Hair in photos vs. reality

[KatyS]

Hi everyone,

I have noticed that whenever I have a photo taken of my hair, the red in it shows up so much more than in daylight! My siggy pic is such an example: it's Lush's Caca Brun.... in daylight and in person it's a brown, as one would expect, yet in photos it has that amazing reddish tinge.

I would quite like to achieve that red in daylight!

Does anyone have any ideas/ suggestions? :)

Much appreciated! :)

[buttercupmcgee]

Hi everyone,

I have noticed that whenever I have a photo taken of my hair, the red in it shows up so much more than in daylight! My siggy pic is such an example: it's Lush's Caca Brun.... in daylight and in person it's a brown, as one would expect, yet in photos it has that amazing reddish tinge.

I would quite like to achieve that red in daylight!

Does anyone have any ideas/ suggestions? :)

Much appreciated! :)

Try the Caca Rouge--you could mix 1 part brun and 1 part rouge to start out, and up the rouge as you go. Or there's also Caca Marron which is a darker red.

Try Google image searching people's results to see what you like. Lush also has videos on their site.

[pink.sara]

Or you could add a Manic Panic style dye over the top. Temporary and Very Very red :)

[heidi w.]

Hair is tough to photograph. It depends on available light; your hair's texture can absorb or reflect the light.....THEN there's people's monitors and from one monitor to the next hair can appear very different in color and hue.

I've seen photographs of dark brunette hair that suggested the hair was actually kind of in the blonde range, when you see it in real life, it absolutely is not even a hint of anything blonde.

So it can really depend. To photograph hair well, you need a crazy expensive camera to capture the look of it. I met a professional hair photographer once and he had a whole lit thing in the earlier part of the morning for taking the photo outdoors. It's the only time my hair and my skin looked really great and somewhat normal. I've had other photographs that were pretty good, too, but the one I'm speaking of is the best photo ever.

My camera doesn't capture hair well, or close-up anything really well.

I also find that most photographs of hair require some kind of action going on or the model being involved in something or holding some kind of prop. That tends to also be a better photograph, I have found. So the focus isn't purely just hair, but it provides context. When I take most photographs of any sort, I try and pay attention as well to backgrounds and creating context as well as framing of the subject somehow. But those are my piccadillos when taking a photograph. Indoors, generally, unless really well lit, the photo won't show hair at its optimum most times.


heidi w.

[trolleypup]

I have noticed that whenever I have a photo taken of my hair, the red in it shows up so much more than in daylight! My siggy pic is such an example: it's Lush's Caca Brun.... in daylight and in person it's a brown, as one would expect, yet in photos it has that amazing reddish tinge.
Attack of the dreaded auto-white balance! Different cameras in different lighting situations will take vastly different looking images. As you've noticed, usually daylight, especially with a relatively neutral natural background matches what the eye sees the best.

As to how to achieve this color in daylight, I'll leave that to the coloring mavens!

[jojo]

My hair always appears darker and redder than it is in real life, its very rare for me capture its full colour!

[KatyS]

Hmm.... I may have to experiment with the Rouge.

Is Manic panic okay for hair? :/ being a commercial dye? I don't know much about that one.

Thanks for all the responses so far! Does anyone else have similar issues? :p

[whitedove]

My hair reflects light and colours around me. If I am under a lightbulb my hair can look strawberry blonde. When outside where it is all green and blue, my hair turns ashy. If a flash is used indoors you need sunglasses as it makes my hair glare, I often have to turn brightness down :). Looking back at pictures taken when I was younger, the colour looks better, more my natural colour, these are all taken pre digital.

[turtlelover]

My hair can either look very gray or totally brown depending on the lighting and camera angle. It is the weirdest thing!

[Hollyfire3]

My hair looks BLACK or nearly black in pictures when in reality it is dark chestnut brown, i have had it look down right RED in the sun like fire engine red, but it only has a small tint of dark auburn/cinnamon in real life! I know how mcuh hair changes depenind on light, i have watched SO many Charmed episodes and seen SO many pictures of Piper, i swear her hair is like fifty shades of brown between one googling sesion JUST because the lighting has changed...its crazy, either that or she LOVES different shades of hair dye, which is ENTIRLY possible, or maybe its both lighting change AND hair dye at different levels of fade and so on...hair is SO confusing....you ever try bringing a pic to th ehair dresser for color refernce? Yeah, i got 10 different suggestions of what color Piper's hair was accoriding to 2 different pics......

[Hollyfire3]

My hair can either look very gray or totally brown depending on the lighting and camera angle. It is the weirdest thing!

Strange...nice new avatar turtlelover! Love you name BTW!!!

[Khiwanean]

Is Manic panic okay for hair? :/ being a commercial dye? I don't know much about that one.
Manic Panic is a direct dye, so it's kind of like conditioner with lots of pigment in it. It coats the hair in color and won't damage your hair.

[jacqueline101]

My hair looks brown blonde or streaked between the two colors. I don't know why but maybe its the light or the angle I take my pictures at.

[Lady Neeva]

My hair's much darker in real life. It just looks dull in photos.