On this shoot I was producing shots of hair stylist Barry Lazarou’s (of Lazarou Brothers, Cardiff) work so that he could enter a prestigious face-off competition run by the trail-blazing male grooming brand American Crew. Entrants had to follow a strict photographic brief, and Barry placed his trust in me to get this right. For example, the only shots the rules permitted were of the model’s head and shoulders, forward facing and side facing. Also, a white background had to be used. Anything else would result in disqualification.
This was the fourth year I had worked with Barry Lazarou on this project and, by now, we each knew and respected the other’s skills. His slick styles, in keeping with the American Crew brand, were set off well by my use of strong lighting in the studio. Thus, I used the hard-and-fast rule of a white background to our advantage, since this, combined with my lighting, meant that I achieved sharp contrasts.
The use of black and white was another of the strict entry requirements of the competition. This brought its own challenges. It meant that I had to plan carefully what colours the models should be directed to wear: blacks and whites, of course, but also blues, since these transform into mid-grey shades in black and white photography. This colour range created a pleasing spectrum in the finished shots.
The shoot itself went very smoothly. The male models were at first a little nervous, being amateurs at that time, but they followed direction and were soon reassured that all would turn out well. They received photographs at no cost to themselves to use in their portfolios, which helped them on their paths to becoming professional male models.
Post-production, I ensured that all American Crew’s technical pre-requisites (such as file type and size) were fulfilled. I sent all the shots to Barry, who selected his favourites, while I also selected my favourites, and then we cross-referenced these to narrow them down to the four which would be put forward as his entry. We agreed on these with very little difficulty.
As well as the prestige of being shortlisted in a competition like this, stylists who finish in the top three win significant prizes, the overall winner going to L.A. to meet David Raccuglia, the founder of the American Crew brand, who is widely held to be foremost in the male grooming industry. Thousands of stylists enter every year. Progressing to the long-list of 1000 stylists is an achievement in itself, which Barry did every year he entered using my photographs. The third and fourth years he entered (2011 and 2012) he actually made it through to the shortlist of twenty – quite a remarkable feat.
The same shots as were used for this competition were also used to enter another stylists’ competition, except in colour. This time, Barry won. While this achievement is, of course, very much to his own credit as a professional, I believe the quality of my own work to be an equal factor in Barry’s competitive success. It was a thorough partnership of skills.
