MACRO BEAUTY PHOTOGRAPHY / CLOSE-UP · ADVERTISING · EDITORIAL

View macro beauty portfolio ↗Approach & commissions ↓

Max Factor Miracle Prep Lip Scrub advertising page showing a lip product applied beside textured lips.

Macro eye photograph with pink and lilac makeup, defined lashes and a dark eyebrow.

Freckled beauty close-up with muted pink lipstick and a dark flower beside the face.

Beauty portrait with graphic white eyeliner, blue eyes and metallic gold nail colour.

Macro photograph of glossy lips surrounded by small lettered beads and star decorations.

Close beauty portrait with closed eyes and golden water reflections across the skin.

Close beauty portrait with red, yellow and blue butterfly motifs across the face.

Macro beauty composition with matte pink lips on dark skin framed by deep shadow.

Close study of vivid pink lipstick and natural lip texture against dark skin.

Beauty close-up with closed eyes, warm light and moving water beside the face.

Close beauty portrait with yellow flowers beside the eye and orange lipstick.

Macro detail of a brown eye with long, defined lashes against softly lit skin.

Macro eye portrait with a blue iris, softly shimmering makeup and individual lashes.

Close-up of matte pink lipstick showing the outline and texture of the lips.

Paired close-up of glossy red and dark berry lips against a black background.

Macro photograph of bright pink lip gloss with reflective highlights and visible lip texture.

Close eye portrait with silver and black star decorations around the eyelid and brow.

Beauty close-up with a geometric jewellery pendant held between glossy lips.

Close detail of coral lip gloss with shimmering highlights and parted lips.

Close-up of dark brows, long lashes and warmly lit skin around the eyes.

Creative beauty close-up with gold eye makeup, red and pink lip colour and a vivid floral detail.

Macro eye photograph showing a makeup pencil beside lilac eyeshadow.

Close-up of glossy red lipstick against dark skin with a bright pink background detail.

Extreme close-up of a blue eye, lashes and dark shimmering eye makeup.

Close-up of coral lipstick, parted lips and a clean outline of colour.

Macro beauty portrait with dark lashes and pale blue nails resting beside the eye.

Close detail of tweezers positioned beside the eyebrow on softly lit skin.

Macro photograph of an eyelash curler positioned over the upper lashes.

Close eye photograph showing a transparent contact lens on a fingertip near the eye.

Close-up of a man's open mouth with a white tablet resting on the tongue.

Side close-up of a man's mouth drinking a pale liquid from a glass.

Macro side view of an eye with a dropper bottle releasing a drop above it.

Close eye photograph showing long, separated lashes and a brown iris.

Close side portrait with a dark fringe, reflected light and fine skin detail around the eye.

Close portrait with a pale, cracked facial mask around the eye.

Macro shaving detail showing a brush and white lather beside the lips.

Close detail of a man's hand applying cream to the cheek.

Macro shaving photograph of a gold-coloured safety razor beside white foam on dark skin.

Macro beauty photography by Simon SonghurstDiscuss a campaign ↗

London · Italy · International commissions

Beauty, examined
in detail.

Simon Songhurst is a macro beauty photographer working in London and internationally, creating specialist close-up imagery for cosmetics brands, advertising agencies and editorial commissions. His work places attention on the details that define a product: the edge of a lip colour, the separation of lashes, the surface of skin or the precision of an application gesture.

With 25 years of photographic experience, he brings a considered approach to light, composition and expression at close range. The portfolio spans lip and eye makeup, contact-lens application, skincare detail, creative beauty and men’s grooming, including a published Max Factor lip-product advertising layout.

Discuss a macro beauty brief ↗

Specialist close-up photography

The detail becomes the image.

At close range, small visual decisions carry considerable weight. A highlight can define the finish of a gloss; the position of an applicator can clarify a gesture; the placement of focus can determine which part of an eye or a lip holds attention. The photograph needs a clear hierarchy, even when the composition contains only a small part of the face.

This selection moves between highly controlled product detail and more expressive beauty compositions. For luxury cosmetics brands, creative directors and art buyers, the commissioning question is specific: which characteristic of the product should the audience see, and what kind of image will communicate it most effectively?

Cosmetics advertising

Close-up beauty imagery for product launches, campaign hero images and supporting details. The composition can centre on a finish, an application or the relationship between a product and the face.

Macro beauty editorial

Specialist close-ups for magazine beauty features and editorial stories. Colour, materials and unusual details can give a series its visual direction while retaining precision in the photograph.

Application & detail

Photography briefs involving applicators, beauty tools and fine gestures around the eyes, lips or skin. Position, focus and product visibility are considered as part of the creative direction.

01 / Lips & colour cosmetics

A precise study of colour and finish.

Lipstick, lip gloss and lip-care photography depend on the distinction between colour, surface and reflection. A matte finish and a reflective gloss call for different approaches to light. The outline of the colour, the shape of the lips and the placement of a highlight need to support the intended product story.

