how to plan the perfect photoshoot for your hair company

How To Plan The Perfect Photoshoot for Your Hair Company

Photoshoots Are Fun!

Photoshoots can be so much fun especially when you're working with the right people. We recently had a photoshoot for our company, and it was such a success! The team was terrific, and the photoshoot helped take our brand to the next level!

With so many people launching their hair businesses having a shoot is a great way to set your brand apart. Unfortunately, many people do not know how to execute them. Others think that it's too hard or too pricey to be done.

Whether you’re worried about money or planning, don’t worry we’ve got you covered! In this blog post, we will go over how to plan the perfect shoot for your hair company!

diverse women

Why Should I Have A Photoshoot?

Now you may be wondering, "why should I have a photoshoot?" Having photoshoots is a great way to brand your business.

It is a way to create content that you can use for your company’s blog, Youtube, social media, flyers, website, and more. It can serve as the primary substance of your marketing and advertising for your business.

While having pictures of the bundles is nice, having photos of beautiful models wearing your extensions is the next level. It gives the potential customer an idea of what they might look like wearing your product. Strong visuals immediately grab the attention of a potential customer. Many in the business of fashion know this and apply this. You can do the same in the hair industry.

All of these reasons and so much more is why having a shoot for your hair business should be on the top of your business to-do list for 2018!

healthy hair

Planning Your Photoshoot!

With anything in life, planning is essential! You know what they say, "failing to plan is planning to fail." To make your photoshoot go smoothly, it is so important that you plan ahead of time.

I know when it comes to photoshoots you may want to execute immediately because it seems like so much fun. While photo shoots are lots of fun, there is so much planning that needs to go into them. Many people think that a photoshoot can just happen on the fly but if you want it to be excellent and want to get the most out of your shoot then planning is essential.

Let us go over some critical parts of the planning phases of the shoot. From finding a team, scheduling, and even finding a location lets go deeper into the planning process.

Have A Vision

Yes! Yes! Yes! Like with anything you want to accomplish or do in life you need a vision and the same goes for shoots. If you don’t have a vision not only will you be confused but your team will be confused on the day of the shoot.

We know you want to execute a shoot for your hair company but what's the goal and purpose? Knowing these things will help you determine who you need on your team, the type of images you need, what photographer to book, how long the shoot will be and so much more!

Choose A Theme

In the world of photo shoots, your theme serves as the vision of the shoot.

If your theme is a holiday theme, then you may want to incorporate specific holiday colors and props in your shoot. Many hair companies have photoshoots around holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day and base their themes off those holidays.

Utilizing props during your photoshoot is a great way to set the tone for your shoot. At our recent hair shoot, we used everything from balloons to confetti to make our photoshoot fun and reinforce our theme. You can buy these items at your local arts and crafts store.

Budget-Friendly Tip:

You can find props at the dollar store, thrift store, or even utilize props from your own home. Items such as plants, cotton candy, and glitter can all be used to add some extra fun to your shoot.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask your team to let you borrow any props they may have. People are usually left with props after birthday parties, events and more.

saving money

Create A Moodboard

Having a mood board is a great idea. A mood board serves as a visual representation of your photoshoot. Creating a mood board will help you relay your vision, concept, and theme of your shoot to your team.

Mood boards help you to keep the mood and aesthetic of your shoot in sync. It is usually composed of main images and some text to help guide the visuals of the shoot. Moodboards can go over everything from styling, model’s photos, makeup, and more. You don’t need to be a professional graphic designer to make one.

A great tool to use when creating a mood board is Canva. Canva is a great resource to use when it comes to graphics not to mention its free. You can find images from Pinterest and the web that represent your theme and use them to create a visual representation of your photoshoot. Using tools like this can help make creating a mood board easy.

You can even add in a time and call sheet going over the schedule for the photoshoot. By doing this, you are creating an all in one document that you can send out to all your team members to give them an idea of what is going on.

During the photoshoot, you can refer to this document to keep you and the team on track. Having a mood board can be such a great relief!

The Team

Now that you have a vision and plan you need a team! Having a good team is so important because a good team will help ensure a smooth and successful shoot. Being able to work with a group of people also helps you build your network which is very beneficial for business.

