Great fashion and glamour photographers have a great photo styling team. This article will discuss how I found my makeup/hair stylist and wardrobe stylist, and you can to.
Every image in my Fashion or People book has a team of people behind it. These people are makeup artists, hair stylists, and wardrobe stylists. My skills are in photography, lighting, posing the model, casting the model, and finally assembling the right stylists and MU artists for each shoot. Think of your role as the crew leader and general manager. I do not dictate the shoot, but rather keep us on a theme and make sure that we are all on the same page.
All the stylists and MUA I use have been found on ModelMayhem. This website is a terrific resource for finding extremely talented folks both locally or in any part of the world you may find yourself shooting. OneModelPlace is also excellent if you have a paid account. Either way, take a look at both websites and see how many folks are available in your community.
Yes there is also Craigslist, but I stay away from that site because because most professionals are on MM and OMP. Or to put it more honestly, CL is very hit or miss….mostly miss, LOL.
Finding a great MUA requires looking at their portfolio, here is what I do. I look for a clean style of makeup, is it well blended and does it make sense with the wardrobe and model. The makeup should appear smooth and reflect current fashion trends such what we see in a current NYC fashion magazines. If the makeup completely overpowers the model and it looks like a mask, I pass on them. This look may be intentional, yet it will not get me work with a modeling agency or any other commercial client….period. The best MUA artists will make it look like the model is not wearing any makeup, and that demonstrates the finest skill level to me. I want the MUA to enhance the natural beauty of the model, not hide it with layers and layers of odd colors. If the model is 18 then I want her to look her age and not 40.
Cosmetic schools and salons can also be a hit or miss situation. My experience has been that the graduates/students makeup tends to be too overpowering. This is to to say that they are all bad, but rather my personal experience with the four or five I have used. A formal education does not guarantee that they will be great, natural talent always prevails in my search. We are not here to pamper the model or make them feel like a celebrity, this is work. Once I find someone, we shoot often, and after a few shoots we jive and develop a type of ESP that contributes to the overall flow of the shoot.
Many of the same rules I mentioned for a MUA apply for a hair stylist so I will not go into great detail. Does the hair look well styled and is it currently in style. I want the model to look youthful and energetic. For the work I shoot, the model needs to look real and the hair always has a polished appearance. My MUA all do hair as well so be sure to ask, not all will so do not assume they do both.
Wardrobe stylist are crazy fun and bring so much to a shoot, I can’t imagine working without one. They have all the clothing and accessory connections. They know all the boutique owners and do all the shopping and borrowing and returning of items for me. I send them the models comp card or web portfolio with the measurements, discuss the shoot look we are after and then wardrobe stylist goes to work. Sometimes they take quick camera phone images from various boutiques and ask if I prefer this or that.
The best wardrobe stylists have a great reputation with the boutique owners and get items lent for free or for a small fee. They find the most obscure items to make your shot special and unique. More importantly, they know how to put it all together so that the final image has a balance and continuity. They fix the wrinkles in the outfits, tape and clamp things that are not right. They make the clothing look its best on the model which is not always the way the clothing is worn by the consumer.
The wardrobe stylist and MUA work very closely together to finalize the balance of the image. Sometimes and more often then not, the poses I want from the model will twist the wardrobe around and make it look odd. This is where the wardrobe stylist jumps in and fixes it so everything works with my crazy ideas. The models job is to pose and act…not fiddle with the clothing…we have a crew that will fix what needs adjusting.
I do not bounce around and try to see how many different MUA/hair/wardrobe stylists I can work with. If the recipe works than I keep it. The models see how comfortable we are all working together and that reassures them as well. A happy crew is a creative crew…and it shows in the images.
Take a look at the credits in the NYC fashion magazines. There are 5-6 people involved on every editorial story. It is the combined input from all these talented people that create the images. The photographer or the art director is the ring leader. I certainly can’t take all the credit for my images. If your serious about improving your work as a fashion photographer, put a crew together and simplify your life.
Popularity: 6%
