Instagram is the perfect social media platform for you to showcase your salon talents because after all, a picture is worth a thousand words, right? To get the kind of traction and feedback you want and for Instagram to work for you, there are a few things to keep in mind while choosing the perfect picture to post on your account.
- Utilize your phone! You don’t have to have a fancy, high-end camera to take a cool picture. Cell phone cameras have come a super long way and take some fantastic pics! A couple of pointers to remember when taking pics from your cell:
- Make sure to focus in on the hair. When you are about to take the picture, touch the screen where the hair is and it will focus on the hair instead of what’s in the background.
- Turn off the HDR (High Dynamic Range). This functions to take tons of different exposures of the same photo and puts them all together as one photo with tons of detail. It sounds good but can tend to look unnatural and no one wants that.
- Take pictures up close to capture the natural beauty of your client versus zooming in afterwards on a distant pic. Not only will a zoomed picture probably be blurry, but you will lose sight of the focal point in the picture – the hair!
- A smile goes a long way. When taking your clients picture, ask them to smile for the camera. While models are often seen keeping a straight face, smiles tend to be more warm and welcoming and shows that the client is happy with their new look.
- Watch what else is showing in the picture. Yes, we’re talking about the background. Try to avoid having a messy workstation in the background or lots of clutter. This goes back to keeping the focal point of the picture your client’s hair (or whatever you are trying to showcase). Other clutter in the background is just that – clutter.
- Take various shots. Don’t assume the first picture you took is the one you will promote. Take several pictures of your client, at various angles so that you can choose your favorite later on or even make a collage out of them to show the style from different angles.
- Keep an eye on your lighting. Taking a picture with the light source behind the person is a big no-no. They will be hard to see and everything will appear darker. Try to use natural lighting for better results, but beware of direct sunlight as it could wash your client out.
- Do minimal editing. We are so used to seeing everything through a filter these days. Make sure you don’t over-edit your pictures or mess with the color or lighting too much. Altering the photos too much will make you seem phony and people won’t view you as trustworthy because it will seem like you are showing unrealistic results.
- Have fun! Instagram is a fun platform and a great place to express yourself and your creativity with hair.
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