Wedding Makeup Advice From Carolyn Scott

It's the first Wednesday of the new month, and that means, yup, you guessed it, we get a new feature by guest writer, Carolyn Scott, the awesome Raleigh wedding photographer. This week, regarding wedding makeup! Thank you so much to Carolyn for writing this feature! Like always, I truly appreciate it, and am happy to share your wedding photography advice with readers!



I get asked about makeup a lot, which is kind of funny since I hardly wear it and I could probably name about three brands if I tried. ;) But girls getting ready for their big day are really concerned about how their makeup will affect their photographs, so I’ve compiled a list of things to keep in mind as you pick out your makeup artist and makeup location for your day.

1. It doesn’t have to be dramatic: I highly recommend doing what you feel comfortable with. If you want dramatic makeup, by all means make it dramatic! But don’t get pushed into having a lot of heavy makeup by friends or your makeup artist if you aren’t comfortable wearing it. Be yourself and be comfortable because…

2. Not wearing enough makeup is a myth: I’ve photographed plenty of weddings with very natural girls, two in particular simply wore mascara, and that was it. Both of their weddings were published, one in a national magazine, and the other on a popular wedding blog. They looked GORGEOUS and they looked like themselves, which is what they wanted. Did it cause me a problem while photographing? No. Did it make the girls look pale or strange in the pictures? Absolutely not. They looked simply stunning, perhaps even more so because they looked so natural.

3. But there IS such a thing as too much makeup: In contrast to the natural beauty presented by wearing little makeup is the ever-present danger of wearing too much. Too much makeup absolutely can and will cause photographic challenges. Many brides have their makeup done almost like stage makeup for the benefit of the guests to see their features during their vows. The downside to this is the photographs. You will have a ton of close-up portraits done, and you really don’t want to look clownish. Layers and layers and layers can look piled on and create strange skin tone variances and an unnatural-looking surface. Fake eyelashes will definitely be visible and noticeably fake due to the crispness of lenses. Some people are fine with that, but just know what type of look you’re going for instead of being talked into too much makeup.

4. Don’t go tanning the month before your wedding: There’s nothing worse than an orange bride. Your bridesmaids, your groom, your groomsmen, and even your grandma have more than likely not been tanning, so you’ll stick out like a sore thumb in all of your pictures. It’s fine to want a little color, but don’t go tanning for at least a month before your wedding in case your last session turns you orange. My advice? Don’t tan at all. It’s hard to keep orange tones down in pictures and you don’t want to look like a nuclear accident.

5. Get ready in natural window light: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, florescent lighting doesn’t translate well to photographs taken outdoors. Make sure that you do your makeup in natural light so that you’ll have a good sense of what it will look like outside.



(photo credit: Sandra Proudman Photography)

Getting Ready Pictures by Carolyn Scott

Getting Ready Pictures: How to Make the Most of Them
By Carolyn Scott, the talented Raleigh wedding photographer.

(Like always, a huge thanks to Carolyn for writing this month's wedding photography segment for brides that are looking for wedding photographer tips!)

(photos credit: W. Scott Chester Photography)

Getting ready pictures can be often overlooked by wedding couples. They’re often dismissed as not needed or silly. But oftentimes, surrounded by friends and family putting on makeup and dresses— and guys doing whatever they do, which is typically sitting around watching some sort of sporting event—can be a very emotional and beautiful time with the opportunity for stunning candid photographs. Unfortunately, many couples choose the location for their ceremony and reception, but not their getting ready portraits. It becomes sort of a last-minute sort of thing, or they choose the small, windowless church basement offered to them by their ceremony vendor. To avoid this, here are some things that you can do to get fantastic getting ready pictures: 1. Choose a location for both the girls AND the guys: Don’t fall into the trap of using whatever room is suggested or provided by the venue without seeing it first. Usually these are dark rooms with no windows and overhead florescent lighting. Actually go around and scout out your possibilities, but don’t forget the guys! Sometimes the girls will get ready in a beautiful room and the guys will end up in a dark basement. Sure, the guys may not care, but the pictures will be ugly. Remember the guys! 2. Choose locations with PLENTY of natural light: Windows make the best light ever. Overhead lighting makes the worst. Choose a location where you can turn off the lights and leave it to the windows to light the space. 3. Don’t put on your makeup in the bathroom: After you choose a room with beautiful light, don’t leave it to go put on your makeup in the bathroom! Bring an extra mirror or drag over the full-length one to the window if you’re doing your makeup. Putting on makeup in florescent lighting is a very bad idea if you are planning to have your wedding outdoors; the makeup doesn’t translate well. Pull the mirror over toward the window so that you get good natural light, which will provide you with awesome pictures and great makeup that will translate well over to the ceremony. 4. Don’t trip over each other: Choose a room big enough to accommodate the people who will be in it. We’ve been in spaces with 20+ people in a 2 person hotel room. Let me tell you: It doesn’t work. Everyone gets irritated and panics, and your photographer will have a heck of a time trying to jump and trip over people sitting on the floor. Plan well so that you’re not stressed, and choose a room that’s large enough. Keep in mind, all of the ladies will have large bags and you’ll have a few extra bodies—makeup and hair artists, and your photographer—in there with you.