There’s no shortage of people,
claiming to be makeup artists. Unemployed talent show hopefuls, dripping in
disastrously ill matched foundation, being cases in point.
Qualified makeup artists (the
sort delivering commercially credible results) are highly trained and skilled.
I was approached by Ellie
Thurgood https://purpleport.com/portfolio/elliethurgoodmua/
, a part time MUA, who’d attained her NVQ level 2 funded by, and alongside
another role. Ellie was talking in terms of moody portraiture. Despite a lack
of references, she communicated her ideas coherently, came across as focused,
reliable and professional. Gut instinct paid off.
With light and climate becoming
unreliable, we agreed on an indoor location. I left model selection in Ellie’s
court. She’d know the attributes required and I didn’t want the shoot scuppered
by an unknown (and potentially unreliable) candidate.
I headed to the East Midlands,
on another mission. Ellie quickly recruited Jerri Eliza https://purpleport.com/portfolio/jerrieliza/
Location, timing and suggestions flowed
between us, via networking sites and other, digital platforms. Ellie was
bringing her portable ring light, I opted to keep things simple. Flashguns, Sony
Alpha SLR, Samsung NX CSC, batteries, portable LED “wand” and reflector.
Oh, and of course, sustenance
for all parties. Miserable models, or (more likely) surly photographer could
prove a real creativity killer during a four-hour shoot. We’d all agreed Monday
evening-7pm.
I arrived on set at 6.45,
Ellie 5 minutes later. Jerri was already there. Real world introductions done,
we unpacked and set up. I’d gone for a 50mm 1.8 prime, set the flashgun and
fired a few shots, then tweaked the settings to suit.
With a relaxed, yet purposeful
mood, talk turned to our backgrounds. Something of a sociable loner (contradiction
in terms, anyone) I am fascinated by people, which probably explains my
transition to social photography.
Jerri happened to mention her
family were of Irish origin, which explained her very pale “Celtic” complexion (although
they had been in London’s East End for several generations).
She’s grown up in Newham (Custom
House and later, East Ham). I’d lived in the central park area of E6. A stable
and relatively, safe district 20 odd years back. However, inner city districts
are always transitioning to some extent and once the creatives enter,
developers aren’t far behind…
On best behaviour, I managed
to subdue any urges to lament the area’s loss of derelict buildings/backdrops. She’d
also worked in animal welfare, with an impressive understanding of dog breeds
and their foibles.
My lighting calculations were
accurate. Alternating between silver and bronze reflectors also achieved some
positive contrasts. I have a resistance (rather than aversion) to golden hues
but it appeared complimentary to Jerri’s tones and hair colour.
Two striking looks (and
variations) and good rapport saw time literally evaporate- We said our goodbyes,
and I headed home to begin post-processing.
