Lighting a 'hair' shoot.

So a former wedding client of mine, who happens also to be a hair stylist, was so pleased with her wedding photos that she's asked me to photograph some head shots--or rather, hair shots--for a styling competition she is entering in November. There will be 9 styles in total and there will be a makeup artist on the scene.

Because I want to be as prepared as possible, and because I've never shot hair per se, I'm looking for guidance regarding especially the lighting. Can anyone offer any suggestions of things that I should be thinking about specific to this kind of shoot ?

I think, for instance, that the specular reflection that shows up on the hair is fairly important (no edits of the hair is allowed), and I'm not sure I'm knowledgeable enough to control exactly how it appears. I have more than a month to be ready--and I'm confident I'll be able to deliver.

thanks !

Think of the specular reflection as one that you would get when shooting a cylinder. So the broader the source, the broader will be the reflection. Take some test shots now & refine your results.

easy...google

http://pics.haircutsha​irstyles.com …34/vidal_sassoo​n_hair.jpg
http://kookhair.com …on_Short_Hairst​yle_26.jpg
http://media.vidalsass​oon.com …27ab207eaaa11de​dc8914.jpg
http://cdn.buzznet.com …arge-msg-133659943032.jpg

Thanks Frank + Phil.

Google is great for inspiration. But it's not really so easy to find a resource that illustrates how these results were achieved.

I just yesterday, over the course of 9 hours, shot 9 fully styled models at a hair salon in downtown Toronto. The photos will be entered into a competition by the hair / makeup stylists so I can't share them yet. but I'll definitely be back to the thread to share.

In short, though, I learned two basic things: 1) I can bang off decent looking, professional looking shots even in this new for me genre 2) I have a hell of a lot to learn.

Christopher Steven b wrote in post #16461113
In short, though, I learned two basic things: 1) I can bang off decent looking, professional looking shots even in this new for me genre 2) I have a hell of a lot to learn.

That's a good place to be, as a photographer..!

second set up down

http://www.thebananast​udio.co.uk/lighting-tips.html

oROSSo wrote in post #16463578
second set up down

http://www.thebananast​udio.co.uk/lighting-tips.html

GREAT link - thanks!