Daniel Rubin, the winner of Goldwell's 2016 Color Zoom Challenge, shares his top five tips to winning any hair photo competition and adds why you enter in the first place:

Should people enter competition? “Always," says Rubin. "Competition elevates your craft and allows you to learn more about yourself.  Competition makes you stretch, see hair in a different way and helps develop your skills.”

5 tips for the win: 

  1. Prepare. Do the hair about 3 – 5 days before the photoshoot. “You can finish and tweak on the day of the shoot, but you don’t need that stress on the day of the shoot.”
  2. Storyboard. “It helps in the planning and on the day of the shoot. It is a great guide for your team.”
  3. Network. Reach out to local people for makeup and wardrobe. “Try not to do everything yourself. By handing these elements off, you can focus on the hair.”
  4. Model. “The model is everything. Make sure you have the strongest model possible. It really does make a difference. She has to go on the journey with you, and she must have that hairstyle for at least 6 months. Treat this as though you are going to become the global finalist.” Rubin regularly finds models at beauty schools. “My model from 2016 is now my personal assistant at the salon.”
  5. Practice. Practice the style on a mannequin head. “Come up with the look on a mannequin head first. Does it represent YOU? Make sure you are happy with the results before you try it out on your model.”

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