MAKE IT FLOW (CONSISTENCY WITHIN THE COLLECTION)
Consistency is very important when it comes to the collection building. It ties the images together into one body of work and helps getting a solid impression from collection. Collection should tell one story through different characters.
I would define consistency as a repetition of the supporting elements. It can be pretty much anything: makeup, wardrobe, background, color pallet, lighting techniques etc. If you read my previous blog post Total Package pt2 accentuate and support you know, that I describe supporting elements as those that aimed to minimize the distraction from and emphasize the point of attention, and our point of attention will always be the hairstyle.
Lets take a look at some examples:
First up is an enchanting collection “The Haunt” by Maria Unali an Australian hairdresser of the Year 2014; photographed by Andrew O’Toole.
This collection is all about sophistication and mystery. Light painting technique, background choice and a black lace take our imagination to the haunted mansion full of ghosts and secrets. Each photo tells us the same story, but through a different character. The Photographer revealed just enough for the viewer to understand the idea and hid enough to maintain the mystery in every shot. Hairstyles beautifully stand out and emphasize individuality of each character.
Next example is the 70’s era inspired 2015 collection by Hermiz Daniel, photographed by Ed Purnomo. Hermiz is one of the signature style directors at Joey Scandizzo Salon Australia, winner of the photographic collection of the year 2014.
Six elegant, wearable looks intrigue with simplicity cleanness and hind of vintage. Earthy hair color pallet is nicely underlined with the wooden texture of the background and the soft lighting emphasizes smooth styles. Meanwhile individually selected wardrobe, adds personality to each character, the shooting angle, lighting and the background choice provide consistency.
Recently I photographed the 2015 collection “Olympus” created by the Cortello Salon Team, Jacksonville FL. We wanted our characters to be portrayed as the mysterious all mighty modern goddesses. This idea triggered the posing choice and the background selection. We really wanted our goddesses to be badass, and this is how the tattooed models were cast and wardrobe selection came in place.
We achieved consistency by the model selection, posing similarity, wardrobe color, background choice and the similar props on every image.
Hair by Erica Reynolds Keelen on Bangstyle
WEEKLY CHALLENGE:
Analyze your collections. Are they consistent enough? See how you can improve the consistency for your future projects.
