Hair picture hints

[Michou]

I thought I would take a 'before' photo so I can track progress but I have to admit that the results looked nothing like the photos I'm seeing here on this site. I can mess around more for practice, but how many of you do your photos using mirrors vs timed shots (running to get in view?) vs having a friend or partner take the photograph?

TIA!

[trolleypup]

I use all the above methods, plus my solo favorite, which is to use the wireless remote on my camera.

It takes a certain amount of practice to get good results.

[MagpieMama]

I can totally relate... I am really looking forward to the answers you get. Because oh-my-goodness for the life of me, I cannot get a decent picture on my own :(

(going to beg the partner for help)

[purplebubba]

I do timed shots.

[Michou]

I can totally relate... I am really looking forward to the answers you get. Because oh-my-goodness for the life of me, I cannot get a decent picture on my own :(

(going to beg the partner for help)

I may end up doing the same.

And boy oh boy, do I need to be more thorough when I'm cleaning my mirror! Nothing like a botched hair photo to teach me that lesson!

[tiny_teesha]

Timed shots and friend shots are best. The mirror shots for me don't work well Back of head doesn't either. Haha, unless it is an updo.

[Isilme]

take a friend or a SO, place the camera in their hands and bribe them with cookies;)

[Teazel]

I used to impose on DH to take my photos, but lately I've been doing it myself. I'm hyperflexible so that might make it easier.

Mirror shots of the back of my head are pretty hit-and-miss, and even if I've cleaned the mirror meticulously, the flash is bound to show up something I've missed. :o

[Arctic_Mama]

I either have my husband take the shot or I do a gazillion mirror shots until ONE looks decent.

I may be in need of technique help as well ;)

[NightDaemon]

My trick is a bit of a cheat. My digital cam has about a second between pressing the button and when the picture is taken. It's an older cam, but still pretty shiny, and the delay gives me time to get into position. I rest the cam on a couple of deodorant cans (nice tall things with flat tops) on top of my chest of drawers. It's the perfect height and I'm just glad that li'l cheat works for me. If your cam has a similar delay, maybe you can use this trick.

[KnightsLady]

I use video conferencing software (ivisit) and a webcam. The webcam cord is just long enough so I can sit the camera behind me and at the same time check the picture on my computer screen. Perhaps it's cheating, but it works for me!

ETA: I do find it a little limiting, as I need to be connected to the internet when taking the photos. Outdoor photos are currently not an option for me because of this.

[Sammybunny711]

I ALWAYS use timed shots. :)

[aisling]

I'm also a fan of timed shots and I don't have to run, the delay is 10 second and that's more than enough for me to get into position. Of course I also take a lot of pictures and I take them when I have a good hair day. Most days my hair is not "hair pic" worthy :lol:

[Dolly]

I do some in the mirror and some with the timer on my camera.....just depends on what kind of mood I'm in.....but I usually have to take SEVERAL before I get one that I like......

[mellie]

Timed shots for me!

[neon-dream]

I've done one self shot which took me ages to get right, because the mirror is tiny.
But, I'm guna give timed shots a try soon :)
Hoefully they'll work, it's just somewhere to place my camera because i'm tall, it usually cuts off the top of my head!
xxx

[Ryanne]

I always take mirror shots.

[Elphie]

I use small children....and a camera. They already know mommy is crazy and they just chuckle about it. So far, I think they're doing a pretty good job!

[joyfulmom4]

I use small children....and a camera. They already know mommy is crazy and they just chuckle about it. So far, I think they're doing a pretty good job!


LOL! Me too. My dd#1 thinks my long hair is weird and embarrassing, so I don't ask her. But my dd#2 loves my hair and is encouraging me to grow it to terminal, so she loves taking pics for me.

If she's not around, then I make pathetic attempts at shooting my own hair by holding the camera behind my head. It's pretty bad. I generally take about 20 pics in order to get one half-way decent one.

I confess I don't know how to use the timer on my camera, but that might be a nice option... :o

[Carolyn]

I need to learn to use the timer on my camera. I just take mirror shots. I often take at least a dozen before I get one I like. Practice practice practice! And good cropping and editing. The beauty of a digi cam is you can delete all the mistakes. I can remember taking whole rolls of film with a regular camera and not getting one usable picture. When I get my high lights done, I have my stylist take pictures and those have always been good. I have one friend that I can trust with the fact that I take pictures of my hair. She's the one who does my trims. I'm not comfortable sharing my picture taking and LHC with anyone else IRL.

