Creating a successful photographic collection

Image: John Rawson

Laura Glazebrook, director of LWPR, offers her top tips on creating a successful hair photographic collection that works for your salon business. Time and again we’re asked to help clients create their own collections – we love being involved in the process, and shoot production is a one of our favourite PR tasks.  It’s a chance to be part of a truly creative process, seeing a shoot team come together to produce beautiful images is enormously gratifying. However, before we get carried away with the artistic side of such projects it’s vital that we ensure PR objectives are going to be met.  Shoots are a great PR vehicle for any business, but it’s important to be really clear about your goals for the collection before you begin.  If it’s about entering the British Hairdressing Awards then ensure you’ve thoroughly read and understood the entry criteria and rules; if it’s a collection to showcase your artistic standing within our industry, then look to create images that impress and demonstrate technical skills and expertise. Then there are the marketing images for your salon - if you’re creating images for your salon business, remember to keep them commercially focused and client friendly. Here are LWPR’s top tips on what to consider and remember when it comes to your shoot (whatever your PR objectives are):

• Less is nearly always more!  Don’t overload your images with too much make-up, styling or background, it will only distract from the hair.
• Remember that it’s a hair shoot and the hair should always always be the focus of each shot.
• Lighting is key. Regardless of budgets, good lighting is the one area you really can’t afford to skimp on.
• Ensure eyes to camera on at least two or three of the collection shots. This is crucial for engaging your audience.
• Mix it up with models – cutting and colouring professional models can be an expensive business, but equally make sure any house models have at least test shots taken to ensure they are the right look.
• Keep in mind where the shots are going to be seen and by who, it’s easy to get swept up in the process but always have clear objectives and ensure the whole shoot team is aware of them.