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Jump in with both feet, have confidence in your expertise for doing hair, and get others on your team who have real expertise in their fields.
Nothing will give you more clout with clients and with the beauty industry than producing great fashion photography. Salon professionals who know how to work with models, photographers and editors can see their careers take off like a rocket overnight. The key is that the work has to look good. And good photography is a science as well as an art.
Currently I'm an owner of Click Salon in Denver, but I started on my own from scratch. By reaching out to the fashion world and setting up my own photo shoots, I became an Aveda Global Master, a platform artist and an editorial hairstylist on my own. I travel around the world doing hair for photo shoots and fashion shows, and you can do it, too.
know what you want
Every good photo shoot has a purpose. While spontaneity is one of the most fun aspects of fashion photography, you must arrive at the shoot with a clear idea of what you want to show and how you are going to show it. First things, first: what are your goals? Do you want photos to hang up in your salon? In that case, you'll want very commercial looks. Do you want your photos to be published in magazines? Then the work must suit the style of your target publication. Do you want to do hair for fashion shows? That requires the hair to follow the look of the clothes. And if you're shooting for trade shows, anything goes!
do your homework
In general, hair follows fashion so, first, become a student of fashion. Pay attention to current fashion runway trends. Study fashion history, decade by decade, so you can learn to predict the next trend. Know your fashion vocabulary; became familiar with each major designer's signature style so that you can speak intelligently as you enter the fashion world. As you read lots of fashion magazines, observe the photography. I recommend Vogue and avant-garde magazines like Surface and Flaunt, middle-of-the-road magazines like W and a few foreign magazines like French and Italian Vogue. By looking at lots of top-flight photography, you will develop your eye over time.
do it right, and don't be afraid
Sometimes people get intimidated by photo shoots, with so many experts all collaborating on a single photo and so much to be gained or lost from the outcome. Don't be afraid! In the beginning you'll work with novices like yourself, and you all will learn together. Most important, don't be afraid to reach out to the fashion world. The biggest mistake you can make is trying to do everything with friends and relatives and cutting corners. Jump in with both feet, have confidence in your expertise for doing hair, and get others on your team who have real expertise in their fields.
find the right model
Nothing is more important to the success of a photo shoot than having a great model. Make the right choice, and you are almost guaranteed to have a great-looking photo. The most common mistake hair stylists make is to ask their friends and relatives to be models. Don't do that!
Contact model agencies in your area. When an agency agrees to represent a model, you can be pretty sure she has what it takes. Avoid modeling schools, as they will take on anyone who pays the tuition.
Look at models' portfolios carefully to see how they photograph; that can be more important than how they appear in person. Because new models need photos to fill their portfolios, you can usually get the model to work for free or for very little money. You also can ask the photographer you will be working with for models he knows as well. Which brings us to the next important role in your photo shoot...
and the right photographer
The same advice applies for choosing photographers: don't do it yourself or ask friends who are not professional photographers. You can, however, contact art colleges for names of people who are majoring in photography. Look at the photos they've taken, and see how you like the lighting and the composition. Interview photographers until you find someone who shares your vision and who seems easy to work with. Communication between you and the photographer is all-important. New photographers need shots for their portfolios and, like models, will often work for free or for out-of-pocket expense money.
don't forget the make up and clothing
Perhaps you already work with a like-minded make-up artist. Otherwise, you can go to booking agents to find a make-up artist. Again, look at their work for photography-not how they applied their own make-up that day or how their real-life clients look.
For your first photo shoot efforts, stick to head shots. That way you don't have to worry about poses and a full fashion look, because all that will show will be from the shoulders up.
