Last week Pilates instructor Rosalind Moore was with us in the studio. We had such a blast working through our shot list for her new marketing material. We spent quite a bit of time planning the shoot, from look to wardrobe to lighting style and back, and poor Rosalind fighting a little bit of food poisoning episode while shopping!
One of the first things we decided on was to hire a makeup artist for her shoot. I often leave this decision up to my clients, but I highly recommend it when we are shooting head shots or shots that are closer up to the face. Top 3 reasons Fitness People Hesitate to Hire a Makeup Artist:
- They want a natural look and don’t trust a Makeup Artist.
- They want a natural look and don’t trust a Makeup Artist.
- They want a natural look at don’t trust a Makeup Artist.
Yes, I hear it a lot!! Other reasons include confidence in doing their own makeup or the added cost to the shoot. 
From my perspective as a fitness photographer, a Makeup Artist is a good investment for a few reasons:
- A good MUA is able to lay the base and foundation for a great face… they even out your skin and allow the light to work with rather than against it (this is so important for good photos!). From there, they are able to help hide any flaws and to accentuate your best features in ways that are really natural. Think of your face like a canvas. You need a clean canvas to start with before you add the color.
- Retouching is always more natural when there is good makeup.
- A good MUA often helps my fitness clients feel, beautiful, confident and powerful, just want we want you to feel when you have haven pictures done! And just what we want your pilates, yoga and fitness clients to see when they look at you.
But don’t take my word for it, here’s what Rosalind and her Makeup Artist Alyssa Lorraine had to say.
Rachel and I discussed the option of using a hair and makeup artist for my fitness shoot. I wasn’t sure if it would be necessary, as I usually wear very little makeup and wanted a very natural look for my photographs. I did decide to hire someone in the end, mostly because my hair is very fine and difficult to style so I thought some assistance there would be helpful. I am so glad I decided to hire Alyssa! I had no idea how much of a difference professional hair and makeup would make in my photos. Not only did it require more and different makeup than I thought to achieve a polished but “natural” look on camera, but it was also very helpful to have an artist around to adjust my hair and makeup as we changed looks throughout the day. I can’t recommend having a professional makeup artist on set highly enough. It gave me much more confidence and ease throughout the shoot, and got me infinitely better photographs.
– Rosalind Moore, Pilates Instructor New York City
Her Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist, Alyssa Lorraine, has this reminder about makeup for fitness professionals planning their photo shoots:
A photo shoot is an investment in yourself and your brand or business and it should be taken seriously.
The weeks following up to a fitness shoot, you will surely take the time to eat well and exercise to be in top condition. You will spend time researching photographers and going through the planning process of exactly what you want for your shoot (poses, wardrobes, props).
So for the time and cost involved in planning and producing your shoot you should value your investment by hiring a professional makeup artist that can make you look amazing and allow you to focus on other aspects of the shoot and not have to worry about how you look.
– Alyssa Lorraine, Makeup Artist + Hair Stylist New York City
Read more from Alyssa in her guest post “Why You Need a Makeup Artist for Your Next Photoshoot” this Friday. Don’t miss Alyssa’s guest post- subscribe to the blog in the sidebar now!
