Learning from hairstylists
Understanding your client and knowing what they really want is imperative to becoming a great hairstylist – or a great photographer
Agood hairstylist makes it look effortless, creating cuts that should be on-trend and suit the face shape. When you think about it, it is quite a skill. Firstly, they have to gauge the kind of person you are and the kind of conversation you like, if any. Avoiding religion and politics – and, these days, anything to do with vaccines or Brexit – is wise. So you’re sat in a chair, nervously expectant. For me, a haircut is a wild adventure (even my long-standing hairdresser admits that I have rather ‘unique’ hair), and so I am never sure how, exactly, to answer that age-old question: “So, what can we do for you today?”
I honestly want to reply, “Just give me the massage and the coffee, and I’ll be right on my way”, but, of course, that wouldn’t get me the haircut I so desperately need!
Then it’s: “How has your hair been?” What do you say to that? “Well, it’s still there” or “I’d be cold without it.” But no, of course, all you say is, “It’s been great – let’s do the same again please,” while quietly wishing you were that little bit more George Clooney.
And so we dance that dance. We chat, they cut, we chat, they cut some more. I can’t say I have ever liked my hair, but in skilled hands, at least it’s as good as it’s going to get, whatever that means.
Just a bit off the top
I have watched them and their team for many years as they assess the clients – clients who have a more robust vision of their hairstyle than me – are probed, prodded, peered at, stroked, and interrogated in the mirror.
Then the hair wash: is it just me, or is the water always ice cold or lava hot? Why does the temperature have to be tested by jetting it on me and then asking – generally by way of apology – “Is the temperature okay for you?” As I yelp, my scalp either frost-bitten or broiled.
Of course, I have always washed my hair before turning up. A pointless exercise, I grant you, given I am now having it washed for the second time in a few hours. I hate the idea that, in their tea break, a stylist would blurt out, “Did you see the state of his hair!? He really should wash once in a while!”
Then the scalp massage, which is, honestly, the best part of the whole experience, for me at least. It’s also the only time that I’m actually quiet. The entire experience could end there, and I’d be satisfied – though I would still be in dire need of a haircut, truth be told!
Then it’s back to the chair, and the clipping commences with brief interludes for me to sip coffee and eat the cookies they kindly provided: why is it that something as simple (and cheap) as a cup of coffee and a bit of shortbread feels like such a treat?
After 20 minutes or so of shearing, combing it this way and that, out comes a hairdryer, then the clippers to finish and maybe just a little product to set me on my way.
And, in the end, as she holds up the mirror to see the back of my head, I can’t help but think that’s my best angle. Sigh.
So why, as a photographer, do I tell you this story? Well, think about all of the skills a stylist brings:
Personal service – even when repeatedly doing the same task;
Communication skills, albeit vacation-biased!;
Little, memorable touches – the massage, the coffee, the cookies...;
And (hopefully) a haircut that is bespoke (and suited) to who you are as a person.
A great hairstylist knows how to get the client to relax. They know how to figure out the best haircut given the client’s request, face shape, lifestyle, and, of course, their hair. They will balance against current trends and what will suit the customer. And, unlike photographers, there’s no going back if they get it wrong.
As photographers, we can learn that portraits are incredibly personal, and you need a range of talents and tastes to create them.
Imagine if there were no little touches and they could only perform a one-cutsuits-all style? Yet, I often encounter photographers who have that approach to their work and clients: one image style, one lighting pattern and, sadly, no treats.
I doubt I’ll ever be intensely thrilled with my haircut (my hair is, to use my own stylist’s description, the most wayward she’s ever encountered). Still, I have the best experience, perfect customer service and my wild hair is, for now at least, tamed to a greater or lesser degree.
I often encounter photographers who have that approach to their work and clients: one image style, one lighting pattern