[Periwinkle]

I use the timer on my camera. It has a 2 second or 10 second delay. I put it on my bookshelf, press the button and then get into view. There's loads of time before it goes off.

If at all possible, do your shots in natural daylight (outside or in a well-lit room); it will give a much better effect than when your hair is all in shadow and artificial lighting can look really bad on camera. Plus you'll get a better shot of your colour.

Also, think about what you wear for your shots. If you have black hair, a black shirt is not the brightest idea! If you have anything stripy, that might be good because then you can wear the same shirt each time and you'll be able to see progress very clearly.

I comb my hair before taking the shot and I also fluff it out over my shoulders to get it all in view. You're guaranteed to have your hair look better (a) before and (b) after you take the photo, but hey, second-best is fine :)

[KatKeRo]

The timer on my camera and a tripod.

[Islandgrrl]

take a friend or a SO, place the camera in their hands and bribe them with cookies;)

This would be my preferred method, as well.

[spidermom]

Family members. My DD and DS-GF take the best pictures.

[plainjanegirl]

I did the mirror way when I first started at LHC.
SInce then I now do the timer method.
Either way it takes alot of pics to get a good one.

[Stagecoach]

I use the timer method.

Mirror's never worked for me, mostly because my hair never all fit into one!

If I ask anybody to take a picture of my hair, unless it's a REALLY cool style, they look at me is if I sprouted another head.

So, I stick to timed shots. They work pretty well for me.

[julya]

Family members take the best photos, but the timer method works okay too.

[Katze]

I usually use the timer, though BF recently took a pic of a hairdo (which I need to edit, make web-size, and upload...)

the whole editing, save-for-web, adjust-levels thing is hard for me (but I am somewhat computer challenged anyway). I am on an old Mac with an old copy of Photoshop CS, and don't have any other way of working on photos or shrinking them to work digitally. Consequently, I have a LOT of photos that never see the light of day, so to speak.

I would like to find a way around this hurdle, as each pic takes about 10 minutes to get "ready" and I often have to adjust my hair a lot to make it look good, too.

[WritingPrincess]

I have yet to get a picture in the mirror that I really like. Add in the florescent lighting in our bathroom and I just try to find someone else. If my mom isn't available, I take my sister, the camera, and the tripod out in the yard, have her stand where I'm going to stand, and I focus the camera correctly. Then we switch places, and she hits the button. It sounds more complicated than it really is. Now that it's cold I guess we'll have to find some good indoor light.

[feralnature]

My DH took my pics and will no doubt keep doing it. He is glad i am growing out my hair again.

I have a timer on my camera and a tripod that i may get creative with :)

[longhairedfairy]

Hmm... Maybe I should invest in a tripod.

[eyesofsummer]

I use mirrors mostly, preferably during the day with natural light shining through the windows.
If the pictures are a bit off, they can always be cropped!
I think the best way to show the most accurate length is to have someone else take it for you, though.

[Katahdin]

I use two mirrors, a normal one, like in the bathroom, and a hand held mirror.

I hold the camera in one hand, the small mirror in the other, and use the small mirror to see the LCD screen on my camera.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=1719&pictureid=20804

I used that method to take this picture. It made it really easy to get an even, non-blurry shot. You can just see a tiny corner of the mirror by my left ear, above my fingers.

[winter_star]

For the life of me I can not take a decent photo of my hair, no matter what I do. And for the life of my boyfriend... either can he.

[Curlsgirl]

I got really annoyed at the mirror method right off and learned how to use the timer on my camera. I use a bookcase too but it still is hard to get it in the right place. I love the pics DH takes better and he doesn't mind but it's finding a good time. I think a cheap tripod would be a great investment. :ponder:

[RavennaNight]

mirror & cameraphone. :justy: it's always a looooonnnggg trial and error process. 20 shots... Of my shoulder, top of my head, blurs... I just resort to taking shots in profile sometimes. If I rest the phone on top of my head and point slightly down... It works eventually :shrug: *needs to invest in better camera...

[Xandergrammy]

My DH is very well trained at taking hair pictures for me. :inlove: I don't think I'd be able to take a decent one on my own, either. After the first few times of asking, it gets easier and now HE asks ME if I need a hair picture! :gabigrin:

[Tressie]

Good ideas here, thanks everyone!! Now I have to get a new camera. (o:

[mira-chan]

All of three, though mirrors less so. Flexible long arms mean I can take pictures of updos just by holding the camera behind me. Otherwise it's times shots or for really good pictures I recruit mum. She views it as practice at picture taking. :D