Suntan or No Tan ?
This is one of those questions that comes up every week. The client’s skintone is important but that doesn’t mean it has to be tan. Light porcelain skin can look stunning in portraits. My word of caution is to make sure to balance your body color to the color on your face. There is nothing more difficult to deal with than a face that is one color and a body that is another. I prefer my clients to have some warmth to the color of their skin.
If your preferred tan is the one that comes from the sun be extra careful not to get burned. The red from a sun burn is very difficult to fix with make-up and just as hard with touch-ups in the computer. In fact I tell my clients that if they get a sunburn to simply call me to postpone their photo session to a later date.
The self tanning lotions work very well as long as you make sure to apply a thick moisturizer before you apply the self tanning lotion. The reason for the moisturizer is that the self tanning liquids tend to sink into the driest skin (the palms of the hands, the knees, and the elbows) making them darker than the rest of your skin. Also do not apply a lot of self tanning to your face. If your face is REALLY tan your make-up won’t have a nice glow.
Lately we’ve been working with a company called Glow that comes to you to apply an organic suntan. The final look is gorgeous and the liquids in the tanning solutions are completely organic.
Tanning Beds and Spray Tans often look fantastic. I do have a couple of cautions. With tanning beds it is common to get an uneven tan under the arms, between the legs, and in the folds of the skin under the model’s butt. Make sure to adjust your tanning position often to even out these potential problems.
Lastly I want to mention that I have had problems with spray tans that look overly orange. If you are getting a spray tan make sure to choose a color that is more brown than orange. The most photogenic tans are more of a soft golden brown.
When you are getting ready for your photo session one of the last things we do is have the model apply a light amount of skin moisturizer. This really adds a beautiful sheen the model’s appearance and makes the curves look even more shapely.
Let me know if you have any questions… I’m happy to help !!!
Don
