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Posted By:coloru2 on: 1/24/2005 7:43:32 AM

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Thread: Camera choice

coloru2
Posts: 504
Silver Member

Camera choice
Posted: Monday, January 24, 2005 7:43:32 AM

I want to start taking before and after photos (or at least afters)of my clients. Does anyone know what type of camera would be the best for getting a quality shot of the haircolor? I'd love to hear from others who actually do this already, and what brand camera you use.

HairMaven
Posts: 885
Gold Member

Posted: Monday, January 24, 2005 6:35:04 PM

Your biggest problem is going to be learning the camera. If you have one that is completely automatic, the flash will go off almost every time you try to take a picture and this will distort the color. Your best bet is to buy a decent digital camera (3 mega pixel or higher) and get one of your photographer friends to set up a little area in the salon with a light or that has alot of natural day light and always take you pictures there.

My suggestion. Buy a Canon digital Rebel 6 mega pixel (around $650 on ebay), a 512k memory card, if you have great daylight get a large white reflector set the reflector at a 45 degree angle to your model in front of her, turn the flash off. If you have no daylight or take pictures at night as well, then buy a strobe flash, a light stand ($100 max), buy an adapter to hook the strobe flash to you camera, set the strobe at a 45 degree angle on the opposite side of the reflector, (still in front of the model). Then snap away, realizing that alot of clients will feel self conscious.

Cheap way, but still ok. Buy Canon Digital Elph 4 mega pixel ($350-$400), the reflector (get someone to hold it at a 45 degree angle to the models face), take the pictures outside, no camera flash, max resolution.

Hope this helps.

coloru2
Posts: 504
Silver Member

Posted: Monday, January 24, 2005 7:10:07 PM

Wow, that's really intense Hairmaven. Thanks so much for the indepth reply.

statikman1
Posts: 144
Bronze Member

Posted: Monday, January 24, 2005 8:20:32 PM

I have a digital rebel and I still haven't figured it out completely but it is fantastic and shoots in RAW.

coloru2
Posts: 504
Silver Member

Posted: Monday, January 24, 2005 11:19:16 PM

RAW??

HairMaven
Posts: 885
Gold Member

Raw
Posted: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 10:34:19 PM

Most camera save the pictures you take in a file format called JPEG. This is a type of file compression to allow you to take and store more pictures in memory, the disadvantage to the JPEG file format is that is causes information to be lost and this causes loss in picture detail, the higher the compression the greater the loss of detail or artifacts (little blocks of colors that don't belong there).

RAW on the other hand, does not compress the image in the camera or process the color or detail. It will give you the greatest resolution that your camera can give you but you will need to touch up your pictures with a photo editing program before you can print them.

hot_locks
Posts: 2206
Platinum Member

Posted: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 10:43:25 PM

I have two cameras. My baby Nikon D2H for high speed action... (my hobby)

and for the salon I use the Canon Power Shot G5. It is a great camera for people who want the point and shoot, but you can also manually make changes. Like Maven says about the flash... this one, you can just turn off the flash and it won't flash. it takes great pix. I do however like the flash for the pictures I do of my hairstraightening as it really shows the shine of the cuticle. A lot of my color photos have flash as well, but you can still see the vibrancy of the haircolor.

Anyhow... this camera is about 400 and you can get it at Costco. I recommend Costco for anything especially electronic because they have the BEST return policy- will take back ANYTHING no matter how old or worn.