Research Log

Photographer Website CommentIain Crawford http://

iaincrawford.com/Crawford is a photographer grew up in Africa and Malaysia. His career has lead him to work for some of the world’s top brands in beauty and cosmetics. He is renounced for “strong graphic and textural quality, often searching out the graphical symmetry in chaos”. I particularly like this shot that Crawford took as part of a collection of different shoots that his conducted like this. I like the chaos in the photo and how the makeup is seen ‘splattered’ everywhere on the, yet it’s toned down with sterile background. This in turn has also allowed the makeup to stand out more. I like the way the model has not been lost in the photo either as her eyes, though not making contact with the camera, can still be seen in the shot in amongst everything else.

Ruth Rose http://www.ruthrose.co.uk/

Ruth Rose is an international fashion, lingerie and beauty photographer from London. Her work is very varied - this is one of many shots that I liked. I like the ‘messy’ element that this shot has as well as the contrast in colour with the lipstick and eyeshadow – this has accentuated them and made them stand out in the dark colours of the photo. The water in the photo also makes it more interesting as it reflects the light and adds elements of texture. There is a lot of different textures present in this photo e.g. the hair, the matte lipstick and the water – I like the element of contrast that this has brought to the photo.

Alexander Khokhlov http://alexanderkhokhlov.com/

Alexander Khokhlov is a Russian photography whose work I admire at lot – namely his ‘weird beauty’ series. He is a fashion and beauty photography, and this is a shot from the ‘weird beauty’ series. This is a series of work I like for a number of reasons. Everything is black and white and this is something that I find very striking about the photos and adds a high level of contrast in terms of colour too. I particularly like the pattern used here with the makeup as it has added weird angels on the models face, and also has highlighted the eyes, giving more of a focal point, with the way in which the makeup draws out from them. The emotion has still been brought out in the models eyes and has not been lost in the makeup - this is something that I will continuously want to achieve in my own work.

Claire Harrison http://www.claireharrisonphotography.com/wordpress/

Claire Harrison is an international photographer based in London working with some of the most prestige clients today. I really like this photo that is part of one her beauty portfolios. I love the cool and unique vibe that the photo has – all of Harrisons work has a contemporary feel about that I would like to bring across in my own work. Two photos here have been transposed together and this has worked really effectively. The model in the head on shot is making eye contact with the camera and therefore the focal point in the image has not been lost, yet there is so much more emotion present in the photo where the model is seen looking off in the distance in the other shot. I really like how the rest of the photo is sterile and how the vibrant lip colour stands out in amongst everything else in the photo.

Kutlu Photography http://www.kutlu.com/

Kutlu is a Turkish photographer that is known for his striking beauty shots. He now divides his time between Paris and New York and has worked with an array of famous clients. This i one shot from his work that particularly caught my attention. I like the controversial message and the angle that he has taken with his work here and the way he has used makeup as something bad and ‘ugly’ by using the match as the eyeliner. I love simplicity of the shot as this has allowed the focus to remain on the message in the shot. The models eye here are not making contact with the camera here but the communication in the shot is still here as it is so strong. There isn’t a lot of colour used in the shot, and instead Kutlu has used similar colours of different textures to accentuate and highlight certain parts of the shot e.g. the nails.

Amber Grey http://www.ambergray.net/

“The characters portrayed in Amber Gray’s work inhabit a world more colourful, dramatic, and whimsical than our own.” Gray’s work is something that really caught my eye as she such a unique style and approach in her work. Known for working with strong, beautiful women Gray’s work really brings out fun and personality. In this particular shot I loved the expression of the models and how they have remained so present in the photo without any eye contact with the camera. The colours used on the makeup have really made a statement and I like how the lightening used has accented this. The lightening has also made the angles on the faces really strong and sharp - I love the definition this has created.

Anathema Photography (Danielle L. K) http://anathemaphotography.com/

Danielle L. K (known as ‘Anathema’) is well known horror photographer from Canada – I am a huge fan of her work. Though typically the focus her work is something surreal brought across with a controversial message, her work uses a lot of makeup in different ways to help her create the characters that she does. I love the precision and perfection the characters in her work have in terms of aesthetics. Her work has inspired me to do more with horror and SFX makeup. I really liked this shot for numerous reasons. I like sterile background and lightening used – the shadow cast is something that I wouldn’t normally like but I think it works here. I also like the unusual pose of the model and the presences she has in the photo without looking at the camera.

Yulia Gorbachenko http://www.yuliagorbachenko.com/

Yulia Gorbachenko is a photographer based in New York. This shot is one that particularly caught my attention due to the vibrant colour. The model has been painted to look like part of the background but the clash in texture has allowed her to remain present in the photo and the expression on her face has created emotion. The colour in the shot really is the focal point though. I like the way embellishments have been added on the face as well. The angle at which the photo is taken is else that I really like; I feel it really compliments the models features.

Michael David Adams http://michaeldavidadams.com/

Adams is a fashion and beauty photographer from New York city. His work has a very unique style as he likes to work with different elements, such as water, seen here is this photo. I love the high-fashion edge his work has as well as the editorial vibe. I like the water in this shot as it really compliments the beauty element in the shot. I think it’s really effective how the light has reflected on it and the texture it has created. I like the way the model is half submerged in the water here and the angle at which the photo is taken. The clash in colour in the shot is something interesting too. Because everything in the shot is predominately blue, the red on the eyes and lips has made them stand out, also creating a focal point.

Jayesh Pankhania http://www.jayeshpankhania.com/main/

This is a shot I found that immediately caught my attention. Jayesh Pankhania’s work is something very different. A lot of his work is commercial for various different beauty brands. This one shot that really stood out for me is because of the focus that has been drawn to one feature on the face as oppose to the whole face that is seen in so many beauty shots today. I love how the lips have been ‘erased’ out with the background and they can only be seen where the pink paint has been put on the lips or where the teeth are. I liked the detail that has been captured in this photo.

Viktoria Stutz http://www.viktoriastutz.com/

Viktoria Stutz is a beauty, cosmetic and hair photographer based in Germany. Her work is very contemporary and in some parts, like this shot I found, unusual. A lot of Stutz work is profile based and also uses a lot of close ups to really show up the makeup. I found this photo really interesting from her ‘universe’ series of work. I like the shape used and the angles. The model isn’t making eye contact with the camera but this works as all the focus is brought to the mouth area where the makeup is.