Lighting: Tips for taking photos

There are many different types of light, all of which affect makeup in different ways.  The four main kinds are fluorescent, flash/white, incandescent/filament, and natural.  Of all the different ways of lighting a photograph, natural lighting is the most suitable as it does not produce any unnatural tones such as fluorescent- blue and green- or incandescent- yellows and reds-, meaning that makeup on the face is as close to its true colour as possible.

I’ve included three examples of how light affects makeup after the jump.  The most common form of incandescent lighting is candle, or mood, lighting, of which I unfortunately don’t have.  Take a look at fluorescent, flash and natural lighting after the jump!



Incandescent, or filament, lighting is most commonly seen as the yellow light produced from filament light bulbs, or candle/mood lighting.  My skin appears more yellow-toned, and the green eyeshadow has veered more to a warmer shade due to the light.  This is because incandescent lighting produces yellow and red tones, which enhance those colours; this can cause the natural colour of the skin, especially fairer skins, to take on a more yellow tone.  In order to make your face appear less yellow out under incandescent light, try sticking to cooler tones, and avoid products with overly strong yellow tones also.  It's also advisable to avoid purples and browns, which appear darker under this kind of lighting and can make a face look sickly, or tired.



This is an example of how the severe white light from flash photography washes out makeup.  Notice that the green tone of the eyeshadow has almost completely gone, instead looking more like brown shades.  My skin also appears to have a stronger pink tone, as the flash has picked up on the pink undertones in my skin, as well as any oil on my face, which has reflected the light to make my makeup look shiny on my eyelids and nose.  For photographic makeup (any photography using flash) it’s important to apply makeup far more heavily than for an ordinary evening/day/special occasion look, in order to stop it looking washed out.  It’s also important to avoid products containing titanium dioxide, which makes products, such as foundation, appear lighter and whiter.



Natural is the best lighting to take photos.  In the picture, you can see the subtle green tones of the eyeshadow, and the brown tone of the olive along the crease, but none of the colours are overpowering.  My skin is also it’s natural tone, porcelain with a cool pink undertone.




Fluorescent light, usually seen as long white tubes either suspended from the ceiling or encased above a flat panel of glass, produce green and blue tones, which while enhancing those particular colours in makeup, also wash out nearly every skin type, especially those with warmer tones.  To avoid looking washed out under this kind of lighting, apply extra colour, and enhance warm tones in your blush and contours to ensure colour remains in your face.