Whether you know it or not, you’ve likely seen the work of fashion photographer Paolo Pineda in a magazine, billboard or advertisement.
Having worked with design directors, models, hair stylists and makeup artists, Pineda has picked up more than a few tricks from these style-makers. I asked him to give me a brief on his interests, the women he likes to shoot, and some tips he’s picked up along the way.
I turned to professional photography because…I wanted to stop time.
My favorite subject to shoot are… my muses.
The most beautiful subject I’ve shot is… Jenny Rockett.
In my youth, when I wanted to ask one of the models out… I never used pick-up lines. I just asked them out.
My current creative outlet is… directing and filmmaking.
My favorite words during photo shoots are… “It’s a wrap!”
The hardest thing I had to shoot was… myself.
The craziest shoot I had to do was… travel to three countries in one day to shoot one campaign.
If I had to choose between a Mac or PC, I’d work with a… Mac, because the Apple logo looks cooler than the Windows logo. Mac is just very intuitive and stable for editing photos or films.
The three things I wish I had done sooner in my career: document my life the past 10 years for my photo diary book project; work in at least four major countries (HK, New York, Paris and Japan); and stop living like a rock star.
For the long hours shoots tend to take, I never forget… my sunglasses.
My top three movie actresses to shoot are… Miranda Kerr, Lindsay Lohan and Kate Upton.
When it comes to celebs, my favorite beauty endorser to shoot is… Solenn Heussaff. I think the last campaign I shot with her is Asian Secrets by Unilab. I always love shooting Solenn.
My failsafe grooming products are… Carmex lip balm, Creed Millesime Imperial scent, Tigi Bed Head stick and Bed Head Epic Volume shampoo, because of its smell.
If you want to catch my attention, I am most drawn to scents of… citrus!
My favorite scent on women is… Bleecker Street by Bond No. 9.
“I really don’t have a kikay kit. When it comes to grooming myself, I’m as plain as Safeguard,” says Paolo. (Follow Paolo Pineda on Twitter @paolpineda or check out his works at www.paolopineda.com.)
Top tip: You may impress your gal pals with trendy outfits or flashy eye makeup, but men don’t usually respond to anything too overdone. If you’re trying to get the attention of a guy like Paolo who, having worked in fashion, has seen it all, listen to advice from James Molly, director for Makeup Artistry for MAC, who recently visited the Philippines.
Molly has done the makeup of Dita Von Teese, Fergie from Black Eyed Peas and Emma Watson. I had a few minutes to sit down him with to talk about makeup that men respond to, and this is what he had to say:
“I think women enjoy playing and experimenting with makeup. When it comes to the red lip, I think many guys either think it’s scary or amazing. For women, anything that kind of empowers them, like black eyeliner, a dark smoky eye or red lips is very empowering.
I think guys just like women to look like a polished version of themselves. Guys generally prefer women to look softer. They like girls to look sweet but women like to look sexy. So I think it’s finding that middle ground that’s key.”
