Shooting the shop: The Makeup Shop Inc. South Portland

Brides often ask me whether one line of makeup has more merits than another (for the record, I only occasionally wear makeup, and use Bare Minerals when I do as a result of seeing it used so beautifully on brides by many makeup artists over the years). Because I am not photographing glamour shots and instead capturing how people how people feel (and happy, in-love people are simply stunning), I encourage my clients to choose clothing, accessories and products that make them feel comfortable and confident in their own skin, as that will come through most in the images.

All that said, -and based on my own wedding makeup experience (I still remember running in the bathroom and breathlessly blotting my entire face with a bath towel after Kyle's aunt got a wee bit carried away with the blush)- I always urge my clients to consider hiring a makeup artist, especially those like me who insist they "never wear makeup." In addition to giving you some well-deserved pre-wedding pampering, a good makeup artist will apply products in a way that compliment rather than confuse your best features. The key here is makeup, not makeover, and the great thing about a great makeup artist is you'll still look like yourself, only better and more polished.

Last summer, I met several such talented transformers when I photographed Bethany and Brian's wedding. Bethany got her makeup applied at The Makeup Shop, which at the time was located on Congress Street but has since moved to South Portland. Beautiful Bethany didn't really need any makeup, but I was impressed with how a few little touches went a long way in enhancing not just her look, but how she felt about how she looked. I was also pleased to see how fun and mellow the makeup artist kept things, as like any wedding vendor, knowing how connect with clients and keep them collected is as important as your craft. So I was honored when Andrea, a co-owner of The Makeup Shop, emailed asking if I'd be willing to come over this spring and do a mini-shoot with several of her staff to get new images for the shop's walls and website.

In the interest of full disclosure, this was a totally out-of-the-box experience for me. Unlike a wedding where I am very hands-off (except when someone needs help) and take a documentarian's approach, this shoot required me to be much more directorial, something that I took a while to warm to. Luckily, the "models" (two makeup artists at the store) were so gorgeous you couldn't get a bad shot of them and they were fun to boot!

Here are a few of my favorite shots. You'd never guess that all of these were taken in the little lot behind The Makeup Shop's new store on Western Ave in South Portland, between the Mexican restaurant's dumpster and the row of parked cars!

Look one, 1920s-esque:






Look two: Hippie (amazing that the sun came out right when we started this section of the shoot, casting an appropriate golden glow that so works with these images). Bri was the makeup artist who'd done Bethany's makeup.









Look three: A bit vamp (Hilarious when the utility guy came to read the meters and said "You should be on our company calendar" to Amber. We were dying. She is so sweet that it was a challenge to pull off this fierce look. I kept saying, "Act like I just stole your boyfriend, bitch!" Fe-rosh!)









And look four, 1970s rollergirl style: