Dirty Hair = Clean Hair
February 11, 2010 by Joe Edelman
Filed under Modeling, Modeling Portfolio
Always have your models arrive for a shoot with hair that has not been washed for at least 24 hours.
Beginners will assume that it is a good idea to wash their hair right before their big photo shoot.
Truth is that clean hair requires more product to hold a style and will frizz more easily as you make changes to the hair.
Remember that you only need the hairstyles to last for 15 to 30 minutes at a time during a shoot.
If you are working with a makeup/hair artist who also works in a salon; remember this: Salon stylists have a tendency to feel the need to make the entire head of hair look pretty (that is what their salon clients expect). Your photographs are two dimensional and only capable of showing the hair from one direction. Communicate with your stylist in advance of the shot and you can save lots of work and most importantly time by only styling hair that will be seen in the final image.
Last but not least… if you are working on a portfolio for a model, be sure to shoot LOTS of different hairstyles. The perception is that the makeup is what makes a girl look different from photo to photo. Certainly, a lot can be done with makeup but it is the hair that will dramatically alter the appearance of your model.
Here are a few examples… all of the same model.
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Thanks for the tip about mixing up the hair styles. I pretty much broke all the rules in your post, so this was some good info!
Erik