1. 3000 Word Essay – MAKEUP AND BEAUTY
Makeup and beauty is my topic of choice for my unit three personal project in photography.
This topic has caught my attention as it offers a lot for me to explore within photography, as
well as develop my own individual style. As makeup and beauty are also things that I hold
close to my own heart, I feel that this topic is something that will retain my interest
throughout the duration of the project and allow me to be really creative – it’s a topic that I
think I won’t get stuck on ideas for nor feel uninspired with either.
Makeup and beauty are highly prevalent in society today and they have become a big part of
everyday life. You see the evidence of this everywhere in daily life such as in magazines, on
TV, on fashion catwalks and by celebrities – this in turn has created pressure on young girls,
and some young boys too, to find interest in makeup, in turn widening the audience that is
exposed to the beauty industry. In terms of photography, the beauty industry have used the
technological advances in photography today to create the ‘perfect picture’ when in
advertising or promoting a new makeup product as there are now programs like Photoshop
that have features allowing photographers to change and manipulate images into what the
client wants. This again adds to the pressure in society of people now wanting to be
aesthetically ‘perfect’.
Makeup and beauty is also present in other places such as on stage and in theater. This
exposes a whole new side of makeup, like special effects and horror makeup (that is also
evident in films too). This kind of makeup portrays the more fun and versatile side of
makeup and the different outcomes you can create – these may not necessarily be ‘pretty’
either. Instead they may hold an uglier edge, or be something unique and weird. Some of
the biggest makeup brands now use this kind of edge to attract an audience. By creating an
unpractical look that is not designed for everyday use captures the eye more, and this is
where the aid of photography can come in too. Lightening and set is important for these
kinds of looks as it can help to create an atmosphere and change the overall feel of an
image.
Portrait photography is the most likely form of photography in terms of cropping and
positioning for makeup and beauty. This is so the makeup can be clearly seen as well as the
facial features and expression (this can completely change a look) and the angles of the face
too (in today’s society this is something that is being seen more of, especially in the
professional industry, as it’s considered fashionable and is the ‘it’ thing to see the angles and
hollows on the face). Other forms of photography are being seen more of now too though
as makeup has closely merged with the fashion industry and therefore entire looks with
costumes are being photographed a lot too (especially for big fashion magazines) and
therefore the whole body is being captured. Entire sets are also being used to enhance
looks and add more emotion to an image. Makeup is a very versatile industry as it can be
applied and photographed anywhere. Some of the most interesting images are not simply
done in a made-up set or in a studio, but on location in e.g. in the water, in a city, on a beach
etc. and all this helps to create the overall vibe the image gives off.
Though makeup is evident to have been around and used for thousands of centuries within
humanity and has been embraced by many different cultures and interpreted and used in
their own way, photography has not. Thomas Wedgwood was the first person to invent the
camera in 1790, and since then there have been many technological advances to the

2. photography quality we have today and withthe cameras we have today too. For example,
digital photography did not come around till the mid-late 1900s, and with it being such an
expensive art, there weren’t many people before the 21st
century could afford to have a
camera or be exposed to photography. Over time there were many photographers and
inventors that then contributed to the development of the photography technology.
Makeup and beauty photography itself has adapted over time with the idea and use of
makeup becoming more prevalent in society along with the more recent high-fashion,
editorial and artistic side to makeup that we see today. As mentioned though makeup has
been around for such a long time, it really started to become and everyday fashionable item
in the 1920s with the arrival of the ‘Flappers’. Show business was at all-time high and
everyone wanted to look like their favourite stars and celebrities, who were photographed
for all kinds of prestigious publications and advertisements. Over time, makeup became an
iconic part of society and it has gradually become more and more acceptable. Every decade
sees a different iconic look, whether it’s the long lashes, smokey doll eyes of the 1960’s
teamed with pale lips, or the bright and vibrant hues that were worn throughout the 1980s,
there is a multitude of different looks that have famously been photographed. Makeup in
photography is also now being interpreted in different ways, and gone are the days of
regular, wearable looks that were only seen in publications and photographed for art. The
21st
centuary welcome a whole new kind of makeup and beauty photography, where models
were no longer ‘perfect’ and looks could be as wild and as crazy as the heart desired. The
way in which beauty is now perceived in society is different and therefore photography
adapted with it, embracing the alien, unique and artistic looks that were now being seen and
created by people everywhere. As the makeup world has such strenuous links with the
fashion world and therefore with fashion photography, entire theatrical sets were being to
emerge more for the sake of on photo and the idea of beauty and makeup photography
strictly being portraiture work or a product for advertising was gone.
