Showing posts with label beauty photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beauty photography. Show all posts

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Beauty Shoot with Taiwanese Model

Asian beauty applying cream to face
Taiwanese woman applying cream to face, beauty shot
© Photographer: Kenneth Paul | Agency: Dreamstime.com
I was organizing a beauty shoot a few weeks ago. The ideas about beauty in Asia are different to those in the West. In brief (I will do a more in-depth post about this soon), Chinese woman prefer whiter looking skin, bigger eyes, and less accentuated facial features (So less contouring and highlighting to get a flatter appearance).
Asian beauty portrait
Chinese woman beauty shoot
© Photographer: Kenneth Paul | Agency: Dreamstime.com
The tendency towards whiter paler skin comes from stereotypes about social status; darker skinned people are seen as sun-baked laborers who work in the fields. This is quite different from the Western perception of paler people being unhealthy or ill. To exaggerate this look, beauty photos in Taiwan are often slightly overexposed to wash out more detail. In addition the model would wear foundation that is perhaps a shade or two lighter than her actual skin tone to get a brighter complexion.
Asian beauty portrait
Taiwanese woman beauty
© Photographer: Kenneth Paul | Agency: Dreamstime.com
Overall, the standard of beauty in Western countries generally veers toward a mature, seductive, sexy, and sultry look while in Asia, especially Taiwan, China, and Japan, the standard of beauty reflects youth, innocence, purity, and cuteness. With this in mind, I cast a model who embodied all of these traits perfectly.
Portrait of Chinese woman clear skin
Chinese woman modeling for beauty shoot
© Photographer: Kenneth Paul | Agency: Dreamstime.com
All the photos were shot on a Canon 6D with a Canon 70-200 F2.8 L lens. The lighting was a standard beauty lighting clamshell setup for most of the shots. The key light was a monolight in an 80 cm brolly box on top with a reflector at the bottom. Two V-flats were used in front and two monolights used on the white background. The key light was placed relatively low for less contrasty, flatter look. The two white V-flats in front were also added to reduce shadows. Two black V-flats were put on the sides to add definition to the outline of the face.
Asian female applying mascara
Chinese woman applying mascara for beauty shoot
© Photographer: Kenneth Paul | Agency: Dreamstime.com

For more photos from this series and others, see this set:
shutterstock asian beauty skincare chinese taiwanese

Monday, May 26, 2014

Japanese Kimono Shoot in Danshui


Last weekend, Mei and I decided to do a Japanese-themed shoot. There are many types of kimonos, and they each have their own protocol for when they are appropriate to wear.  The colour, pattern, material, and make are all considerations when selecting the appropriate kimono for the occasion. She has a few kinds of kimonos and chose a yukata for this shoot at a Japanese house and garden in Danshui.



Asian woman wearing a yukata and holding an umbrella in Japanese
Oriental Woman in Kimono in Japanese Garden
© Photographer: Imagesbykenny | Agency: Dreamstime.com
 
A thousand years ago, Japanese nobility wore bathing gowns called yukatabira. Over time these evolved into the yukata (literally "bathing clothes" in Japanese) in its modern form, a light, unlined kimono worn for casual summer events and relaxing at home. The patterns are dyed on the cloth using the same process as for the komon. The yukata (浴衣)  should never be worn in formal situations. A standard yukata outfit consists of a juban, yukata, obi sash, bare feet or geta sandals, a foldable hand fan, and a kinchaku bag.

 


Asian woman wearing a kimono in front of Japanese wooden windows
Asian Woman in Kimono Holding Fan by Japanese Wood Frame Windows
© Photographer: Imagesbykenny | Agency: Dreamstime.com

In general, men wear dark solid colors, young people wear bright, vivid colors with bold patterns, older people wear dark, matured colors and dull patterns, and children wear multicolored prints. Since Mei is a beautiful young woman, we went with a bright floral print.



Asian woman wearing a yukata in front of Japanese style windows
Oriental Woman in Kimono in front of Japanese House
© Photographer: Imagesbykenny | Agency: Dreamstime.com
 

Putting a yukata on is quite a process and Mei went to a studio in Banciao that specializes in hiring out Japanese garments and helping people dress in them. The way it is put on is the left side of the yukata is wrapped over the right side and fastened with an obi sash. The excess of the obi is tied in a bow at the back.


Asian woman wearing a kimono in Japanese garden
Woman in kimono in Japanese Garden
© Photographer: Imagesbykenny | Agency: Dreamstime.com


Stock photos of Japanese people and culture on Shutterstock