notes from a shoot
Last night J, K and I had a photo shoot of sorts at J's flat.It went rather well, judging from preliminary images. For the exterior shots we had J posing in a series of alleyways behind Queen St. W. against a vivid, rainbow-hued backdrop of the most intricate and beautiful graffiti designs you've ever seen. A favourite location involved a three-foot-wide alley in between two buildings with a single lonesome swing set in between them. The stench of urine was somewhat nauseating. But the shots were bold, graphic and visually striking.
The interior shots were shot in softer, warmer light in the white-walled space of J's flat, under a door frame, and lounging on a sofa. They were slightly more introspective than the exterior images, conveying a sense of loneliness, contemplation, sadness and perhaps a bit of vulnerability.
I don't think I did the best job with the hair and make-up that I could have done. We were a bit pressed for time, and considering we were working with limited resources I couldn't take it to the artistic limit. I was pleased with the result, but in everything I do, I could have done better. Next time I ought to bring a full kit over. For the exterior shots I did a graphic, heavily-lined eye with the blackest liner I could find - mimicking the lines in graffiti designs - keeping the skin and mouth very matte and monochromatic, with only a flesh-coloured lipstick pressed onto the mouth, and a rosy matte colour blended onto the centre of the lips. The eyes were the focus, as were the brows - dark, bold, almost tattoo-like.
The make-up for the interior shots was soft, finger-smudged, shimmery in tones of charcoal, gray, gray-blues and silvery taupes. The eyes were lined with a soft kohl pencil in gunmetal gray, and layers upon layers of soft shadows on top of that. Mascara was kept minimal and the skin was dusted with a highlighter where the sun naturally hits: the forehead, cheeks, nose and chin. I used a clear metallic rose gloss on the centre of the mouth only, and silvery powder to highlight the collarbone and shoulders. In both cases the hair was kept flowing, wavy - nothing too styled or uptight.
K's playing around with the images on Photoshop for added effect. I can't wait to see the finished product, and if I can get away with it, I'll post a photo here.
L'Esthete @ 16:52
