Darrel Starkey-Gettings created two amazing hair collections this year. We asked him to tell us what it takes, from the initial idea through to promoting your images.

 

When you have the chance to organise your very first photographic shoot, it’s such a special moment. For me, it’s something I worked so extremely hard for and my determination could be seen throughout everything I was doing in order to get me to this point.

 

The starting point

It can be a daunting task to organise a shoot and you need to start somewhere. The first task is looking at your vision for the collection. Decide on what you’re looking to achieve, styles you’d like to create and the overall vibe of the shoot. I often plan around six to eight months beforehand, playing around with ideas and moodboards until I’m happy with what I’ve got.

It’s important to remember that your first idea might not even be the final vision, often things change and you are completely inspired by something you’d never expect.

 

The team

This is, I’d say, one of the most important parts of any photographic shoot. The team you choose is the backbone to the shoot and will work together with you to ensure your creative vision is met. I did a lot of research on photographers, makeup artists and stylists and personally spoke to each one. I’d urge anyone who is organising a shoot to meet with their potential team so you can get a feel for each person, their personality and also to discuss your ideas with them.

It’s important they understand what you’re looking for and that you are all on the same page. Working together will give you the best results.

 

The location

You can shoot almost anywhere, but make sure it reflects and fits with your brief. Whether it’s a studio, in the salon, outdoors or in another location, make sure you get this booked so you can set your shoot date.

 

The models

For hair shoots, model castings are so much fun! Generally the best idea is to hold an open casting. When doing so, myself and my PR team contact all modelling agencies in and around the area we are shooting. We give them a detailed brief of what we are looking for in a model – blonde/brown/up for colour etc., and they then send their girls down for us to see them in person.

Due to current circumstances open castings are not advised so you can also hold online castings, where the agencies send images and videos of girls, or this can also be done via Zoom. It’s a really creative process and very exciting. For those with larger budgets, you can look at models from further afield and pay their expenses.

Another way to cast is by doing street castings. This is when you literally go out in the streets and see if anyone around you fits your bill – it’s fun, free and also a great way to connect. By doing this you can end up with your dream model.

 

The shoot

My favourite part of the process, the shoot day. The day you’ve planned for such a long time is finally here. It’s extremely important to have everything organised so that there are no hiccups on the day. However, always prepare just in case something doesn’t go as planned. Take everything you will definitely need and more to make sure you have all bases covered.

Make sure you have everyone’s details and you are all at the shoot at the correct time, ready to start the day together. I often stagger the model arrival times so we don’t have them hanging about or sitting waiting, this is also a good way to keep the costs down and allows you to concentrate on one model at a time.

Keep communicating with your team throughout the day to ensure you are all on the same page and you all are aware of the main goal.

 

After the shoot

Once the shoot is over, you can relax – you did it! You should feel a sense of achievement and should be extremely proud of yourself. Your photographer will sort through the images and if safe to do so, you can meet with them to choose your desired shots. It can be so difficult to narrow them down but depending on what you are doing with the images, keep in mind what you are using them for and this can help with the decision.

 

Using and promoting your images

Once you’ve chosen your images, it’s time to get them seen and get as much out of them as possible! For me personally, my latest collections will be entered for awards such as the British Hairdressing Awards, Tribu-te Big One Awards as well as international competitions.

As well as this I have begun working with a PR company, who are helping my distribute my collections to trade media outlets, both in the UK and international. I want to be recognised throughout the hairdressing industry for my skill and my passion for hair.

Hairdressing has always been a huge part of my life and I want to show off my work as much as possible.

View both of Darrel’s collections in our Inspiration gallery: Roots and Pigments.

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