I wanted to share a personal brand photoshoot I did a few weeks ago with an up and coming makeup brand created by San Diego-based makeup artist Marian. Marian’s Beauty Boutique is the name of the brand. This shoot was a little different than some of the other personal brand photoshoots I’ve done in the past in that my client wanted to focus this shoot on her products without it being a product photography shoot.

Who?

I met Marian at photoshoot put together by Black SD Magazine for breast cancer awareness. She was such a delight to work with. We stayed in contact every since…commenting on each other’s Instagram posts and encouraging each other along the way. Marian has been in love with cosmetics since she was young. She would borrow her mother and aunt’s lipsticks to share with her classmates when she was nine. Marian is a self-taught makeup artist…she watched numerous YouTube videos to further hone her skills.

Marian worked as a professional makeup artist for over 15 years before she decided to launch her own beauty brand. In her own words, Marian’s Beauty Boutique “[e]mbrace[s] not only the craft of Makeup Artistry, but about the making up of Self Care & Mental Health all while delivering creativity.“ 

What?

Marian reached out to me about a month ago and asked me to do a brand photoshoot with her models for the launch of her beauty brand. I was so excited when she reached out. I love seeing Black women go after their dreams and I love being part of that process. We discussed her vision and how she wanted her photos to look. She envisioned golds and maroons…colors of her culture. I love when small business owners embrace who they are and incorporate that into her shoot.

Photoshoot Details

So of course we had the photoshoot at Hendo Studios. We initially discussed a gold-ish background, but eventually with the burgundy background and I think it was a great choice. I think the models really popped against the background. The photos would be used in the launch of lipsticks, setting powders, and lashes.

Alexcia and Kayla did the makeup for all the models. I always love when there are professional makeup artists at shoots because it makes my job so much easier because I don’t have to spend as much time retouching images. It is highly recommended you use a professional makeup artist when you book a professional photoshoot.

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We started out with individual photos and ended with group photos. I tried to do the same or very similar individual poses for each model so that Marian would have consistency in the images that went on her website. There were some images where the models were just serving face and there were some where the models were holding the products. For the group photos, I made sure to get an image of all the models together and then I grouped the models based on the lipstick they were wearing.

It was such a pleasure getting able to photograph this beauty line and work with these amazing women. Check out Marian’s website if you’re interested in any of her great products!