How to be more photogenic
October 17, 2004 | 12:00am
Everyone, male or female, wants to be good-looking. And everyone would pay a mint to be more beautiful, stunning, and photogenic. It is no secret that when you feel beautiful and know that you are photogenic, you exude a self-confidence that could open the doors to fame, love, wealth and success. Besides, who would mind a flattering compliment like "You really look ravishing tonight"?
A few years ago, I went to Los Angeles (specifically, Hollywood — the film capital of the world!) to learn about filmmaking with Dov Simens at the Hollywood Film Institute. My impossible dream is to one day direct my own movie. I am ready, but it is that elusive, all-important script that I haven’t found yet. (I believe that if your story is mediocre, even if you had De Niro or Kidman star in your film, it would still turn out mediocre.)
It was in one of my lighting classes at the American Film Institute with Hollywood master lighting director Verne Carlson that I discovered two of the best-kept secrets as to why Hollywood men and women look stunning and photogenic. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that most of them were born good-looking. But even a beautiful person under the wrong lighting conditions can look distressingly bad.
The two Hollywood secrets? Definition and lighting.
Look at a photo of your favorite Hollywood actress and a photo of yourself. Compare them. What difference do you see? The facial features in your photo are sort of washed out while Elizabeth Taylor’s (or Julia Roberts’) are so well defined. In fact, every little lash is perfectly in place, making its own little but powerful beauty statement!
This is the first secret to being stunning and photogenic – definition. A good-looking man/beautiful woman’s best friend is his/her makeup or grooming artist. You must define, define, define. What you define and detail becomes noticed – and gets registered by the camera!
The second Hollywood secret to looking great in pictures is lighting. Most film legends like Marlene Dietrich had their own personal light men. They wouldn’t show up on the set without that special man who would erase their eye bags and wrinkles all through the magic of lighting.
Another one of my brilliant film gurus, Hollywood director and cinematographer Michel Hugo (he directed the fab TV series Dynasty) related how Joan Collins would yell, "Don’t stand in my light!" whenever some actor would cross the light beam from her personal spotlight.
My lighting professor, Verne Carlson, said that black people are hard to light especially when they are in the same frame with a Caucasian. Extremely fair people are hard to light, too, because they lack contrast. Lighting is both a science and an art. And experience is the best teacher for its mastery. Through lighting, you can create radiance, depth, mood, interest, movement, and most of all, beauty.
Of course, life is unfair. All of us know or have met some real stunning people who are remarkably beautiful and vibrant in person but in photos look disappointingly plain and blah. Yet there are some people whom you wouldn’t notice even if you bumped nose to nose with them, but on film or video are stunningly striking and photogenic.
Why are some people photogenic? Photo means light. Being photogenic is all a matter of how light is cast upon your face and gets reflected back to be caught on film or video to create a pleasing, appealing picture. Your facial bone structure has much to do with this. It determines the light and shadow configurations on your face that get projected to the camera and captured on film or video.
Another important factor is the proportion of the elements of your face (your eyes, nose, mouth, chin, cheekbones, etc.) in relation with each other. Of course, no one is born with a perfect face (except ‘60s model Jean Shrimpton, the ‘80s supermodel Paulina Porizkova, and that gorgeous guy in Armani’s Giò ad). But thank the heavens that you can work wonders on your face with lighting and makeup.
Realizing your flaws and limitations, and knowing what you want to happen are the starting points of your hundred-meter dash towards a more good-looking and photogenic you. You have to learn some makeup witchcraft to enhance whatever nature has given you!
The art of makeup is nothing but trickery using light, shadow, and color. With the aid of some powder, pencils, blushers, lipsticks, mascara, and brushes, you can paint on how you want your face to look like. But it isn’t just simply dabbing on makeup; you have to know where and how to put it. You should know how to disguise your flaws and highlight your good features to bring out the most attractive, stunning, and alluringly photogenic you. And like for all forms of art, practice makes perfect.
I am one of the rare people blessed with the ability to perceive faces as though I were viewing them through the cold eye of a camera. I can tell if someone is photogenic or not, by simply looking. And I have decided to use this talent to help people who really want to look better.
The big difference between your trusted cosmetic artist and I, is this: I don’t put makeup on people. After viewing your old photos (I’ll have to look at some) and assessing how you look in person (bone structure, skin quality, flaws, good features), I direct, guide, and tell you exactly what to do so that you’ll end up looking great and photogenic. In short, you do your own face (there is no better way to learn).
No, Valerie, I am not a makeup artist – I am a face designer! Realize that this is a relatively new and exciting field of expertise I am practicing. I realized that my special gift could help people look better, gain more confidence, and improve their lives.
Like in painting, you have to start with a clean canvas – a clear, clean, healthy face. Maintain your skin or go to your dermatologist to clear up pimples and other skin disorders if you have any. Make sure your sensitive facial skin is not irritated from too much skin peeling or abuse.
When your skin is back to its normal, healthy condition, then you can start putting makeup on. Skin hygiene and maintenance are prerequisites for a stunning, beautiful face. When you have bad skin, it doesn’t matter much what else you apply, put on or wear!
Not everyone may avail of "face design". Some people already look great so there won’t be any need to redesign their faces. But no one is without hope of looking better. You can learn the concepts and actually try applying them just for fun, and you can even have photos taken to show you the startling difference before and after the face design.
