It is one of the questions I get asked most before booking. People ask about the makeup artist, whether I bring a hairstylist, whether they need to hire someone before the session. My answer tends to surprise people a little, I do not include it by default, but if you want to bring your own makeup or coordinate a hairstylist, I am happy to arrange that with you. It is not a fixed rule. It is a working choice, and like every choice, there is a reason behind it.
What I am after with that choice
Not including a makeup and hair team as a standard part of the session is not a statement about how anyone should look. It is a decision about what kind of photography I want to make. A heavily produced session, with hours of styling work before the first photo, tends to build a specific version of the person, shaped to look a certain way for those particular hours. That is a great tool for fashion or advertising. But my work is after something else, that ten years from now you recognise yourself in that photo as you truly are, not a heavily worked version of you that only existed that afternoon.
I want to be clear about this because it matters to me, none of this means that wearing makeup or styling your hair distances you from who you are. For many people makeup is part of their everyday identity, another way of expressing themselves, not a disguise. If you feel like yourself with your usual makeup on, or with your hair freshly styled, the person in the photo is still you. What I try to avoid is not makeup itself, it is a very intense production, built around a result rather than around the person, ending up with images that do not look like who you actually are.
What I do prepare
None of this means showing up unprepared. Quite the opposite, there is a lot of work before the camera even appears. I scout the location days in advance, I check where the light enters at each hour, and I choose the time of day that suits that specific space best. I think about the colour palette of the bed linen, about whether an east or west facing window works better, about which pocket of light lasts less than an hour and is worth building the session around.
I also prepare the conversation beforehand. We talk about what clothes you have, what colours suit you, what garment makes you feel like yourself. And makeup comes into that conversation too, if it is part of your everyday routine and you feel like wearing it, we talk about which version of yourself you want to show. That work of judgement takes the place that a full styling team occupies in other kinds of photography. The difference is that here, the decisions start from who you already are, not from what could be added to change the result.
If you want to bring makeup or a hairstylist
Some clients arrive with their everyday makeup already on, or want to style their hair a specific way for the session, and that is perfect. Others prefer to come exactly as they are, with nothing added. Both options are equally valid, what matters is that it is your decision and not an expectation I impose on you. If you would rather have a session with professional makeup and hair styling, I can recommend professionals I know and happily coordinate the session with them. The only thing I do not do by default is include that team as a standard part of the service, precisely so the decision stays yours rather than a production that is assumed from the start.
Light as an ally
In Granada I am lucky to work with light that helps a great deal with all of this. Soft, natural light entering at a low angle flatters without anyone noticing the trick, whether you are wearing makeup or not. I use reflectors to fill shadows, curtains to diffuse contrast on very clear days, and I wait for the exact moment when that light does its work. That light is one more tool in my kit, alongside time and patience, and it works just as well with whichever face you bring that day.
Judgement, not a rule
I understand this can sometimes read as offering less service. We live surrounded by heavily produced images, and it is easy to think that less equipment means less care. To me it is exactly the opposite. Every decision I make, including not bringing a styling team by default, is aimed at a single goal, that the photo is genuinely yours, whether you decide to wear makeup, style your hair, or come exactly as you arrived.
If what you are looking for is an image that gives you back to yourself exactly as you are, that is always the starting point, with or without makeup. And if you also want to bring your own, or coordinate a hairstylist for the day, just let me know. If you would rather sort it out before booking, you can start a conversation with me.