Two photographers that are currently working in the area of makeup and beauty
photography are Becky Van Ommen and Akos. Becky Van Ommen is a photographer form
the Philippians who started her career in the industry at the age of 19 under top commercial
photographer Francis Abraham. She is now based in London. Her work has strong cultural
influences from both Holland and Nepal, and her style includes a unique blend of highly
technical digital effects and traditional art, resulting in surreal conceptual imagery. She has
worked for a number of prestigious clients since graduating from Ateneo de Manila
University such as McDonalds, Nokia, Lynx and Pepsi to name a few and has an extensive
body of work spanning the
commercial industry. Nevertheless
though, it was her work in the
fashion and beauty industry that
caught my attention themost, with
Becky having photographed for
numerous magazines and various
fashion/beauty labels. This photo
by her really caught my attention
due to its contemporary execution
and modern look. The photo is very
clean and sterile, with only one
colour (white) being present in the photo. The makeup in the photo reflects that seen in
high-fashion or conceptual photography, making it a visually interesting piece as it’s not an

3. everyday ‘wearable’ look.
Everything in the photo has been
done in correspondence with the
white colour that is so dominate in
the photo. Becky has used shape to
distinguish differences in the photo
subtly without adding anything
overpowering or distracting, for
example the balls around the model
as well as the strong shapes on the
clothing she is wearing. The model
in the photo has her eyes closed
and this has created a serine and calm effect that matches the emotions that the white
connotes. The eyes are the focal point even though they are closed – they have been
accented using eyeliner in a delicate fashion and this in turn as added a dark contrast around
them. This kind of beauty photography is becoming more prevalent in the
beauty/photography world and we are seeing more looks that aren’t ‘wearable’ in a bid to
create digital art. This second photo from Becky is another in which she has demonstrated
her clean and contemporary approach to photography. In terms of the makeup in this photo
a sterile look has been created on the model that compliments yet doesn’t over power the
other elements of the photo (technology being the topic here). There are limited colours
used in the photo and those that have been used contrast nicely against each other, black
and white, greens and pinks etc. The model again has her eyes closed and this has created a
strong emotional environment in the photo it wouldn’t have otherwise had – I also think this
is another nice contrast against the theme being photographed (technology). Looking at
Becky’s work it is evident there is a running style that sees a clean execution of her work in a
contemporary fashion. There are digital graphic effects in the work and this has given it a
modern edge that is being embraced by photographers today. I like the way there are
subtle contrasts in her work and I like the simple approach she takes as it always – she works
it in an effective way.
Akos is another interesting modern photographer who specializes in beauty and fashion
photography. Based in New York he has become renouned for the ‘timeless’ look he gives
women when photographing them, giving his work an ever ending expiration date. Over the
year he has built up a prestigious client base in the beauty industry including L’Oreal,
Johnson, Vogue, Elle and Wella to name but a few, as well as working with a multitude of
famous models and celebrities. This photo from his
portfolio for Vogue beauty is an accurate reflection of
modern beauty photography. His work has a fun and
feminine vibe about it, where he embraces youth to
create a contemporary piece of art that appeals to the
fashionable audience. There is a definitive style about his
work that makes it both high fashion and commercial. In
this particular photo I like how the lightening and
contrasting textures have made a visually interesting
shot. I like the way he has directed his model and got
expression out of her that looks both strong and
powerful, as well as having a young and sexy sense about
it too – it is balance perfectly in the shot. He works well
with his models as they connect well with camera – this is
important in photography like this as it draws the

4. audience in more. This second photo has embraced a more contemporary and edgy ‘weird’
look. The model has an ‘alien’ look about her and this has been accentuated with the
striking makeup look. Akos’ work uses lots of different camera angles
to compliment the look he is shooting, for example here there a slight
angle pointing down toward the model and the cropping is tight,
helping to create that weird look as angles like this distort the
features more, and in the first photo a downward angle has been
used again to soften the look of the model as she is so strong in the
shot. Akos has a strong recognizable style about his work that is
mature yet still so youthful. I think the in which he photographs does
make his work timeless as he embraces new forms of makeup and art
to photograph. Makeup and beauty photography have definitely
taken a turn in recent years, with photographers looking for more
edgy things to shoot (the idea of beauty is not so much ‘perfection’
anymore, but ‘pretty-ugly’ is considered more chic and fashionable).