The portfolio includes vivid pinks, coral tones, glossy reds and dark berry shades, alongside a Max Factor lip scrub advertising layout. For lipstick launches, lip liners, liquid lip colour, tinted balms, lip oils or gloss campaigns, share the desired finish, colour references and any packaging or applicator that needs to appear in the image.

02 / Eyes, lashes & brows

Clarity at close range.

Eye makeup photography brings several fine details into the same frame: the iris, the shape of the lid, individual lashes, the brow and the texture of the surrounding skin. The creative brief should establish which element leads the composition, whether the emphasis is mascara definition, a line of colour or a more graphic beauty treatment.

Close-ups in this portfolio show separated lashes, shimmering eye makeup, a makeup pencil, brow tweezers and an eyelash curler. These references are relevant to mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, brow products and beauty-tool briefs. Application images and finished-look photographs can be planned together while giving each a distinct purpose.

03 / Contact lenses & eye care

A clearly observed gesture.

Contact-lens photography requires the eye, the lens and the gesture to remain legible within a tightly framed image. The portfolio includes a transparent lens on a fingertip close to the eye, as well as an eye-drop application detail. Such images depend on a considered relationship between the product, the subject and the point of focus.

For contact-lens brands, optical-care campaigns and eye-drop advertising briefs, provide the intended action, product visibility and the brand’s approved demonstration requirements. The photography should describe that action accurately. Product use, suitability and any clinical claims remain with the commissioning brand and its qualified advisers.

04 / Skin & surface detail

Texture with a photographic purpose.

Close-up skin photography can make the surface itself the subject. Freckles, fine texture, a cream on the cheek or the edge of a facial mask each provides a different visual starting point. A clear lighting direction helps retain the detail that matters while keeping the image consistent with the brand’s aesthetic.

The macro selection includes facial-mask texture, cream application, reflective water and precise shaving details. This page focuses on the close-up execution of such briefs. Broader skincare campaigns, full portraits and product-led brand stories are covered in the dedicated skincare advertising portfolio.

05 / Editorial & creative beauty

Precision with room for invention.

Technical control can support an imaginative beauty image rather than make it clinical. Star decorations around an eye, lettered beads near the lips, botanical elements and metallic details change the way the face is read. At close range, the placement of each element becomes part of the composition.

For editorial beauty features, a sequence can move between an extreme detail and a wider close-up while retaining a coherent treatment of light and colour. The idea may begin with makeup, a material or a visual reference, then develop through discussion with the art director and creative team.

06 / Campaigns, packaging & retail

Made for the finished placement.

A close-up intended for a large advertising placement must remain clear when seen at scale. Packaging artwork, point-of-sale displays, retail panels, magazine pages and outdoor campaigns each place different demands on framing, copy space and the amount of detail within the image.

Share the final artwork dimensions, intended viewing context and proposed crops early. A detail that works on a digital product page may need a different composition for a campaign poster or billboard. The brief should establish resolution, output and retouch requirements before the shoot, rather than assume one photograph can serve every format unchanged.

Planning a cosmetics launch, specialist eye-care brief or editorial beauty feature?

Share your creative direction ↗

Planning the commission

A precise brief for precise imagery.

For a macro beauty commission, describe the product characteristic or action that the image must communicate. Include the intended crop, the makeup finish, any applicator or tool in frame and the required relationship between product and subject. Visual references are useful when they identify those decisions clearly.

The creative and practical requirements need to be considered together. Casting, makeup, product availability, application arrangements, timings and retouch direction should be discussed alongside image count, intended media, territories and usage duration. Simon can then respond to a defined photographic brief.

Visual priorities

What must be sharp, visible or emphasised? Share the desired finish, colour references and the role of the product, skin or makeup within the composition.

Production context

Dates, location, product samples, casting and the creative team. Include application requirements and any specialist product handling that needs to be arranged.

Usage & delivery

Image count, layouts, retouch expectations, launch dates and final output specifications. Confirm media, territories and usage duration as part of the commission.

Commissioning questions

What is the focus of this macro beauty portfolio?

Specialist close-up photography of lips, eyes, lashes, brows, skin texture and product application. The images include cosmetics, contact-lens application, beauty tools and grooming details for commercial and editorial contexts.

Can I commission lipstick or mascara advertising?

Yes. Share the product, desired finish, creative references and intended layouts. Lip colour, gloss, lashes and eye makeup are prominent in the portfolio and can be discussed as part of a specific campaign brief.

Can a brief include contact lenses or eye-care products?

Yes. The portfolio includes contact-lens and eye-drop application imagery. Provide the proposed demonstration and the brand’s approved requirements so the photographic and production arrangements can be discussed.

Where does Simon work?

Simon works in London and internationally and is based between London and Italy. For wider art-directed portraits, explore creative beauty photography; for broader product-led skin campaigns, see skincare advertising photography.

Specialist beauty commissions

A closer view of your next campaign.

For beauty brands, advertising agencies, art buyers and editors commissioning specialist macro and close-up beauty photography, contact Simon Songhurst with your brief.

info@simonsonghurst.com ↗London · Italy · International commissions