Team Roles

Just like in sports before you pick a team it is essential that you know who you will need on your team. While some of these roles may be optional or may be combined, a photographer and model are usually essential.

When it comes to finding your team here are some roles you may be looking to fulfill and some of the duties each position may have.

Photographer

For every photo shoot, you’ll need a photographer, even if it is you or your friend taking the photos.

There are various types of photographers depending on the style of photography you would like for your shoot. From the editorial, commercial, outdoor, studio there are so many different styles of photography, and various photographers specialize in each.

Once you know the type of photography you’d like, choose a photographer that specializes in that kind of photography.

If you can't afford a professional photographer, you can find someone who is new but wants experience. You can select your favorite photos and then send them to a retoucher or a more experienced photographer to edit them for you. Paying for edits versus paying for photography services is a great way to save money.

photography studio

Models

Many hair business websites showcase photos of just their bundles having pictures of models wearing your bundles takes the brand to a whole other level.

Our website used to just showcase our bundles, but after our recent shoot, our site got a full revamp! You can now see our extensions on beautiful models! This helps you to get a better idea of what you would look like with our hair; you can check it out here!

When selecting models you want to make sure that you choose models wisely. Their faces will serve as the image of your brand. Models are like visual brand ambassadors for your brand so you want to choose someone whose image will represent your brand well. When people think of your brand they will think of that model’s face especially if they are on your website or flyer.

Finding Models

You can find models everywhere, especially on social media which I’ll go more into later. You don’t always need professional, experienced models. Your friends can be models, and even you can model.

When working with models that don’t have plenty of experience make sure you are very clear about what you want. Many people can model or want to model but don’t call themselves models. There are also upcoming models that are looking to build their portfolios and may be willing to work for free.

Just make sure everyone knows how to strike a pose! Finding models that know how to pose will go a long way. Choosing models with fun personalities and great attitudes make the photoshoot fun. You want to create good chemistry between the model and photographer so that you can achieve the best shots.

lash model

Makeup Artist

Having a makeup artist is an excellent addition to a photo shoot. Beat faces are a necessity and make a shoot go to the next level which makes having the right makeup artist imperative.

Make sure the makeup artist you are working with knows what they are doing.

There are many up and coming makeup artists but be careful. Just because someone can do makeup well doesn't mean they can do the same on others. Many people, like me, can achieve bomb makeup looks on themselves but can’t do makeup on others.

Some makeup artists are like photographers, and they only do a specific type of makeup look. All of this is why it is imperative that you look through a makeup artist’s portfolio to see a range of different looks that they have done.

If you are working with a diverse group of models, you want to make sure your makeup artist knows how to do makeup on various skin tones. You also want to make sure that your makeup artist has a range of foundation. In addition to that, you should ask the models to bring their foundation just in case.

If you have a particular product you want to use you may want to provide that product or make sure that your makeup artist has it on hand.

If you have a lot of models, sometimes makeup can take a lot of time. It is always a good idea to have more than one makeup artist to help the time go by faster. Ask the makeup artist you chose if they have an assistant or know anyone who can help. Make sure when scheduling the makeup artist you allow time for the makeup artist to set up their makeup.

makeup

Hair Stylist

Having a hair stylist at your shoot is very important especially since the goal of your shoot is to sell hair. We have to make sure that your bundles are on fleek! Who wants a photoshoot with boring hair?

When it comes to photoshoot hair styling, we are going for a vivacious look!

We want something that will immediately grab the attention of potential customers. It is very important that you find a stylist that knows what they are doing and can help create such a look.

For our shoot, we worked alongside hair & beauty students from the Paul Mitchell School. Working with these students was a great idea. These students are trained and have been studying the ins and outs of hair for a while. Not only were they excited to work with us, but they had the skills needed to achieve excellent results.

Now let us be honest hair styling can take a while which is why wigs are great for shoots! For our recent shoot, our student hairstylists created wigs using our bundles before the shoot. Many of the wigs were already pre-styled. When the day of the shoot came, all they had to do was make some adjustments and do some more heat styling.

Using wigs and doing a majority of the styling ahead of time saved us a lot of time and made the shoot go smoother.

long hair

Creative Director

Depending on the theme you are trying to execute a creative director may be needed for your photoshoot.

A creative director helps direct the theme of the shoot while administrating the team to achieve the creative vision. Creative directors usually have more than one skill set under their belt, and they can plan and execute well. Due to their specific skill sets, they can be pricey.

Sometimes you may be playing the role of Creative Director for your photoshoot, and you may not even know it. But if you need someone to oversee the process of your shoot and guide the team as well as help with the aesthetics and theme then a Creative Director may be required.

Stylist

Like a creative director, the role of a stylist may be needed. Although you may just mainly be doing headshots, if you are incorporating fashion or clothing into your photoshoot you may need a stylist.

Having a stylist will help tremendously with the aesthetic of your photoshoot and give it a more editorial edge. A stylish will make sure that everyone has coordinated looks that bring your theme to life.

If you can’t afford or can’t find a stylist you can style the models yourself. You can pick up many cute and fashionable items at the thrift store or just keep it simple with a white tee. For our shoot, we purchased very affordable white tee shirts for about three bucks each and told the models to bring their blue jeans along with a second look.

Make sure the models send photos of their looks to you way ahead of time so that you can get the exact look you are going for. Be as specific as possible, if you want the models to wear jeans specify the color and maybe even the shape as well as cut.

fashion model

Videographer

I highly recommend that you get video footage during your shoot.

Documenting your shoot is a must, and a videographer can help you do this. You can turn video footage from your shoot into a promo video. You can also post the video on your Youtube channel and social media platforms.

For our recent shoot, we had multiple videographers recording behind the scenes. Having various videographers on set if you can get them is always a good idea. We were able to get a lot of behind the scenes footage.

Assistant

There are a lot of small yet menial tasks that you may need to be done during the shoot. Having an assistant can help save time when it comes to getting little things done during the shoot.

Here are some tasks an assistant can help you with:

  • Taking behind the scenes photos
  • Helping with videography
  • Ironing any clothes
  • Setting up props
  • Picking up food for the staff
  • Set up and clean up
  • Running social media during the shoot
  • Answering questions or needs of the team
  • Answering your phone calls and helping people with directions
Usually, an assistant can be easy to find. Try asking a college student, a mentee, or a friend. There are a lot of people that want to get hands-on experience and learn more about the behind the scenes process of shoots.

Finding Your Team

Social media is a great place to find potential team members.

By creating a post on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you can find a potential team to work with. Ask your followers if any of them can help or ask them to tag others who may be able to help out.

You can also post on group forums of local art and hair schools in your area. Many students of such institutions are currently mastering the same skills that you need to execute your shoot. They would love the experience and may give you a decent rate or even work for free.

As we mentioned, before another great place to find team members is at local colleges. Many colleges may allow you to post flyers or send out emails about your shoot especially if they believe that the experience will be beneficial to their student’s learning experience.

Last but not least word of mouth! Tell your friends, tell them to tell their friends, use the village around you. Most people I’ve worked with for hair shoots have been my friends or people I went to college with or who are attending my old college. Due to the connection, they usually will support your vision, and they will be willing to work with your budget.

Once you find a team creates a GroupMe or a group chat where you can communicate with everyone. Having a group chat will help make communication fast and efficient.

teamwork

Paying Your Team

Now I cannot neglect this topic, let us talk about paying your team.

Many of the people you work with may be expecting pay. Their rates can vary based on their skillset, scope of work, and the duration of the project.

Whether you are planning on paying your team or you are not, it is vital that you are transparent with them from the beginning. Being clear about whether the shoot is paid or unpaid will help you avoid misunderstandings.

If you are paying your team, you can ask each member for their rates or pitch a price to them. Negotiating is key if you know you can’t afford their rate thank them for responding but let them know that due to your budget you can only allocate a certain amount for their service. Wait for them to respond and go from there.

People’s prices for their services can vary for each role and even within the same position. Ask for rates from various people and compare their rates and their work to help you make your selection.

girl with money

Can’t Afford to Pay a Team?

Now we know everyone may not be able to afford to pay a team.

As a small business owner most times I have worked with people and have not paid them. Many of them loved the experience so much that they offered to help out again.

