11/21/2025
Some photographers say, "I'll fix it in Photoshop" during a shoot when there is no time or no easy way to re-shoot something.
In professional beauty photography, however, that’s not the mindset you can afford to have.
Here’s what actually keeps my images looking as close to flawless as possible before I even open them in Photoshop:
1️⃣ Capture it perfectly in-camera. No “fix it later.” Every detail — light, skin complexion and shine, makeup precision and colors, hair flyaways — matters now, not in post. Especially in macro beauty!
2️⃣ Shoot tethered into a big screen for the team. A big screen on set = instant feedback. My team spots stray hairs, makeup errors, excessive skin shine in real time while I focus on light, composition, and the model's posing.
3️⃣ Choose your beauty team like royalty. The right model + skilled MUA experienced in beauty photography = 90% of the final image: Perfect bone structure, flawless makeup that works SPECIFICALLY for close-up beauty (those macro lenses pick up more than you can see with a naked eye), and tone means less retouching, more realistic skin texture, and magical beauty to send to your clients and publish on your website and social media 🪄
When you get the foundation right — team, light, carefully checked details — retouching becomes polish, not rescue work.
That’s when images come out perfect, straight out of the camera.
You will still have enough retouching to do, but you won't need to waste time fixing what could have been corrected before the capture.
Beautiful by 💄
Hair by
Photo & post by
☑️ Tools I use:
📸 Camera 5D Mark IV - this was shot before my beloved 5Ds and I can see the result of a smaller camera sensor in the images now / + 100mm lens
💡 Lighting
✍️ Retouched with
🎉 Our New Beauty Retouch v5 with AI-powered tools & scripts is here:
🔗 https://retouchingacademylab.com/ (link in bio)