His body of work reflects both attitudes towards the industry making
him diverse and interesting.
Looking at my own work, I feel I have worked well with
my chosen theme of makeup/beauty photography and
been able to explore lots of different aspects of it
whilst developing my own style. I have developed a
portfolio that can be interrupted in different ways
depending upon the viewer and executed them in a
way that displays my maturing style and has helped to
give my portfolio an edge to it that is my own. I think I
have created a nice balance in my work between the
classic idea of makeup and beauty photography and
incorporating a more modern edge, embracing ‘weird’,
‘ugly’ and ‘alien’ beauty ideas. This idea is something I really wanted to embrace in my
project so that viewers can be exposed to the more modern side of the beauty industry and
how when incorporated with photography can make for a more visually interesting shot as
opposed to one where the audience just see the stereotypical idea of beauty. I also think
that by doing there can be more a message in the photo for the audience to analyze and
interpret for themselves. I feel I have really progressed in this
project and this is evident in the finer details of my work such
as the cropping and the composition of the photo, the
pose/expression of the model and the angle of the camera.
Having such an interest in makeup as well as photography I
think my creativity has really thrived in this project and I have
also exposed myself to the makeup roles within the
photography industry too (as I do all the makeup myself for
shoots, I found myself thinking through more carefully every
detail of the photo to ensure it was the best that could possibly
be). I wanted to create more than just photos, but modern art,
that visually interested an audience and exhibited something
unique and distinctive to the artist. I remained engaged
throughout the whole project and writing it myself has

5. definitely had influence in my interest. I found
myself pushing my creative limits and constantly
looking at other photographers I found influential
to better my own work and bring it to a whole
new standard. I feel confident in the sense that I
feel my work is now more professional looking
and I am able to critically analyze my work (which
I did throughout my project) to improve it.
In terms of the future of beauty photography I think there is an expanding industry that is
constantly growing. Makeup and beauty will always be needed for advertising photography
and therefore this aspect of photography will continue to grow with arrival of new cosmetics
etc. High fashion and fashion in general also have strenuous links with makeup and beauty
photography and therefore the topic can be brought under this ever-growing environment
too. It is important to recognize though that makeup and beauty are starting to be
recognized more as an art, and therefore photographing fantasy inspired, non-wearable,
inspiring looks and becoming more and more popular. This growing evidence can be found
in high end publications such as Vogue that are starting to distinguish and appreciate the
variation that is ‘beauty’, and not just look at through a medias perception of ‘perfection’.
Photography and makeup are both creative arts and therefore as long as there are creative
minds I see the possibilities for the industry as being endless. Aside from nothing else there
will always be an advertising market for the topic. Sure enough with the future will also
bring technological advances in the photography that we see today, and this in turn will
change how we execute a final photo. This will no doubt not only affect the particular topic
that I have chosen to look at but also all aspects of the photographic industry – this in turn
could affect how we receive the final photo and change the way photography is currently
practiced. Makeup is a something that over time is becoming more and more prevalent in
society and it is embraced and used by so many people. With this understanding, that was
once not acceptable, I think it’s only natural to assume the makeup and beauty photography
will expand as an industry as time progresses.
Photography is such a large artistic industry in which many the topics of makeup and beauty
fall under. With the changing society makeup is seen very much like fashion, there are
constantly different trends and different type of makeup that so many people want to try,
and on the other hand there are also so many crazy and artistic things that can be done with
it in a more theatrical sense too. There are both old and new practitioners from all over the
world and high demand for the work. Makeup and beauty photography is such a broad
subject within the industry there is a lot that can be done in terms of creativity and new
ideas.