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Share Your World Beauty photography: A Photographer’s Guide by Patrick Bellair

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Share Your World There are 8,475 languages spoken around the world but there is only one language when it comes to photography – it's called the joy of photography. I have the pleasure of inviting you on a visual journey together with SanDisk and the members of our SanDisk Extreme Team. Enjoy amazing photography and learn the tips & tricks behind some of the members' best images. We want to inspire and give you the opportunity to strengthen your photographic skills. And maybe our Share Your World books are the gentle push you are missing to lift your photography to the next level. Our books are also celebrating passionate photographers from around the world who capture fleeting moments on our SanDisk memory cards and safely preserve them on our storage solutions. There are those who claim that a single image tells more than 1000 words, I claim that it speaks on behalf of 8,475 languages. Yours sincerely Brian Pridgeon Director Product Marketing, Content Solutions

All photos by Patrick Bellair Graphic design: Håkan Andersson Text editor: Laura Graf A Better Moments production www.bettermoments.com All images and text in this book are under International Copyright Legislation. Any violation of the International Copyright Legislation will be reported to the International Court of Justice of International Copyright Legislation

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Beauty photography:

A Photographer’s Guide

Interview

Why I Use SanDisk

Iconic Photos

I am Patrick Bellair, and in this eBook, you will discover the exciting job of a beauty photographer. I "fell" into beauty photography about twenty years ago when I bought my first camera. I have since worked for magazines, major cosmetic brands, jewelers and many more. I will share some of my secrets with you in this e-book. When you want to start out in beauty photography and create stunning images, you will need to make sure that you have all essential elements in place. And by that, I am not only referring to fancy equipment as there is much more that goes into creating a beautiful photo. I hope this book will teach you some essentials about beauty photography and, more importantly, inspire you to follow your passion.

Tips & Tricks

Patrick Bellair

Culture is essential in this field. It is necessary to be interested in makeup, hairstyle, light, style, and trends. – Patrick Bellair

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Patrick Bellair:

I always leave room for serendipity

It started with portraits of his classmates and an improvised studio made out of white sheets and several rolls of tape. Today, French photographer Patrick Bellair is an experienced beauty and fashion photographer pursuing his passion, which was sparked the moment he held his first camera in hand.

Passion > money In a creative and competitive industry like beauty and fashion photography, it is tempting to give into the lure of money move away from doing what you actually love. “I always put my passion before money,” Patrick says when asked about his biggest career achievement. “So the biggest achievement was not to get lost along the way and saying ‘no’ at the right time.” Photography is a path he started to pursue early on, at the age of 18 to precise as this is when he was given his first camera. Soon after, all he could think about was photography – from the second he woke up to the moment he fell asleep. Patrick did his first shoots with his classmates at university and eventually built his own studio at home: a white sheet and garden lights, held together with tape and string. “I had found something exciting to live for,” he remembers.

Study, analyze, evolve Today, Patrick is an experienced photographer but still eager to learn. He draws his inspiration from his role model, photographer Miles Aldrige, and the incredible atmosphere in his images. Moreover, Patrick loves the energy and color in the paintings of Françoise Nielly and also visits the website Behance.net often where many photographers exhibit their work. Although digitalization is taking over, Patrick still considers magazines to be the best school to learn from, “I love to deconstruct images to better understand them, study trends, and analyze the light in order to always evolve my technique.”

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Experiment, make mistakes, analyze, start again! – Patrick Bellair

Sharing his passion Beauty photography is a rich discipline that covers several different areas, for instance cosmetics, jewelry, makeup, and conceptual. For Patrick, jewelry is the most fascinating as every piece has its own story, “It’s a pleasure for me to sublimate it through an image,” he says. Many of his images are quite theatrical and Patrick enjoys building sets and getting involved in their realization. Typically, his photoshoots are 50% planned out and 50% left to chance to allow him to be guided by his feelings and to transcribe the moment’s emotion in the image. Some of his favorite images, however, were not created in a studio but on stage, “My favorite projects are photo shows. I love being on stage with my team to create an image and share my passion with the audience.”

