12 Unique Body Paint Photoshoot Ideas (2024)

Looking for unique and chic body paint photoshoot ideas? At Peerspace, we get it. Combining the two creative mediums of body paint and photography can result in some seriously beautiful and unique finished products. All you need are some beautiful and unique spaces to get you started. Luckily, that’s Peerspace’s wheelhouse, too! As the largest online marketplace for hourly venue rentals, we make it easy to find and book creative spaces for all your personal and professional needs.

But back to the topic at hand! If you are interested in body pain photography but aren’t sure where to begin, then you need these body paint photoshoot ideas that encompass a wide range of aesthetics.

1. Plan a monochromatic body paint photoshoot

One of our favorite body paint photoshoot ideas is to choose one color and make it the focal point of your body paint and background. Ideally, you would paint your body all one color and take photos in a space that’s also that same color.

For instance, if you decide to paint yourself blue, you might hold your photoshoot in this blue themed recording studio in Los Angeles, CA. Or, if pink is your preferred body paint color, take photos in a space like the Pink Palace in Houston, Texas.

Peerspace, the largest online marketplace for photo studios, event venues, and other hourly space rentals, has lots of monochromatic spaces available for rent that would work perfectly for this photoshoot concept!

2. Consider hiring a body painter to do the honors

Perhaps you’re a talented photographer, and you’re interested in incorporating body paint into your photography, but you’re not entirely confident in your body painting skills. If you would prefer to outsource that task to someone with more experience, you might hire a local body painter to take over that part of the creative process and save yourself the trouble.

If you do, host your body paint photoshoot ideas at a venue like this urban two-story multipurpose industrial-inspired studio in Dallas, TX. It’s the perfect mix of style and street, highlighting the work of the body pain artist beautifully.

3. Get colorful and plan a flower field body paint photoshoot

Another body paint photoshoot idea that we love is painting your subject’s body to match the setting where you’re taking photos. Specifically, you might have the photoshoot in a field of flowers and do the body paint to match said field! We love this 20-acre flower farm in Langley, BC as one location option. Here’s one floral and Valentine’s Day-themed body paint guide to get you started.

Our sweet sunflower photoshoot ideas can add more floral creativity to your shoot!

4. Glow on with a blacklight body paint photoshoot

This suggestion comes to us from Digital Camera World: blacklight body paint portraits! You’ll be taking photos with your subject under ultraviolet light, so you’ll want to purchase some UV body paint and UV lights and then start getting creative.

This creative production black laser tag arena in Las Vegas, NV has you covered in the UV light department! And you can buy a UV body paint kit here from MidnightGlo on Etsy. To protect your subject’s eyes from UV light, make sure they wear UV-blocking safety glasses when the UV light is directly on them.

5. Optical illusion body paint

One cool effect that you can achieve using body paint is to create shocking optical illusions using paint that’s the same color as your backdrop (often black paint and black background, because this is the most effective). This blackout studio in Queens, NYC provides the perfect black backdrop to this idea.

So what types of optical illusions are we talking about? As an example, you can make it look like your subject’s body has been tied into a knot (see this guide on YouTube for the how-to) for a majorly creepy effect! And there are tons more interesting ideas out there if you do a bit of searching online.

6. Keep it simple and focus on the hands

Instead of painting your subject’s entire body, focus on the details and create some body paint illusions focused only on their hands. As a start, this guide from Time Craft contains how-to demonstrations for ten different styles of hand art illusions.

7. Combine body paint and photography with photo editing

Consider using the photo editing software of your choice to get even more creative. By combining three very different mediums – body paint, photography, and photo editing – you can create some seriously impressive images and go that much further with your creativity.

8. Plan a pop art body paint photoshoot

Pop art is an incredibly recognizable art style that’s associated with the 1950s and 1960s, creating a distinctly retro aesthetic when used today. You can use body paint to make your subject look like a living cartoon or comic book character. There are lots of guides out there explaining how to do this, but here’s an easy-to-follow one from MoreThanARose on YouTube.

Consider booking this mid-century modern designer gem home in Palm Springs, CA that’s brimming with pop art style to bring this idea to life.

9. Get artistic with butterfly body paint

Have your subject hold a pose and then paint their whole body to make them look like a butterfly, inspired by this incredible work of camouflage/optical illusion body paint created by Italian artist Johannes Stötter. Your work doesn’t have to be quite as detailed, but Stötter’s work shows what’s possible with a little bit of paint, a willing model, and some creativity!

Love this idea? Then check out our butterfly party ideas for more photo and event inspiration!

10. Zero in with a face paint photoshoot

For this body paint photoshoot idea, consider focusing on your subject’s face with some close-up portraits and doing face paint rather than full-body paint. There are countless face-painting tutorials of all kinds on YouTube, so we’d recommend taking a look there to start. For instance, we love this guide from YouTuber Stevie Ryu.

11. Go otherworldly with a glittering golden body paint

Make your subject look like they’re made of 24-karat gold by painting their entire body with glittering gold paint! This suggestion is inspired by a 2013 photoshoot of Beyoncé on the cover of Flaunt magazine, where the singer looks absolutely stunning and otherworldly!

12. Combine body paint with a green screen

Using a green screen as the backdrop for your photography allows you to have as much control over the background of your photos as you do over the body paint itself. You can even make it so that the body paint blends into the background. Or, you can choose to have it contrast entirely. The choice is yours.

If you don’t have access to a green screen of your own already, you can rent a photo studio that includes a green screen by the hour through Peerspace. For instance, if you live anywhere near Lafayette Hill, PA (close to Philadelphia), consider renting this large production studio. It has two curved walls and a green screen, among other backdrops and useful photography equipment.

To quote one reviewer who rented the space, “This was an amazing experience! The host was extremely attentive, friendly and there for our every need. The space was really relaxed and conducive to creativity. Everything was perfectly set up when we arrived as well. If you’re in the Philly area and need somewhere to shoot green screen… this is your spot.”

Body paint photoshoot ideas: conclusion

Planning a body paint photoshoot can be incredibly inspiring. And as you can see, it can be easy to pull off when you book the perfect photoshoot setting through Peerspace! No matter your aesthetic or location, we can connect you with the perfect location. Head to our platform to find your next favorite creative venue.

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