Mastering the Craft of Beauty Retouching: Insights from London-based Beauty Photographer | Chloe Kempson

As a beauty photographer based in London, I have spent years perfecting my craft and developing a personal approach to beauty retouching. Retouching is an essential element in beauty photography, and it's crucial to understand the right techniques to achieve a flawless and polished final image. In this blog post, I will discuss my personal approach to retouching in beauty photography and the techniques and tools I use to achieve stunning results.

Beauty retouching can be, in most cases, a completely different investment of time and use of retouching methods than those used in fashion images. In most cases, beauty photographers use macro lenses and high-resolution cameras that capture the beautiful skin texture that is so essential in beauty portraits, in order to showcase details in the skin and makeup that effectively market beauty products. That being said, although my aim when retouching is not to airbrush the model completely, these high-definition images can make apparent things that are not usually detectable by the human eye. Even small details like a stray nose hair or spider vein can stand out when using classic beauty photography equipment. Beauty retouching is required to enhance the natural beauty of the subject, but doing so in a way that is natural conversely requires a significant time investment to produce these natural results.

Importance of Retouching in Beauty Photography

Retouching is an essential step in the beauty photography process. It involves enhancing and perfecting the beauty of the subject by removing blemishes, correcting imperfections, and creating a more polished look. Retouching can enhance the makeup and hair of the subject, resulting in a more impactful final image. Retouching is not about altering the subject's features but rather enhancing them, resulting in a natural and beautiful look.

A natural approach to Beauty Retouching to enhance the subjects natural beauty

My Personal Approach to Retouching

As a beauty photographer, my personal approach to retouching is focused on creating a polished and natural-looking image. I use a combination of tools and software to achieve a flawless final image. Here are the techniques I use in my personal approach to retouching:

1. Skin Retouching One of the most critical elements in beauty photography is the skin of the subject. To achieve a smooth and flawless appearance, I use advanced retouching techniques like frequency separation, dodge and burn, and color grading. Frequency separation is a technique used to separate the texture and color of the skin, allowing me to retouch each element separately, however I only use this technique for models with complex skin issues that the client wants to address. My main method of skin retouching is dodge and burn. This technique is used to enhance the highlights and shadows of the skin, creating a more three-dimensional and polished look. Color grading is used to enhance the skin's color and create a more uniform appearance.

2. Makeup Retouching Makeup is an essential element in beauty photography, and retouching can enhance its impact. To enhance the makeup in my photographs, I use techniques like color correction, sharpening, and saturation. Color correction is used to correct any color imbalances in the makeup, while sharpening is used to enhance the details of the makeup. Saturation is used to create a more impactful and vibrant look.

3. Hair Retouching Hair is another crucial element in beauty photography, and retouching can create a more polished and voluminous look. Enhancing hair in photographs, in my personal opinion is one of the most challenging parts to a retouching job. Retouching hair in a natural way is far less forgiving than the skin. I often advise clients to seek out a specialist hair retoucher for hair specific jobs, as this is complex and back breaking work if the clean-up needed is extensive. When working with hair, I like to make sure that as much work is done as possible to the hair on the day of the shoot to ensure that we can produce a naturally perfect result in post production.

Before and after of Hair Retouching in Beauty Photography

Advanced Retouching Techniques

1. Composite Retouching Composite retouching is a technique used to combine multiple images to create a more impactful final image. To create a more dramatic and eye-catching final image, I use composite retouching to blend different images and create a more natural-looking background or combine images of the subject to create a more impactful final image.

2. Creative Retouching Creative retouching is a technique used to add artistic elements to the final image. To add unique and impactful elements to the final image, I use creative retouching to add graphic elements, textures, or colors to the final image, creating a more artistic and impactful look.

Conclusion

Retouching is an essential element in beauty photography, and my personal approach to retouching focuses on creating a polished and natural-looking image. By using a combination of advanced retouching techniques, I am able to enhance the beauty of the subject and create a stunning final image. My personal approach to retouching in beauty photography has been developed over years of experience and experimentation. By understanding the importance of retouching and the right techniques, I am able to bring out the beauty of the subject in a natural and beautiful way.

As a beauty photographer based in London, my personal approach to retouching enables me to create stunning and impactful beauty images. By using advanced techniques and software, I can enhance the beauty of the subject and create a polished final image that is true to the subject's natural beauty.

Chloe Kempson is a highly experienced and talented London-based beauty photographer, with a background in modeling and creative direction. With over 12 years of experience, she has developed a unique perspective and technical ability to create stunning images that capture the essence of her subjects. Chloe's portfolio showcases her versatility in editorial, commercial, and beauty photography, meeting the specific needs of her clients. Her ability to direct her subjects and collaborate with a team has made her a sought-after photographer in the industry, with a reputation as one of the top beauty photographers in London. Check out her portfolio here to see more of her work.