The role of post-production Another favorite of his is black and white photography, “It is a way to tell a story more directly, the character not being polluted by color.” Patrick clarifies. Usually, this decision is made before a shoot and Patrick already knows how he wants the final rendering of an image to look like. However, it is not a rule and the decision can still be changed during post-production. Editing images is a part of any photographic discipline but it is absolutely essential for beauty photography. Skill and precision are required to turn the raw image into a beautiful, often flawless one. “For me, a beauty image cannot be delivered ‘raw’ as it is not meant for reportage purposes.” Patrick explains, “Beauty is also the search for a certain form of perfection.” 8

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A fast memory card is key

Beauty photography 1-0-1 Beauty photography is a fast-paced métier to work in. Hence, speed and precision are vital – both for Patrick and his equipment. As in any profession, you need to have the right tools. These are my essentials: I use a Fujifim GFX 100s body, for its definition and quality of its sensor. Beauty photography requires the use of a long focal length lens of 110 - 120mm at least. This type of lens will flatten the perspectives and sublimate the face of the model. Ideally, use a macro lens to achieve sharp close- ups. I use a fixed focal length GF 120mm Macro Fujifilm. For a beautiful rendering, you have to work with flash allowing you to close the diaphragm and gain in sharpness. In general, I'm around F11 - F13. I use Profoto gears, for their incomparable quality. The diffusion accessories that you will place on your flashes will allow you to modulate the light. I use a beauty dish when I want a harsh light, a softbox for a softer rendering, and a large silver umbrella for shine and energy. 10

It is essential to keep pace when the model is in motion. It also needs to be fast enough to transfer to the computer to avoid latency. Finally, it must be reliable. Losing a day's work would be a disaster I wouldn't wish for anyone to happen. I use SanDisk extreme PRO® SDH UHS-II 300MB/s cards.

Patrick’s favorite products I use SanDisk cards for their reliability and speed. A high-quality card is the link between the capture and the final image. Which one is your favorite product and why? I trust SanDisk extreme PRO® SDH UHS-II 300MB/s cards. A day of beauty shooting is often hectic. You have to be ready at the right time. Sometimes I have only a few minutes to take the images. That's why I'm very demanding with my equipment. I can't afford to have latency in the transfers.

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Patrick Bellair’s

Iconic Photos

Patrick’s career spans more than 20 years so narrowing it down to merely ten images is tough. Enjoy the following selection of images and the story behind them

This has always been my favorite image. The idea was to make an ethnic beauty portrait. My goal for this photo was that everyone could imagine a story. 105mm, 1/125 sec., f3.5, ISO 320 – Continuous light (2006)

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These picture are from a Rock Beauty editorial. I like the energy that comes out of it. There was a lot of work going into the makeup. My best friend who was the makeup artist and I really think we created something amazing. Left: 120mm, 1/125 sec., f/9.0, ISO 200 – Flash with beauty dish (2018) Top: 120mm, 1/125 sec., f/8.0, ISO 200 – Flash with beauty dish (2018)

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This image was made at a time when I was studying and experimenting with light. There is one light illuminating the back, and a second one is installed in the front with a mask attached to it to only let an S-line pass through. 61mm, 1/125 sec., f/14.0, ISO 100 - Multi Flash (2020)

I like this black and white portrait for the strength it gives off. It is both simple and striking. I would love to print it in a large format. 120mm, 1/125 sec., f/14.0, ISO 100 – Flash with beauty dish (2018)

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I wanted to work on this portrait, to work on the pep and energy to create a more fun image. Left: 110mm, 1/125 sec., f/9.0, ISO 100 – Multi Flash (2020)

I love this image for its extremely definite look. Everything is under control. Every detail is important – and there is a lot of them in this image. 110mm, 1/125 sec., f/9.0, ISO 100 – Multi Flash (2020) On this very simple image, my focus was on the glosses, which I wanted to perfect to have an ideal beauty rendering. 120mm, 1/125 sec., f/6.4, ISO 100 – Flash with a silver umbrella (2019)

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The "blue hands" is a picture that represents me well as it is a mix of classic and offbeat. 120mm, 1/125 sec., f/4, ISO 800 – Continuous light (2019)

I love this image for its unusual approach. This beauty shot is both classic and completely atypical. 100mm, 1/125 sec., f/6.4, ISO 100 – Flash with beauty dish (2019)

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Exclusive insights

Tips and Tricks At SanDisk we have carefully selected a team of high-end photographers who are all masters of their craft. In this section, Patrick Bellair shares the techniques behind his images.

