Do you like the photos found on our website? If your answer is yes, you’re not alone, many of our clients made the decision to give Dragonfly Hair Salon the opportunity to the be their hair salon because of the photos on our website. You might be interested to know that all of the photos on our website are Dragonfly Hair Salon clients and local Corpus Christi, TX residents. Yes, you read that correctly. All of our models are local clients and none of them are professional models.
How do we get our photos?
Our photos are produced in house by Dragonfly Hair Salon right here in Corpus Christi, Texas. Our master stylist creates the style and creates the look for each photo shoot. Our photographer, Jonathan, sets-up his studio in the salon and the photo session begins. Jonathan, has been photographing hair models for Dragonfly Hair Salon and other local model portfolios since 2006. He also designed and built our website and blog. So in addition to being Ginger’s husband he is also webmaster, blog administrator, photographer and Photoshop wizard.
Who is your Photographer?
Jonathan Michaud is our photographer and web design extraordinaire. He has been responsible for all of the photo on our website since the beginning. He has always been interested in photography and was an avid enthusiast. He started learning studio photography techniques five years ago and has since then mentored with several local professional photographers. Jonathan will tell you that he is not a professional photographer, but one look at his work and many agree that it is modesty that keeps him from claiming the title “professional.”
One look at Jonathan’s photos and you can instantly recognize his style. No watermark needed. But the road to that style has been a long journey. Jonathan brings a unique and refreshing view with his style of photography. Something new and exciting in Corpus Christi, Texas. Guided by his philosophy of photography, Jonathan has created some truly striking and beautiful images.
First and foremost, Jonathan believes that there is more to photographing people than girls in bikinis. People photography is about bringing out the beauty of the human being as a whole. Even if society has deemed these subjects to be imperfect, the human form and the human soul in and of itself is a perfect creation and nothing can be more beautiful.
There is more to light then just sticking a subject in front of a flash or under the sun. Creative use of light sources both natural light and the flash is the only way to create a truly memorable image. Almost anyone can take great studio photos of a subject in front of a fashion grey paper background, but not everyone can compose a great image when the background competes for attention. This is a unique talent that can only be developed with practice.
And finally, the auto setting on a camera is for amateurs. If a photographer is only concerned with the subject and nothing else, they have only entered in to half of the challenge. This type of photographer will never produce anything special or memorable because they are limited by their technical ability and a less than complete understanding of how to create a great image.
The models found on Dragonfly Hair Salon Blog and the Dragonfly Hair Salon website are all local models from right here in Corpus Christi, Texas and surrounding areas. For many of them, their photo shoot was the first time they modeled for more than a portrait. If you are interested in being a model for Dragonfly Hair Salon, please feel free to let us know. We are always looking for new models. If you do chose to model for us, hair and makeup will be provided by Dragonfly Hair Salon Corpus Christi.
Why do you take your own photos?
At Dragonfly Hair Salon we have never been about cookie cutter hair styles. We firmly stand against the same color and cut for every client. Our clients enjoy a color, cut and style that is uniquely crafted to fit their face shape, personal style and daily life. We take great pride in our ability to provide this tailored type of style. To us, every client is and can be beautiful when they leave the salon. What better way to communicate this message than a visual representation of our success? By producing our own collection of client photographs we are able to showcase our ability to fit a style to each client. We stand by our claim that our work speaks for itself.
Other hair salons have photos too.
Take a look at some of our competition out there, but while you are visiting them, take note of some interesting facts. Of the photos on other Corpus Christi hair salon websites, there are four types:
Media Kit Photos
Photos that are provided to the salon by color companies as part of a perk for buying a certain quantity of their products.
Stock Photos
Photos that can be found on other websites that either provide a selection of images that the usage rights can be purchased for or have hair model photos on thier websites. While the rights can be purchased to use these images, often they are downloaded and used without permission.
Point-and-Shoot Photos
These are photos that are taken with a point-and-shoot camera. While these can be used to demonstrate a hair salon’s end results, they are often more likely to highlight any flaws that a client may have such as a wayward blemish.
Photos That Belong To A Photographer
Studio photos that were taken by a photographer and provided to their client in the form of a print. When these are scanned and used commercially they are essentially being stolen from that photographer who set their pricing and usage rights based on the expectation that they were for personal not commercial use.
All of the above examples are the true reasons that we use our own images. Media kits and stock photos do not demonstrate our results because we were not involved in the creation of that photo. We did not do the hair, make-up, photography or post production so how could we claim to provide those results? Everyone wants to look beautiful, especially in a photo that will be web visible to anyone who wants to look. Why would we provide a photo that is flat, poorly composed and does not show our client at their best? And finally, we guide ourselves with honest and forthright business dealings. Taking another person’s work and claiming it as our own is a dishonest practice intended to deceive prospective clients and we refuse to participate in deceitful practices. So yes other salons do have photos displayed on their websites, but they do not provide a realistic representation of their abilities.
Can I be a hair model?
Of course you can! All you have to do is be a client at Dragonfly Hair Salon and express an interest. Every model on our website is a client of Dragonfly Hair Salon that wanted to be a hair model for the salon. Our photo sessions are short and easy in a relaxed environment. All of our models have really enjoyed the experience of being the center of so much effort and had a lot of fun. Read some of our model exposé articles to learn about individual model experiences.