And while you’re at it, check out Vincent Cheung’s Shape Collage!

I recently booked a Make Up For Ever workshop that included a variety of talented artists and models with intriguing features. It felt like a marathon shoot as I only had 10 minutes to work with each artist and model. I recognized some familiar faces, like Catherine, Tanaya, Jennie, Helly, and Hayley. I got to team up again with the lovely and OMG-super-talented makeup artist, Erin McCarthy. She served as the creative director that day, giving the artists tips on how to improve their technique. Everyone does better work with Erin around, including me.

Erin booked all the models and all the artists for this event. She coordinated the lighting equipment and studio backdrop based on my requests, so I just showed up with my camera (and lens). I love that. Jon helped me set up the background to separate some space between the workshop and the shooting area, and then we set up two Hensels. The models lined up, and I spent approximately 10 minutes with each of them, showing the models and the artists how the images looked on-camera.

As always, I had a ton of fun at this photo shoot. I really enjoy the 100 mm Macro and will definitely keep up with this series.

Photographer: Amy Dunn
Photo assistant: Jon S.
Creative Director: Erin McCarthy

Gear: Canon 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Hensel Studio Lights

New York City, 2009
© Amy Dunn
All rights reserved

We had a fantastic view, but passersby gawked at Marketa more than they admired Lady Liberty.

Diana expertly applying makeup…

I fix all the settings on my camera so we’re good to go when the model’s ready.
Here, I set the ISO to 400 in the shade and then to 200-250 when I had a little more sunlight.

After a few shots, I always let the creative team see the image and make minor tweaks.

• This is good for the model in case she needs more direction on expression(s) or posing.
• This is good for the makeup artist so she can see how the makeup looks “on film.”
• And this is great for the photographer so everyone can pat her on the back and tell her she’s awesome.

Jon is the best self-proclaimed “Reflector Bitch” in town! It’s hard work, gotta rest in between looks.

The Dream Team  Check out the final shots here.

I opened my Canon 5D Mark II box today and laughed out loud when I saw the above photo [as part of an advertisement for the Canon Learning Center] in the instruction manual packet. I remember that day. I’m buddies with an amazing beauty photographer, Stephen Eastwood. He called me to do a shoot out in Long Island, but I had a major migraine. I almost did not make it to the shoot, but I’m glad I did! I always have a ton of fun when I shoot with Stephen, and our work usually pops up in Canon advertising, yay!

Anyone buy a Canon product lately? My big head just might be lurking in that big ol’ box of yours.

My grandparents gave me these adorable painted eggs as a gift the last time I visited Taiwan (2002). My mom kept them safe in Houston for me, and I picked these up in early April when I spent some time with mi madre. My mom was super-helpful and super-supportive when I told her why I wanted to take these home with me to New York.

I spent the month of April shooting some content for Canon (eeeeee!), and this is one of the images I created to test the 100 mm macro. More details on that soon!

I knew I wanted to present these little guys as a trio, but my dad had glued them into separate plastic containers (per my mother’s borderline-OCD instructions, I’m sure). My roommate, Mitesh, and I spent one evening prying them out of their shells, so to speak. I love the support, but I cringed every time Tesh hammered the screwdriver into the box, fearful of damaging the delicate shells. Realize, my grandfather had these eggs for over 50 years! Clearly, Tesh managed to pull my tiny friends out of their cases without harm. Yay, Tesh!

I had a May 1st deadline for Canon, but ever the perfectionist, I made myself sick with worry that I did not have enough good content to submit. So I spent the night before shooting, shooting, shooting–and writing. Luckily, I know lighting well enough to get the desired effect rather quickly, and this photo demonstrates an image I had pictured in my head and was able to produce in minutes.

Here, I placed an AB 1600 on a boom stand and used a 10° grid to create a spotlight. I never trust boom stands because they can be top-heavy if not fully supported with weight on the other end. My imagination kept crushing these hollow eggs, so I had to shoot quickly. The 100 mm macro helped me lock focus quickly, and I believe this is the first shot straight out of the camera.

Stay tuned for more Canon stuff! And as always, thanks for the support. It means more to me than you know.

I used a Canon 100 mm lens on my 5D and placed two Hensels parallel to one another for even lighting. The lens captured such amazing detail, I had to retouch the pupil (the black part of the eye) because I could see my own reflection. One could see my fingers holding the camera! LOL  I don’t think Catherine could see me, though–I completely blinded her with the Hensels.  

My biggest challenge shooting this image: glitter. That stuff is beautiful, but I could not do anything to make it sparkle in photos. I used strobes, so maybe continuous light would have created that beautiful bling. Either way, I could have shot this with on-camera flash; the makeup artistry is gorgenius on its own. Hope you enjoy the photo, and I also hope you’re wearing green today. I’m a pincher!