Shoot the hair in different lights.
Taking hair photos with a digital camera requires you to showcase the hair, not the face of the subject. Reasons for hair photography include a bride selecting the correct hairstyle for a wedding veil, documenting hair loss or growth in a cancer patient receiving chemotherapy in a photo essay, or to showcase new manufactured products for the hair. As the reasons vary, so will the shooting angles and focus of the camera.
Instructions
1. Set up a solid background canvas to focus the eye on the hair. Use a light colored canvas for dark brown hair or black, while a dark navy blue or black backdrop works well for blondes. Examine the hairstyle for intricate sections to photograph, such as the design of a corn-roll or the curls of an elaborate up-do.
2. Take the pictures. Move around the person and photograph the hair style at different angles. Shoot from above the hair styles by using a ladder and below the style by kneeling down. Vary your angle shots as you shoot different sections of the hairstyle.
3. Zoom in or use your macro setting for extreme close-up shots. Show the individual hair follicles as you document tiny stubble growth. Take a closeup to emphasize hair loss and growing hairless patches. Show hair damage to the hair shaft by highlighting split ends.
4. Photograph the steps of the hair technique as you shoot the hair divided into sections before the application of the hair dye. Take a shot of the brush or applicator bottle dispensing dye to the roots. Illustrate each step of making a braid before an overall composition of the final braid design.
5. Showcase a hair item in the hair. Take shots of a barrette, flowered comb or bridal veil. Move the item as you display it within various hairstyles. Zoom in to showcase the details of flowers or the sheerness of a veil against the color and texture of the hair. Vary the angles of the shot as you zoom out to shoot the impact of the item in the hair.
Tags: hair Take, hair loss, item hair, item hair Take
