For our Spring issue of Estetica UK, we got an intriguing insight into how members of The Fellowship for British Hairdressing have achieved their creative aspiration by participating in a photoshoot. Here, we dig further into those experiences.
It may be session styling to becoming a colour expert, barbering to extension and textured hair to education. Every hairdresser has a creative aspiration and part of that journey is to participate in a photoshoot. It’s the one thing that covers all areas of the craft and The Fellowship is expert at organising. It is also something that can be used in many ways to elevate your career and business, is photographic shoots. Whether it is for a brand campaign, award entry or just as a creative outlet to keep your vision alive, shoots are a way to involve everyone from assistants right through to the salon or brand director.
Inspiration is all around us
“The journey of a photoshoot begins with ideas and visions. Inspiration is all around us and having ideas and a creative vision for the look and feel of the images you want to create is the way to begin. From this, you can create your mood board, which will allow you to set your theme and identify your style and colour palette for the shoot. I love this part of the journey as it allows you to explore your taste and bring your own personal influence to the table. When working with a team this is very important, as everyone should have their own input.” Jamie Benny, Leader of Fellowship Clubstar Art Team and Artistic Director of Hare & Bone
Be part of each collaborative moment
“When creating the moodboard, this is such a collaborative time and something very enjoyable and exciting. When working with my team, we sit down and discuss all inspiration and each individuals reasoning behind their input. This then leads us onto the final brief and story for the shoot and then we really get to work on the looks and styles we hope to create. It’s great to be part of such a collaborative moment and see how each individuals minds work. From here, we start the planning and identify the looks we wish to create – putting the looks firmly in place. During this time it is also important to include your photographer, MUA and stylist to ensure everyone is on the same page and aligned.” Michelle Griffin, Founder of Loxbox Extensions and Fellowship Chair
Have a really strong model brief
“Model selection and casting is your next port of call once looks are in place and everyone is on board. This is one of my favourite things to do as it really gets the wheels in motion and the creativity flowing. Casting for models is fun and very exciting. It’s important to give the agency a really strong brief – from gender, hair type, colour and texture and what you are looking to do to the hair (styling/colour). This way they will send models who fit and are open to the vision you have – there is no point seeing models who simply wouldn’t work for the shoot.
“Use this time to be diverse and gender fluid, showcase body positivity and be as inclusive as you can. Being inclusive always starts at the beginning. Once you and the team have made model selections, it is important to get everything confirmed with the agency, detail every aspect of the requirements such as usage, call sheet and the hair plan to get it all signed and sealed.” Lisa Farrall, Founder of WIG London and Leader of Fellowship Project X
Be very organised!
“In the run up to the shoot, you must ensure everything is on track and organised. Whether this is a creative awards shoot or brand campaign, making sure everything is organised. Make it your priority to pull together a detailed call sheet of everyones details, dates, times, call times, addresses and then make a definitive product list, to ensure you have everything required to bring your vision to life. You can never be too organised and it is important that everything is signed off a week prior to allow for an additional details to be dealt with.” Jacqui McIntosh, Leader of Project Afro and European Director of Education for Avlon UK