I have helped both men and women "redesign" their faces. They are usually amazed at the resulting "after" photos. But what I found out about most people is that even if they look so much better using the new techniques, they would usually revert to their old faces.
People who have been so used to seeing themselves a certain way for years and years would feel slightly resistant to a new look. You see, the old face is comfortable like an old habit. This is why some people easily go back to their old face. A lot of people even get locked into an era or trapped in a certain style and just can’t adjust to changes in the global fashion arena.
These days if you really want to reinvent yourself and raise a few eyebrows in delight, you must be hip and adventurous about beauty, fashion, and makeup. If you are not, you’d look uninteresting, tired, old, and dated.
I believe that everyone has the right to beauty. Everyone can be more beautiful and look more stunning in pictures. By learning (and unlearning!) more about your face, body, posture, carriage and projection, knowing your best assets as well as your flaws and limitations, realizing which styles best complement your personality, using the right beauty tips from beauty experts, and daring to experiment and discover your perfect look, you can face the world with a more attractive face and more gorgeous you.
Somebody once asked me what my secret is when I try to help unravel the beauty of a person. Simple. I don’t look at what a person looks like; I envision what he or she could be!
You can text me at DERO, space, your message, and send to 2920. You may also e-mail DeroSeminar@yahoo.com or text 0920-4053233.
A few years ago, I went to Los Angeles (specifically, Hollywood — the film capital of the world!) to learn about filmmaking with Dov Simens at the Hollywood Film Institute. My impossible dream is to one day direct my own movie. I am ready, but it is that elusive, all-important script that I haven’t found yet. (I believe that if your story is mediocre, even if you had De Niro or Kidman star in your film, it would still turn out mediocre.)
It was in one of my lighting classes at the American Film Institute with Hollywood master lighting director Verne Carlson that I discovered two of the best-kept secrets as to why Hollywood men and women look stunning and photogenic. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that most of them were born good-looking. But even a beautiful person under the wrong lighting conditions can look distressingly bad.
The two Hollywood secrets? Definition and lighting.
This is the first secret to being stunning and photogenic – definition. A good-looking man/beautiful woman’s best friend is his/her makeup or grooming artist. You must define, define, define. What you define and detail becomes noticed – and gets registered by the camera!
Another one of my brilliant film gurus, Hollywood director and cinematographer Michel Hugo (he directed the fab TV series Dynasty) related how Joan Collins would yell, "Don’t stand in my light!" whenever some actor would cross the light beam from her personal spotlight.
My lighting professor, Verne Carlson, said that black people are hard to light especially when they are in the same frame with a Caucasian. Extremely fair people are hard to light, too, because they lack contrast. Lighting is both a science and an art. And experience is the best teacher for its mastery. Through lighting, you can create radiance, depth, mood, interest, movement, and most of all, beauty.
Why are some people photogenic? Photo means light. Being photogenic is all a matter of how light is cast upon your face and gets reflected back to be caught on film or video to create a pleasing, appealing picture. Your facial bone structure has much to do with this. It determines the light and shadow configurations on your face that get projected to the camera and captured on film or video.
Another important factor is the proportion of the elements of your face (your eyes, nose, mouth, chin, cheekbones, etc.) in relation with each other. Of course, no one is born with a perfect face (except ‘60s model Jean Shrimpton, the ‘80s supermodel Paulina Porizkova, and that gorgeous guy in Armani’s Giò ad). But thank the heavens that you can work wonders on your face with lighting and makeup.
The art of makeup is nothing but trickery using light, shadow, and color. With the aid of some powder, pencils, blushers, lipsticks, mascara, and brushes, you can paint on how you want your face to look like. But it isn’t just simply dabbing on makeup; you have to know where and how to put it. You should know how to disguise your flaws and highlight your good features to bring out the most attractive, stunning, and alluringly photogenic you. And like for all forms of art, practice makes perfect.
The big difference between your trusted cosmetic artist and I, is this: I don’t put makeup on people. After viewing your old photos (I’ll have to look at some) and assessing how you look in person (bone structure, skin quality, flaws, good features), I direct, guide, and tell you exactly what to do so that you’ll end up looking great and photogenic. In short, you do your own face (there is no better way to learn).
No, Valerie, I am not a makeup artist – I am a face designer! Realize that this is a relatively new and exciting field of expertise I am practicing. I realized that my special gift could help people look better, gain more confidence, and improve their lives.
When your skin is back to its normal, healthy condition, then you can start putting makeup on. Skin hygiene and maintenance are prerequisites for a stunning, beautiful face. When you have bad skin, it doesn’t matter much what else you apply, put on or wear!
Not everyone may avail of "face design". Some people already look great so there won’t be any need to redesign their faces. But no one is without hope of looking better. You can learn the concepts and actually try applying them just for fun, and you can even have photos taken to show you the startling difference before and after the face design.
People who have been so used to seeing themselves a certain way for years and years would feel slightly resistant to a new look. You see, the old face is comfortable like an old habit. This is why some people easily go back to their old face. A lot of people even get locked into an era or trapped in a certain style and just can’t adjust to changes in the global fashion arena.
These days if you really want to reinvent yourself and raise a few eyebrows in delight, you must be hip and adventurous about beauty, fashion, and makeup. If you are not, you’d look uninteresting, tired, old, and dated.
Somebody once asked me what my secret is when I try to help unravel the beauty of a person. Simple. I don’t look at what a person looks like; I envision what he or she could be!
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