Here are some tips that I’ve learned when it comes to working with people for free:

  • Take every free offer! If someone tells you that they would like to work with you free of charge, look at their work, and then take the offer.
  • Provide food; many people don’t mind working with you as long as you feed them
  • Working with college students is a great idea! College students are looking to get their hands on just about anything. A photoshoot for them can be a fun escape from the mundane college life.
  • Post on social media and make it clear that they will not be paid but that they can use the photos for their portfolio.
  • Reach out to those who are new and are looking to build their portfolio.
  • Pay for their ride. If a model or someone is willing to work for free but just needs a ride to the location see if you can either pick them up, get them a ride, or uber them to and from the shoot.
  • Offer to provide a few extra makeup items for the makeup artist that may be pricey. You can provide the lashes, primer, and if you want a specific look to provide some of the products for that look as well.
  • Work with family; your family may give you that good ole’ family discount
  • Always put out fantastic work. If your shoots are excellent people will start to ask you if they can be apart. Who doesn’t want to be apart of something magical?
The key here is to make everyone feel valued. No one likes to feel you are using them. Building relationships is critical. It is easier to ask for free help from those you already have relationships with.

Location

The right location is crucial for a shoot. When it comes to shoes, you can either choose for your setting to be outdoors, indoors, or a studio. Let's go over the benefits of each and how to find an indoor or outdoor location.

Outdoor

Outdoor locations are easy to find because they're everywhere.

One thing to keep in mind when shooting outdoors is if you are shooting an open location many people may come and look. You also may not have the right to tell people to leave the vicinity if you are shooting outside.

When shooting outside if you're shooting in a public area your time may be very limited. It is highly possible that police or security may ask you to vacate the area. This usually happens if the place you're shooting at is not traditionally associated with photoshoots.

Indoor

Indoor locations can be very convenient especially when it comes to bad weather. You can shoot at home. You can also shoot at places such as hotels, coffee shops, artistic locations, and more.

You can even shoot at home. The home you chose can be yours, a friend's or you can find homes for rent online. Sites like Airbnb allow you to rent out spaces, just make sure that you let the owner of the property know that you plan on having a shoot in their home.

Just like when using an outdoor location, when using an indoor location make sure to check with the owner or manager of the property. They may have rental fees or specific protocol for you to follow while shooting at their location.

Studio

Studios are a very popular option for a photoshoot. They can be rented out for an hourly rate, or you can even ask for a day rate.

Photographers love studios because they control the settings when it comes to the lighting at the shoot. Clients love studios because of the various types of colored backdrops you can use to brand your business.

There are most likely local studios in your area. Do some research using Professor Google to find some local studios. You can also find some through social media by asking your followers. Many art schools that have photography majors also have studios on campus. Some photographers may even have photo studios in their homes!

Keep in mind that additional fees may apply when using the studio. You may have to pay for lighting, the backdrop, and extra hours.

Since studios are usually indoor locations, they are also perfect for bad weather. We decided to use a local studio for our recent photo shoot for Private Label Extensions, and I am so happy we did! The day of the photo shoot it was raining cats and dogs, but that did not stop us because we were inside.

This is one of the pros of indoor studio shoots!

film studio

Make A Schedule

Like I said earlier, planning is key! It is imperative that you make a schedule for your shoot. Having a schedule will help make sure everyone knows what they are getting into and it will give them something to go off of.

You can mail the schedule out with the mood board; this will help give everyone a sense of what is going on. Make sure you send these documents about a week ahead of time so that everyone can be on board.

I highly recommend that you always overestimate the time for your photoshoots. You never know what will come up. Outside of people potentially being late, everything from technical difficulties to unexpected occurrences can happen.

It is better to have people leave your shoot earlier than expected rather than leave later. Also, make sure to leave some time for a lunch break!

You also want to stay on time when using locations such as studios where you pay an hourly rate. This will help you avoid additional fees. Also, there may be a shoot scheduled right after you. It is necessary to leave promptly so that your shoot isn’t cut short.

home office

Timing is Everything

When making your schedule, you can have certain people come in at different times.

If you don’t need the photographer until hair and makeup are done then schedule them later. This will help you save money if you are paying your team an hourly rate.

Keep in mind that most of your team members will need time to set up. So if you need the photographer to start shooting at 11 am, you may want to tell them to come an hour early. Things like parking and adjusting lighting can also take time.

If you need a team but do not have a date tell them tentative dates and times. Based on everyone's responses chose a final date for the shoot.

