I’m so excited to share this behind the scenes glimpse of a winter inspired photoshoot with you all. Now that I am 16 weeks post hair transplant surgery, Makeup Artist, Stylist and Photoshoot Co-Ordinator Jana Jurakova really had her work cut out for her to take the focus off of my hairline regrowth and make it all about the makeup.
Photographer Marco Cuttin wanted these photos to be head shots only, which is a first for me as a model. I tend to rely on the fashion aspects of a shoot to create unusual shapes with my limbs, adjust my posture and camera angles, am predominantly in heels and vary in height from standing to sitting and all else in between. But for this shoot I would simply have my face…
I have to confess that whilst head shots have always been my weak point for me in modelling due to making eye contact with the lens for prolonged periods of time, I found this shoot wonderfully liberating. For the very first time I had no hair extensions, heels or accessories to distract the focus of the shoot or play with, so instead I embraced my inner peace and self-acceptance.
I love how natural, minimalist and calming these pictures are, which built up in complexity as the makeup progressed in stages with the addition of crystals, darker eyes, glitter and jewellery to follow the frozen winter theme.
With this shoot focusing on headshots only it meant that I could spend the entire afternoon barefoot in casual trousers which was incredibly comfortable and a far cry from spending several hours in heels and awkward poses that test core control, balance and posture. Instead I could completely relax and feel at ease and the hours on set flew by.
With my hair slicked back into a ponytail, Jana took my parting to one side to conceal the regrowth of my hair transplant in my hairline. I’m so used to having long blonde hair to throw around, run my fingers through and use as a shield so to speak, so taking this prop away really stripped back my appearance and made it all about the makeup.
And how beautiful the makeup was at every stage of the shoot! Starting from a soft and natural glow across the skin with a nude lip and white shirt, this progressed to an ivory blazer and crystals across the neck and eyes with a smokey eye and rich lip. We also went from natural nails to frozen inspired nail extensions in blue and white with snowflakes and these subtle touches against neutral clothing really became such striking details.
We also played with a series of lighting and backgrounds which ranged from a light grey to charcoal, black, blue and green with the addition of a mirror and hands used across the face whilst wearing jewellery for variation, contrast and to compliment the winter theme that became stronger throughout.
Building up the to ice aspect of the shoot, I had my hair taken down and slicked into a wet look with glitter across my face and into my hair. My eyeliner was made stronger, my lips darker with a sparkle and teamed with statement snowflake earrings and a sparkling sequin top the look was so dark and dramatic against the black backdrop.
I absolutely love how Jana interpreted the inspiration for this shoot and made the makeup her own with a beautiful asymmetry of glitter placement, crystals across my neck, eyes and eyebrows and the use of bold jewellery and nails.
Photographer Marco says: “A photo shoot can be a challenging experience, but with the right attitude and team, it can also be incredibly rewarding. This was certainly the case during our recent photoshoot with Tracy, a stunning model with a natural talent for creating beautiful images. What really impressed us, however, was her calm and positive demeanour, even in the face of unexpected challenges.
During one part of the shoot, we experienced a sudden lighting problem. Despite having backup units that failed to work, Tracy remained cool and collected. We had already captured two out of three desired looks, and with Jana’s incredible makeup work, it would have been devastating not to complete the final look. However, after a bit of time, we were able to get everything back to working order replacing power cords. In fact, the end result was even better than we had anticipated.
Tracy is the kind of person you want on your team all the time – she’s down-to-earth, easy to work with, and has a great sense of humour. Not only that, but the camera seems to adore her. We feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such a talented and wonderful person.”
Feel free to visit photographer Marco Cuttin and makeup artist Jana Jurakova to see more of of their wonderful work.
