The team at The Hair Salon in Brighton discuss the value of creative collaboration following a recent shoot which proved massively successful
“I love the creative energy I get from the team. I have always worked with art teams and education and understand how valuable it is to create an opportunity for others to channel their creativity,” says salon owner Oliver Blackaby. “Every year I organise a photoshoot for all the freelancers, so they get the chance to create a beautiful image that they can use for their own portfolio or submit for competitions.”
This year the team created six individuals, which unintentionally worked wonderfully as a cohesive collection once captured on camera. “Collaborating with a great photographer who knows how to shoot hair is so important, but as is finding that model who nails your look,” explains Oliver.
“The best thing about this shoot was the sense of community it created. We were able to offer lots of support to each other when creating the looks. Whenever the self doubt would creep in and one of us might loose our self-belief, we all helped boost each other to over come those moments. What’s also rewarding is seeing the finished product and being able to display them in the salon. Not only do they look great, it is als a talking point for the team with their guests. It feels great having something totally home grown!”
Alfie’s look
“I think there is beauty in simplicity and this look was about letting the colour and condition of the hair do the talking. To my clients, I’m known for healthy, shiny commercial colour that makes the natural complexion and eye colour sing, and this can sometimes mean even mean pink. To me, great commercial colour means two things; hair condition and client suitability.
My models cool, fair skin tone and light blue eyes meant this pastel, powdery pink worked in perfect harmony with her natural colouring. I first focused on a creating a flawless root-to-tip bleach out, before adding the pink. Hair strength was my main priority, so I had to be very patient in my approach.”
Vanessa’s look
Lara’s look
” I was inspired by the Punk era and’ 80s Madonna. I wanted to create a softer, more subtle interpretation of this so I used spray bottles to add pure pink, orange and yellow pigments to a pre-lightened canvas. This created a diffused blend of bright tones that complement the model’s natural curls.”
Ollie and Sam’s look
“We wanted to give this look an effortless, androgynous feel. Using sharp lines and shape, with strong perimeters, we wanted to make best use of the lived-in texture and movement. Taking inspiration from the French bob, we introduced slight curvature on the corners to add more softness. Sitting the bob on the jawline created a beautiful profile and really stacked out the shape of the cut on the weight line. The colours were added to intentionally bleed into each other like rose petals. It also worked well to enhance the shape of the cut.”
Elle’s look
Alfie’s second look
” For my second look, I was inspired by the ’90s bob. It involved working on a major colour change, taking a box dye black and creating a personalised, soft light brown to compliment the model’s skin tone and features. With the image itself, it was importance to showcase the natural movement that was enhanced with a big blow-out.”
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