Eye Makeup Lighting

[weepete]

Hi everyone,

My daughter has a huge interest in makeup and one of the things she loves to do is creative eye makeup that she posts up to instagram. One of the things we are going to do is try and get a few better shots of her makeup artistry to really make her work shine. This is really outside my skill set and though I do have a basic studio setup I don't know much about lighting let alone the lighting for fashion photography.

Can anyone advise a good standard setup for this type of shot: 6 Colorful Eye Makeup Looks - L'Oréal Paris

or this 25 Gorgeous Eye Makeup Tutorials For Beginners of 2019

as that's what we'll be aiming for. Any general tips would be grand too and do you think it would be possible to do it with constant lighting rather than a strobe?

 

[Tropicalmemories]

I think the Professionals will recommend flash, but for me, as a total amateur, I find constant LED lighting much easier to work with.

You can see the shadows and highlights real time, especially if using mirrorless, and you can fine-tune the reflections in your models eyes by moving the lights and watching the effect.

I've used a cheap LED ringlight with adjustable color temp and brightness, and shone this through a white umbrella.

This gives a nice soft light and also round reflections in her eyes.

These examples were not taken to show eye make up, and I know the lighting is far from perfect, but I think they show that a single LED light plus a modifier can do what you need?

Also, one issue with LED is they lack the power of a flash, but you'll be working close so this will not be an issue. You can also darken the room, turn down the power and watch her pupils to get the look you want.

 

[smoke665]

Big, beautiful, soft light, with little shadow. In the picture in the first link in the OP, you can see what I suspect is a beauty dish, using a one light one reflector clamshell lighting setup. https://layersmagazine.com/clamshell-foolproof-beauty-light.html

While continuous lighting can be used, the problem is as already pointed out they lack the power of a flash, unless you get into the more powerful/expensive lights. You need light to make the colors of the makeup and eyes pop, The other thing with continuous lighting and up close work on the eyes is they cause the pupil to constrict, to pinpoints, not the most attractive.

 

[Designer]

Can anyone advise a good standard setup for this type of shot: 6 Colorful Eye Makeup Looks - L'Oréal Paris

or this 25 Gorgeous Eye Makeup Tutorials For Beginners of 2019

as that's what we'll be aiming for. Any general tips would be grand too and do you think it would be possible to do it with constant lighting rather than a strobe?

The first example is a beauty dish poised directly above the camera.

The second larger photo is also a beauty dish, but I think some editing has been done on the catchlight.

The two smaller thumbnails are difficult to tell for sure, but it appears as though they used two lights positioned close together. I can't tell the modifier, but probably just regular diffusers the same size as the reflectors.

Your studio flash will in all likelihood have a modeling light built in, so you can skip the continuous lighting idea. Get a beauty dish to fit your studio flash, and go with that.

 

[Derrel]

I looked at one of the examples which appeared to me to have been shot with a standard 11 inch to 22 inch metal reflector, either a "pan"reflector or a beauty dish.

you could use a wide variety of lights, either flash or continuous lighting.

 

[Derrel]

in the example I saw there is some shadowing from the eyelashes, which indicates to me a rather hard light modifier. Remember that whatever modifier you use, there is a high probability that it's shape and size will be reflected in the photo, literally reflected.

 

[weepete]

I think the Professionals will recommend flash, but for me, as a total amateur, I find constant LED lighting much easier to work with.

You can see the shadows and highlights real time, especially if using mirrorless, and you can fine-tune the reflections in your models eyes by moving the lights and watching the effect.

I've used a cheap LED ringlight with adjustable color temp and brightness, and shone this through a white umbrella.

This gives a nice soft light and also round reflections in her eyes.

These examples were not taken to show eye make up, and I know the lighting is far from perfect, but I think they show that a single LED light plus a modifier can do what you need?

Also, one issue with LED is they lack the power of a flash, but you'll be working close so this will not be an issue. You can also darken the room, turn down the power and watch her pupils to get the look you want

Very useful thanks, I might well get a hold of one and see what we can do. Is there a particular power you'd reccomend?

 

[weepete]

The first example is a beauty dish poised directly above the camera.

The second larger photo is also a beauty dish, but I think some editing has been done on the catchlight.

The two smaller thumbnails are difficult to tell for sure, but it appears as though they used two lights positioned close together. I can't tell the modifier, but probably just regular diffusers the same size as the reflectors.

Your studio flash will in all likelihood have a modeling light built in, so you can skip the continuous lighting idea. Get a beauty dish to fit your studio flash, and go with that.

Thanks mate. I think my original post may have been a bit misleading, when I said studio setup I meant I had a few umbrellas, an octobox, some stands, a background etc. I don't do a lot of studio stuff so it's just a couple of speedlights rather than stuidio strobes. My inexperience showing there!

Thanks for letting me know how they are lit, we'll give that a pop as well.

