Over recent years, our membership has moved away from full face black makeup to alternative colours, the biggest shift being during the 2020-2021 pandemic.
See all our Face Paint pages:
- Main Face Paint FAQ page
- Face Paint Guidance
- Historical references to face paint
- Legal and Insurance issues
- Photos for Publicity, Web and Social Media (this page)
- Archive Photos
What to think about when using images for social media, web or printed publicity
Following an incident where a dancer appeared to wear Full Face Black Makeup (FFBM) to another team’s event, and was unfortunately captured in the background of photographs shared online, and with many teams now turning to social media as their main avenue of publicity, it is very easy for things to go awry at the click of a button.
So we have put together this social-media-savvy guide to help you navigate best practice when uploading images of your team and events to the web. The same applies, of course, to printed publicity.
Background
When capturing a perfect image of your own team levitating mid-jump, it is very easy to overlook what is going on in the background, so next time you upload, ask yourself these questions first:
- Who is in the background of the image? Are they wearing face paint? Will my photograph make them appear as if they are wearing FFBM when I know they weren’t?
- If the answer is yes, and the lighting or angle poor, casting any doubt over whether they are wearing FFBM, you may wish to edit/ crop accordingly, or avoid posting the image.
Lighting
Is the lighting in the image likely to cast any doubt over the colour of a team’s makeup? If an image is taken in poor light, darker coloured face paint could be perceived as being black.
Editing
When editing your photos and videos, before turning them into monochrome or sepia style, ask yourself the following:
- Will my edit lead to the appearance of a person or team wearing FFBM?
Angle of image
The angle a photograph is taken at can have a huge impact on the resulting image. When capturing people and teams wearing makeup of any kind, it is important to take the angle of image, as well as lighting, into account. Depending on style of face paint used, particularly if a photograph is taken from the side and only half the face covered, the resulting image could very easily be misinterpreted to include FFBM.
If a photograph/ video you have taken or edited could, in any way, cast doubt over the style or colour of face paint used, whether worn by your own team or by another, think before you post it.
Feedback
If you have any questions, or anything at all you wish to discuss with us on this topic, or any experiences of moving away from full face black makeup, or statements from your team that you wish to share, please do email us at feedback@morrisfed.org.uk.
Last updated: March 2026