If it is possible to try to have multiple things getting done at each time. One model can get their hair done while another is getting their makeup done. This will help you to save time and keep everyone occupied during the shoot.

Another way to save time is to allow team members such as hairstylists and makeup artists to bring their assistants. Having extra hands will help speed up the process while still allowing you to achieve optimal results.

The Day Before

There are some things you can do the day before the photoshoot to save time. If there are clothes, you can iron them ahead of time. If you are using wigs, you can style them ahead of time too.

Many people may have questions, try to answer as many questions as possible before your shoot to give everyone more clarity the day of.

To avoid time delays and your team getting lost include the directions to the shoot and address. You can add the address to the mood board/call sheet. Also, make sure everyone has transportation to the shoot so that they can all get there with ease.

Pack Ahead of Time

Just like when traveling, it is wise to pack ahead of time for your shoot. Items such as clothes, props, hair tools, makeup items, and of course that beautiful hair you are shooting should all be packed up. This will help save you a lot of time!

Make a list of everything you need and check it twice! You want to make sure you do not forget anything. Check on your team to make sure that they have everything they need before they leave for the shoot. We don’t want to be missing any key items on the big day.

During The Shoot

It is a big day! It is photoshoot time, and I know you are excited! I know you may be anxious, but I always tell people “don’t sweat the small stuff, everything is small stuff.” With all of this advice, we are giving you; prepare for some lights, camera, and action!

On the day of your shoot, your phone may be buzzing. The good idea is to have your assistant answer all your calls or if you are working with a Creative Director, see if everyone can call them.

Have Fun!

Have fun, be yourself, and let the good vibes flow. Play some music to get everyone ready to work. When starting and finishing the shoot thank everyone for coming and thank them for their time. Let them know why they are there and tell them about your brand.

Allow people in the room to make connections. Share your business’s social media page. Encourage them to post on social media and tag you; this could go a long way for your brand!

Ending the Shoot

When ending the shoot don’t forget to thank everyone! Make sure everyone is packed up and reconfirm with the photographer and videographer about when you can expect the edits. Let the team know that you will send the final edits once you get them.

Stay in communication with the photographer to make sure you get your edits promptly. Try to communicate when you need the edits way before the photoshoot. Different photographers have different turnaround times. If you would like your photos faster, they may be able to get them to you quickly for an additional charge. The key here is to communicate.

Clean up space you are using and once again make sure everyone has a ride home. Always be the first person to show up for the shoot and the last to leave, this will show that you mean business.

After the Shoot (Marketing Through Social Media)

After the show, it's the after-party! Now that your shoot is done and the edits are in, it is time to market like a boss!

Send out the edits to the team and ask them to tag your hair company on the photo and in the caption. If you have a hashtag share it with them, this will help build brand awareness.

Once again thank them for being apart of your vision, you can never thank them enough. If you enjoyed working with them, ask if you guys can work together again. Tag the team to provide them with exposure as well!

These photos can go a long way! Don’t just use these images for one thing. Maximize your pictures by using them for your website, flyer, social media, etc. You can even use the video for Instagram, promo, your Youtube channel and so much more!

We used our photos to rebrand our selling pages on our site. We have also been posting edits, and behind the scenes, pictures on social media and our “Start A Hair Business” Facebook group. By now you have invested a lot of time and money into this. Make sure you get a return on your investment and create all you can!

Many printing companies will allow you to create banners with images that you can use at vending events where you sell your hair. Banners are a great marketing tool to help you brand your hair business.

iphone

Cheers to A Successful Shoot

I hope this article was helpful to you guys! We know that planning a photoshoot can seem like a hard task but with these tips, you are ready to slay!

If you have any additional tips, please comment them below. If you have any questions, leave a comment, and I’ll be sure to reply back!

Tag us @privatelabelextensions on Instagram once you have your shoot so we can see these fabulous images from your hair shoot! We know it will be amazing and we cannot wait to see your fantastic photoshoot!

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1 comment

Love this article! Very important tips you provided, I think having a vision and moodboards are crucial as well! There’s this website I found called Agent Castings, it was super helpful in my search of finding models. It provides you with the top places you can book models as well as tips & tricks. It was very useful to me so thought I’d share for others looking to book models!

Eleanor

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