTwenty Model Management

Hair & Makeup @NicholeLee

Photography @VivianePerenyi

Beauty Photography | Natural Glam

After the skincare look, we shot two other different looks. Here’s the final one, the natural glam makeup look.

You’ll notice the change of lighting. No more hard light. The lighting setup is my usual one: one light bounced into a deep octabox and a white flag under Lili’s face to fill the shadows. This setup helps get the nice highlights on the cheeks, chin and forehead. It works so well for this look that’s all about dewy skin.

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 | Alisa

A beauty story with an edge.

After playing with sunlight and a warm natural look in the first part of this shoot, we continued with a very different look.

Here the sun light has been diffused through the translucent white diffusion panel of a collapsible reflector and a white panel placed under Alisa’s face to bounce back the light and fill in the shadow. The light is soft and even. While it’s a flattering light, it does not add much to the story. What make the visual result interesting are:

• The look

Slick back hair, bold makeup and strong expressions result in a totally novel narrative. This time it’s all about the bold and fierce woman.

• The expression

As a photographer, I do appreciate the versatility of a model. And Alisa seamlessly moved from the beach girl’s natural beauty to a sophisticated and edgy woman. I gave her few directions and she brought these strong facial expressions so aligned with the look.

• The edit

The black and white edit removes all colour distraction and creates contrast within the image. As a result the focus remains on the bold expressions and look.

Creative team:

Model @AlisaPensola

Hair and makeup @nicholeleemakeup

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