Simple makeup is transformed into what commercial photographer Rich Begany calls anomalous landscapes.
“Coming in very tight and using carefully shaped, focused light reveals an amazing amount of detail,” Begany says. For this photograph, small imperfections in the background became distracting, so he cropped to allow the textures to compose the entire image. He used a spotlight to send a narrow beam down into the center of the frame, allowing the negative space to recede and fade to dark.
Begany used a Phase One XF IQ3 100MP camera system with a Schneider Kreuznach 120mm LS f/4 macro lens and exposed for 1/1,600 second at f/11, ISO 50. To ensure focus was maintained throughout the frame, he stacked 15 captures using Helicon software.
“The photos speak to the color and finish of the makeup products featured but are also meant to be enjoyed in an abstract, purely visual way,” he says.
Amanda Arnold is a senior editor.