I had a lot of fun doing this series. I met with several florists to find the ideal arrangement and, more importantly, understand how to make it work. An assistant was hidden behind the model to support the hairstyle. Everything in this picture is real. Often, it's more a question of passion than technique. 82mm, 1/125 sec, f/22, ISO 100 – Multi flash with Stripe box and beauty dish (2011)

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The team surrounding you is of the utmost importance. In a shoot where every detail counts, the photographer needs to have an excellent culture to communicate effectively with the team. Finally, the model must also have charisma, attitude, and presence to create the magic moment that will be captured forever on the image. 150mm, 1/160 sec, f/16, ISO 50 – Multi flash with Stripe box and beauty dish (2011)

This image was taken during a photo show for the Profoto brand. I put a flash with a stripe box on one side and a beauty bowl on the other. The model was lying on the stage. This image was made in a few minutes. The pressure was intense as the audience was discovering the pictures on a giant screen at the same time as me. This is a great memory. 120mm, 1/125 sec, f/13, ISO 100 – Multi flash with Stripe box and beauty dish (2019)

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One of my favorite series. As you can see, a lot of work went into doing the model’s makeup. The volume of the holes was created with glued elastics. Get creative, there is no need to invest a lot of money in accessories. 105mm, 1/125 sec., f/3, ISO 250 – Continous light (2006)

Again, the team you are working with makes the difference. The makeup artist and hair stylist are two key player, and a project stands or falls with them and their abilities. 125mm, 1/125 sec., f/22, ISO 100 – Flash with beauty dish (2006)

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So many memories in one picture! The model thought we were crazy when we told her about the concept. Art direction is the main element. It should be logical and harmonious. The idea is to give a strong identity to the images you want to create. In the end, the model loved the image and the oysters we opened at the end of the day to celebrate the successful shoot. 105mm, 1/125 sec., f/22, ISO 100 – Flash with beauty dish (2008)

For this picture, we used real ice cubes. I thought the ice cubes would be bearable on the skin. But how mistaken I was! In the end, this picture is the only one that was usable since the model got up a few seconds after we put the ice cubes on her face. Ouch... I should have known better. 98mm, 1/160 sec., f/22, ISO 100 – Flash with beauty dish (2008)

I loved marrying the flowers and the jewel in this sweet and gentle composition. Again, be creative in the choice of your accessories – a little, simple idea can go a long way. 78mm, 1/125 sec., f/22, ISO 100 – Flash with beauty dish (2008)

There were more than 7 hours of preparation for barely 10 minutes of shooting. The idea was to create a jacket with makeup and to have a very organic outfit. As a beauty photographer, the equipment that is an absolute must-have is passion of course. The rest is just a bonus. 50mm, 1/100 sec., f/1.4, ISO 126 – Continuous light (2016)

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This image is one of my favorites. I realized it during a show with students. The model is lying on the floor and I was at the top of a ladder to shoot from above. The idea was to create a tribute to Jackson Pollock. I also wanted the model to be integrated into the set. That way she is visible almost only on the second reading. The image exemplifies my style – a hybrid of thorough planning and being spontaneous. If you want to leave your mark in the business, your style must be unique and recognizable to create singular images. 50mm, 1/125 sec., f/13, ISO 100 – Flash with beauty dish (2016)

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Save the moment

Explore our world

At SanDisk, we not only strive to provide you with the best gear to safely store your photos and video footage, but we also want to share inspiring images and the passion of photography that we all have in common. It doesn't matter if you are a professional photographer or casually snap photos with your smartphone, everyone is invited to be a part of our visual adventures.

Patrick Bellair Meet the SanDisk Extreme Team The SanDisk Extreme Team has been carefully selected by SanDisk and consists of the best photographers within their industry. The members are award-winning photographers in, for instance, wildlife, wedding, fashion, or landscape photography – here you can see four of them. Visit the SanDisk Extreme Team's website and social media channels for more inspiration and information. https://shop.westerndigital.com/en-ie/community/ extreme-team

Light & shadow Beauty photography has its own unique challenges as it seeks perfection in many ways. French photographer Patrick Bellair knows how to capture anything from hair to make-up in the most glamorous way. Photo by Patrick Bellair

SanDisk - Trusted by the Pros Visit our SanDisk online shop to find our latest products and great prices. For a look behind the scenes and to stay up-to-date, follow us on social media. www.sandisk.com

Kirill Umrikhin Underwater windsurfing If you can imagine it, it exists. Photographers like Kirill Umrikhin challenge the status quo of photography with their out-of-the-box thinking. Photo by Kirill Umrikhin

Liz Kreutz Lance Armstrong at the 2017 Epic Rides. How do you document the life of big athletes both in the sparkling limelight and their private life behind the scenes? Liz Kreutz has spent years walking on the fine line between the two extremes. Photo by Elizabeth Kreutz

Marcus Bell Weddingscape Marcus Bell is known for the beautiful combination of wedding portrait and gorgeous landscape but also manages to turn even a photo taken at the most boring and mundane location into a work of art. Photo by Marcus Bell