Whether it’s wiping away the wrong make-up, padding out a little needed cleavage, or keeping the camera eyepiece dry, no fashion shoot ever has enough tissue. Douglas Voisin, a Miami, USA-based fashion-advertising photographer and film director, reports from on set.
Many people may not know that the way each fashion shoot begins, be
it in a motorhome on location in Miami or on a secluded beach in Granada, is with make-up being done on the models.
Make-up artists might have a whole table full of the trendiest colours from MAC and Revlon, or be working out of a mobile kit on location, but the one thing that is never missing… is a roll of tissue.
It may be that the model arrives at 6am still in her nightclub makeup (yes this happens) and it has to be removed!
It may be drying the tears of a beautiful Danish model while she breaks up with the boyfriend over text right before the shoot (yes this also happens)!
No fabulous fashion shoot can ever have enough tissue!
With music blaring and stylists doing final fittings of the clothes on the models before the shooting actually starts, there’re always little hiccups that need to be addressed. The shoe samples are too big – reach for the tissue! Stuff some in the shoe.
Need a bit more cleavage on this dress – tissue will solve that.
The photographer, kneeling in the sand on the beach on a scorching sunny day, starts sweating so much he can’t see through the eyepiece of the camera – tissue!
Who knew these little white squares (or rectangles) could be so essential to the inner working of creating such amazing fashion imagery! I can remember days where I had to send an assistant to get more rolls of tissue just to finish out the day, because – hello, essential!
End of the day, everybody worn out, pizza break on the beach. Everybody needs tissue!
Later that evening getting home to my little hyper-kinetic seven year old, after a big hug to Daddy and having chocolate milk while telling him the highlights of the day, one swift hand gesture and there goes the spilt chocolate milk – “Daddy, get some tissue!”
