“We all love to create a collection to keep our profiles rolling or just simply to inspire ourselves. We are creatives, and our juices need to keep flowing for personal and professional growth. Of course, this costs money… and you don’t always have the budgets or the time to have a ‘play day’!
“I’ve found a great way around this is by booking one hot model – then, by creating a thoughtful plan, you can get a low-cost collection to flaunt to your peers and clients. It also gives you the perfect opportunity to try something new.
“It’s worth the time searching for the right model – she/he is the key to a successful shoot. We chose Maddie from Nevs because she had a fresh and versatile look and she was great fun, so we knew we would get great energy. We wanted a long, blonde-haired girl to go with a Californian look, and natural movement was also key.
Credits: Hair: Craig Chapman. Photographer: Barry Jeffery.
Make-up: Elizabeth Rita. Styling: Kate Jeffery
“My advice would be to check out the model’s portfolio first to make sure, as we did, that the model you pick can deliver exactly what you want. Many agencies have new faces that need portfolio work to fill out their books. You can often get reduced fees so these are always worth looking at first!
“I always love to start with a theme – ‘90s California chic in this case. Make sure you plan as many different looks as possible to keep the day flowing nicely – don’t plan in massive hair changes, just small alterations to fit with the styling and to keep the shoot moving quickly. Remember to prep the hair to the texture you want to work with, then pin, bind, pony, shred and weft to build a moving dynamic that keeps within your theme and gives you plenty of variation in your finishes to create a meaningful collection at the end of the day.
“Once make-up, hair prep and the lighting test were complete, this particular shoot took only two-and-a-half hours in total. With the team dedicating their time for free for new images for their portfolios and to have some fun, and £250 on the model, the result was a strong, defined and affordable collection of images.”
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