Skin First

Beauty that looks like nothing takes the longest. There is no graphic line to carry the frame, so everything rests on preparation, temperature and restraint.

Decide the finish before the colour. Matte, satin or wet changes how the lens reads every other choice, and it cannot be fixed in the edit without flattening the face.

Match the light, not the mood board. A reference shot in a north-facing studio will not survive a rooftop at five in the afternoon. Test on the set you are shooting on.

Leave the hair alone longer than feels comfortable. Movement is a beauty decision, and the strongest frames are usually the ones where nothing was set.

Photograph the state you want to keep. Skin changes across a nine-hour day, so the frames that matter should be booked early, and the touch-up should be a correction rather than a rebuild.