Amy Dunn, Houston Photographer Blog » Make Up For Ever

New Photo Added to Beauty Section

amydunn — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:08:53 +0000

Photographer: Amy Dunn
Photo assistant: Jon S.
Makeup artist: Erin McCarthy
Model: Fania

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

Make Up For Ever
New York City, 2009

Two Photos Added to Macro Section

amydunn — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:45:03 +0000

I finally got around to adding two images from a test I did in May. I did my own retouching here, so you can see I kept the pores intact. Skin is good. Even though it does not look like I did much retouching, I spent hours in front of the computer fixing chips and discoloration in the model’s teeth and “plucking” lip and chin hair one by one. If anyone has a better suggestion for hair removal, please advise.

See more images like these in my Macro section.

Photographer: Amy Dunn
Makeup artist: Erin McCarthy

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

Make Up For Ever
New York City, 2009

New York State of Mind

amydunn — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:38:34 +0000

During my last week in New York City, I got to squeeze in a shoot with a couple of my favorite people: Erin, the monstrously-talented-force-to-be-reckoned-with-artist at Make Up For Ever and Stephen Eastwood, a freaking Canon Explorer of Light as my companion to b.s. with during breaks. Who’s better than me?!

Erin sent me the files from our shoot, and I suddenly felt nostalgic. Over the last two months, I traveled to Europe and spent a good portion of time in Houston and Austin, TX. Many shoots I organized in the listed cities fell apart for some strange reason, and while Texas boasts some serious beauty and talent, the energy is way too laid back here. I would love for someone to prove me wrong.

I originally intended to crash the Photo Plus Expo in NY; however, I must attend a wedding in Texas this weekend and would not miss it for anything. BUT, I found a ridiculously amazing deal at Jet Blue today and will visit New York City next week! My mind keeps racing over the possibilities of shooting there, and I want to explore some of the ideas I intended to test but could not due to time constraints. I definitely want to shoot with Erin because we always get such amazing beauty work, and I will see if I can get the infamous Mr. Stephen Eastwood to be my “reflector bitch” again. He really does fill in a good shadow, doesn’t he?

Photographer: Amy Dunn
Lighting consultant: Stephen Eastwood
Makeup artist: Erin McCarthy
Model: Anka

Make Up For Ever Studios
New York, NY 2009

Gear: Canon 5D Mark II
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM
Hensel Flash Unit and Small Softbox
Reflector for Fill

Beauty Test with Model, Anka

amydunn — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 04:59:46 +0000

I consider myself lucky to live in New York and work with such a talented pool of artists. Erin McCarthy invited me to a test at the MUFE studio and booked a lovely model from Russia named Anka. Stephen Eastwood kept me company today and helped light the set. Stephen is an official Canon Explorer of Light, but he happily stood there with a reflector in his hands, joking about one more talent to add to his extensive resume.

Stephen and I set up a small softbox camera-right and added a gridded kicker light in case I pulled back. Erin worked her magic on Anka’s delicate features, and we got a nice series of beauty shots today. My lens did a lot of hunting in a low-light setting, and the focus did not always lock properly. I wish I brought a different lens, maybe the 100 mm Macro or 180 mm Macro if my arms could keep it up and steady. I really like the 70-200 mm f/4.0, but if you can afford Image Stabilization, I say make that splurge.

I have one outtake to show my blog readers, but please forgive the ruddiness of the shot. I will have the whole series ready and retouched in a few weeks, and I promise they look ten times better! Thanks for checking in, and I look forward to seeing you at the next blog post.

Photographer: Amy Dunn
Lighting consultant: Stephen Eastwood
Makeup artist: Erin McCarthy
Model: Anka

Gear: Canon 5D Mark II
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM
Hensel Studio Lights

New York City, 2009
© Amy Dunn
All rights reserved

Make Up For Ever Workshop

amydunn — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:37:58 +0000

Ever since I got my hands on the Canon EF 100 mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens, I have developed a series of closeup makeup shots. I love emphasizing the fine details that a makeup artist lovingly applies to her subjects. The 100 mm allows me to capture those details and forces me to get creative with composition.

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

Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

Amy — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:31:19 +0000

Seeing that I’m part-Irish, it’s only fitting I post my favorite green photo today. I shot this a few months ago for Make Up For Ever. Erin McCarthy rocked my world when she produced this masterful creation on Catherine Frances Scott, a New York City stunner.

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!