Creating Compelling Photos and Videos
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It takes 100 shots before you get a good picture. And sometimes everything aligns to capture the best lighting, timing, and composition, whether candid or staged. A trained eye knows what to look for. For instance, if their subject’s back is facing the sunlight, they may get a stunning backdrop, but the face will look shadowy. Turning your client to face the sunlight will brighten their hair, color, and cut.
Have a good mix of videos and pictures. With videos, you have much more room for error because there are approximately 30 frames per second to capture more material, angles, and facial expressions. Videos lend the chance to be more natural. Demonstrations are effective with photos, but videos can bring the content to life and help you get more exposure, especially if you’re using Reels on Instagram (more on Reels later).
Here are Tips for Taking Professional-Looking Photos for Social Media
Have a Good Camera at the Ready
If you work at a salon, having a good camera or a phone that can take quality photos will help you document your work and create consistent content on social media. Play with different angles. It’s better to have more options. You don’t have to stage a photoshoot with your client, but you can snap several pictures quickly.
It takes little effort to be organized about photographing your work once you get the hang of it. Keep lens cleaners handy to ensure you don’t unintentionally blur the photos. If you’re stationed in an area where it’s hard to get a good picture of your client after they cash out, ask them if you can take a photo of them outside. Natural lighting is the best lighting for photographs.
Always have a phone charger. And it helps to invest in a tripod if you don’t have the steadiest hand. A tripod will keep the photo in focus, eliminating any shakiness.
Take Candids
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Attribution: @drewbarrymore
Spend time on Drew Barrymore’s Instagram feed, and you’ll find she is one of the queens of candid videos, random musings, and not-so-random product demonstrations, all pieced together in well-edited, entertaining reels.
Do you have a colleague at work willing and happy to help you out when they are in between clients? If so, ask them to take candid photos of you working on a client. This is a great way to see you in action, and you might get natural-looking and flattering pictures of you and your client, which are the best kind of photos.
If you want to document your entire process through a timeline or in real-time, you can always edit later. This is where a tripod comes in handy!
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Attribution: @justbobbidotcom
Makeup artist Bobbi Brown needs no introduction. She also dishes out beauty tips in candid videos. She keeps her information to the point with little meandering, and each time she posts a video, she shares golden nuggets of information.
Editing
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Attribution: @themarabeauty
The Mara Beauty specializes in skincare, and while their photos are clearly edited to look ethereal and dreamy in this sunkissed setting, they don’t feel over-edited. The aesthetic is stylized.
Whether you’re using an editor you downloaded from an app, Photoshop, Premiere, or the editor on your phone, resist the urge to over embellish, over saturate or use filters. The most professional-looking photos are skillfully edited in ways you can hardly tell, and using heavy filters may be interpreted as if you have something to hide. Avoid filters, if possible, and go light on the editing. Editing should be used for color correcting or slightly lightening a photo.
Posting on Instagram Reels
Using Instagram Reels is an ideal way to cast your net wide to help expand your reach to a broader, diversified audience. The function is very straightforward. You select Reels at the bottom of your phone. You have the option to tweak the speed, the frames, the layouts, and add audio. You can add filters and voicers. Reels are a great way to stir your imagination with all of the possible ways you can capture a video, and if you share to Explore, you’ll have a chance at being featured.
Is it your dream to become a hairstylist, nail technician, or esthetician? Are you considering going to school but don’t know where to begin? Our compassionate, supportive staff at Evergreen Beauty College is here for you every step of the way. Schedule a virtual tour today to get the first glimpse into your promising future.
