associatedhairprofessionals.com 13
Recently, Kim Kardashian's hairdresser,
Chris Appleton, broke down the process
and cost that went into Kim's finished
look. Kristin Grip (@hairbyKristinGrip),
a stylist and salon owner in Southern
California, also frequently posts images
that demonstrate the difference between
filtered reality and actual reality on
her Instagram account. These and
many other hairdressers and salons are
transparent with their images and honest
about the multi-appointment process
it takes to achieve certain looks.
When it comes down to it, the reality
is that we now live in a filtered world and
we think through a social media lens.
Many times, we don't want to settle for
a #nofilter photo. Whether it's images
that are overedited to fit the aesthetic of
the composition of Instagram profiles or
tweaking the saturation of a vivid service
because it just doesn't look violet enough,
there is a temptation to distort reality.
This is important to keep in mind when
looking for hair inspiration photos. While
they may look beautiful, they may not be
100 percent real life. Instead, it may be real
life enhanced by VSCO Cam filter #A5. ■
Due to the nature of photo editing,
sometimes services are misrepresented.
This affects not only the guest's expectations,
but can also make it more difficult for the
hairdresser and guest to get on the same
page. Some examples of this misrepresentation
in media include:
• A simple Pinterest search for balayage can
turn up with foilyage, full highlights, and
other even more intensive and expensive
services that are everything but a balayage.
• Before-and-after photos of black to pastel
pink hair and expecting it to happen in one
appointment.
• Photos of super long, super thick, "perfect
hair" but failing to mention the use of
extensions, wigs, or hairpieces.
The alteration of images affects most
areas of the beauty industry—not just color
services but even clipper cuts. Andrew
Kozak of @andrewdoesahair once put out
a post revealing Photoshop methods that
some barbers use to smudge and manipulate
fades of clipper cuts. He ended up taking
down the video because his honesty
toward photo editing upset people.
By Emma Buchbinder, with
Virtue Salon hairstylists
Louie, Teake, Allison,
Lindsay, and Kendra
Filtered Reality
At our salon, we are committed
to the integrity of our photos.
Our images are captured
by one of the wonderful
photographers we work with
and our highest priority with
editing these images is to
reflect the real, raw, beautiful
services completed in-house.
Photoshop is a great resource that has
many useful tools to enhance photos and
give them that little something extra that
a smartphone can't capture. For example,
you can use it to brighten images that were
taken in poorly lit areas, or sharpen some
of the details that were missed with a phone
camera. However, it's easy to go overboard
when it comes to editing photos. When
photo editing is overdone, Photoshop
changes from a photo enhancer to a tool that
distorts the reality of certain services.
With the variety of photo editors and
apps available, it's easy for social media to
misrepresent colors and tones. A picture
of hair taken in studio lighting can look
completely different than a photo of the
same hair taken in natural lighting. This
is especially true of blonde tones or vivid,
vibrant colors. Every hair color can reflect
warm tones and cool tones depending on a
multitude of factors: eyesight of the viewer,
indoor or outdoor lighting, skin tone, the
colors of the surrounding area, etc. When
discussing possible color options with your
hairdresser, it is important to consider your
natural skin tone and eye color—not just the
hairstyle of your favorite Instagram model.
reality filter same hair, different lighting