 

[weepete]

Big, beautiful, soft light, with little shadow. In the picture in the first link in the OP, you can see what I suspect is a beauty dish, using a one light one reflector clamshell lighting setup. https://layersmagazine.com/clamshell-foolproof-beauty-light.html

While continuous lighting can be used, the problem is as already pointed out they lack the power of a flash, unless you get into the more powerful/expensive lights. You need light to make the colors of the makeup and eyes pop, The other thing with continuous lighting and up close work on the eyes is they cause the pupil to constrict, to pinpoints, not the most attractive.

Thanks Smoke, so the colours pop less with continuous light, hmmm. Cool, the reason I was thinking LEDs is that she could eventually set it up herself and continuous lights would be less likely to interfere with her vision, flash can be quite intrusive though proof of the pudding and all that. I'll see how little power we can get away with on a speedlight first then.

 

[weepete]

I looked at one of the examples which appeared to me to have been shot with a standard 11 inch to 22 inch metal reflector, either a "pan"reflector or a beauty dish.

you could use a wide variety of lights, either flash or continuous lighting.

Thanks Derrel, is there an optimum size for a beauty dish? and do they make a big difference vs a silver umbrella?

in the example I saw there is some shadowing from the eyelashes, which indicates to me a rather hard light modifier. Remember that whatever modifier you use, there is a high probability that it's shape and size will be reflected in the photo, literally reflected.

Yeah, I do prefer round catchlights, though square are OK. I'm not fond of ringlights as catchloghts as often they draw too much attention away from the makeup.

 

[Tropicalmemories]

I think the Professionals will recommend flash, but for me, as a total amateur, I find constant LED lighting much easier to work with.

You can see the shadows and highlights real time, especially if using mirrorless, and you can fine-tune the reflections in your models eyes by moving the lights and watching the effect.

I've used a cheap LED ringlight with adjustable color temp and brightness, and shone this through a white umbrella.

This gives a nice soft light and also round reflections in her eyes.

These examples were not taken to show eye make up, and I know the lighting is far from perfect, but I think they show that a single LED light plus a modifier can do what you need?

Also, one issue with LED is they lack the power of a flash, but you'll be working close so this will not be an issue. You can also darken the room, turn down the power and watch her pupils to get the look you want

Very useful thanks, I might well get a hold of one and see what we can do. Is there a particular power you'd reccomend?

I have a 3,800 lux 45 Watt Viltrox that has a handy remote to adjust brightness and color temp, plus a no-brand 18 inch ring light that I think is 2,500 lux.

Both are bright enough when working close to the subject (smaller product shots, face only portraits), but the ring light needs wide apertures or high iso when you move back to waist to head type portraits. The Viltrox is bright enough for general portrait use, and I think you'd need to turn it down for your eye make up shots.

A Rotolight may be another option?

I've also seen an LED ringlight with a make up mirror attachment that goes on the hot shoe in the centre of the ring. Also had adjustable color temp and brightness controls. So dual purpose.

 

[Designer]

Yeah, I do prefer round catchlights, though square are OK. I'm not fond of ringlights as catchloghts as often they draw too much attention away from the makeup.

https://savageuniversal.com/products/clearance/speedlight-beauty-dish/

 

[Designer]

Three more: (first one skip to 10 second mark)



DIY beauty dish:



another: I love a fast-moving video with no senseless banter.

 

[smoke665]

, so the colours pop less with continuous light,

I started with some LED's and quickly moved on. I found the advantages minimal when compared to the results from flash. Once you've practiced a few setups, you'll know where to place the lights, it's not rocket science.

In closeup work, pupil size is important you don't want them wide open but you don't want them pinpoint either. Larger pupil appears more friendly/inviting then a pinpoint constricted pupil, something you'll get with a continuous light unless you turn down the power, and then you lose the advantage of "seeing" the light in the first place.

Close up work is very unforgiving on sharpness, compare some of the examples posted above with the images in the links you posted. Nothing wrong with eyes and lashes being soft if that's the look you want, but if the intent is to highlight the makeup IMO you need razor sharp eyes, and lashes. With the lower powered continuous light you get into a DOF issue using larger apertures. Assuming an 85mm working 36" away, gives you roughly 2" DOF at f/8, but drops to less then 3/4" of an inch at f/2.8. Add to that most lenses are not their sharpest at either end. Yes you can slow down the shutter, but then you run the risk of any movement, or raise the ISO and deal with noise. Lastly under powered light may be fine for a dramatic shot, but sucks when you want the colors to really pop.

I had a few umbrellas, an octobox, some stands, a background etc. I don't do a lot of studio stuff so it's just a couple of speedlights

My beauty dish seems to give me a cleaner, sharper look, but if you have an octabox and flash (that you can adjust the power on), then buy/fabricate a white reflector and you have what you need, to start with a clamshell set up (see link above). Experiment with your reflector, instead of white, use foil (silver or gold), for a different look. Designer gave you some great hacks for a beauty dish. I saw one the other day made from two white paper plates, that used toothpicks, hot glued to the the plate to support another small plate as the disk.

Once you practice a few times you'll know the correct placement of the light and reflector, which won't change much for the same shot thereafter. It's a pretty forgiving setup. One thing you "really" need is a light meter that reads Incident light. You can do it with trial and error, but it's a PITA.