This is a great example of how makeup in-person can looks dramatically heavier prior to being photographed. Even though the pic on the left is a photo, it captures what it looks like in-person for some reason. I would assume it is due to the lighting possibly without a flash and the quality of the camera (phone).
When I am working on clients strictly for photo I know I can get away with a lot more product. However more often than not, the makeup is for in-person and also for photo. This is when I have to find the right balance combining the best of both worlds, after getting an undertanding of what kind of look will help my client look and feel the way they want to look and feel. Often they don't know what exactly that is, which is when I ask questions and take into consideration who they are and what they are wearing, to make their dreams (they didn't know they had) realized.
Unfortunately, more is often less when it comes to the way makeup comes across in photographs. However some looks require very little makeup to look absolutely lovely in a photo, in that you don't have to have contouring all over the face, false lashes, and heavy shadows and powders. Although a powder finish (using a translucent) is a must for photos because of the way light reflects off powder, and translucent powders don't add cakiness.
Some clients want to feel and look they don't have much makeup on their skin, or eyes, or lips, or a combo. So it's important that whatever we really want to show up in a photo has the right depth of color/light/shadow, along with what suits the client. Some clients are quite comfortable in makeup, and so using products that are soft and blended well suits them just fine. It's about implementing all the factors together.
My point is that often makeup looks softer and less makeup-y once it is photographed, and to achieve a naturalness in person, it will often look even lighter in a photograph. The trick is finding a balance, choosing products carefully, and using a heavy/light-handedness based off the medium of observation, and what suits the client.
