Bourbon Street wrote:
Is it a lot of trouble to keep hair color up to date? It seems like every time I get an image I really like the model has two inches of roots showing through on a hair dye job. Personally I would prefer their natural hair color regardless of what it might be. But if you are a model and are charging for your services wouldn't you want to keep something like that up to date?

To be honest, it can be difficult to keep up with, especially for bright or bold colors and if the model is having it done at a salon versus doing it herself. I dyed my hair black for years, then suddenly became allergic to the dye. It was a few months before I discovered a natural method I could use (henna and indigo), but that takes 6 to 8 hours to do from start to finish and it's usually a couple days before my hair is actually back to normal. And then I had to stop doing that because it was triggering migraines. So now I have about 8 inches of roots that fade into soft black (not jet black any more) hair. There isn't much I can do about it, but most people don't seem to notice. I know I'm an odd situation and I agree that perfectly kept up dyed hair does look better than roots. It's just not always possible sometimes. 

Then there's the finger nails that have been bitten off really bad.

I think worse than that is chipped or color clashing nail polish. If short nails are trimmed evenly, they still look better to me than icky polish. But slightly longer nails with a neutral/sheer polish probably look the best for most things. Press on nails can be a good save if a model can find them in a more natural looking length/style. I do my own manicures and pedicures before shoots and it does make a huge difference in the lines of the hands when you look at photos. Sometimes one nail breaks and I have to trim them all to match which makes me feel really self conscious about my hands, but they grow back out in a couple weeks and look fine again.

And five o'clock shadow for those who shave down below.

That's one reason why I "style" my pubic hair the way I do (natural above, shaved below). I get horrible razor burn and most of us can only shave once every few days so there are always going to be days of stubble in between. Waxing requires us to wait even longer because you need a certain amount of length on the hair (or so I've been told). I really have no idea how others keep up the shaved smooth look. Almost every other nude model I've ever seen in person who shaves has had either stubble or razor burn.

All of this costs a lot of time in post.

I guess I could stick with hiring models who don't shave anywhere, like to dig in the garden with their hands, and don't bother with hair color. But that really limits the pool of models to choose from.

Or, could it be that I'm out of touch with what's acceptable today and none of these things really matter in an image?

I do everything I can to avoid a photographer having to do extra work in post, but it took me a year or two to realize what most/all of those things were. I also co-manage some local shoots so I do my best to provide a few things like nail polish remover to make things easier for photographers. A lot of what I learned came from helpful reminders from photographers a couple days before our shoot reminding me to avoid stubble, not wear tight clothing, etc.

I think your expectations are reasonable, but you might just have to spell them out for potential models or remind models after you book (for things like shaving/no stubble). Unless you're hiring professional models, a lot of the models you're probably working with (guessing here, I haven't looked at your portfolio yet) are likely hobbyists and may not have the money/time for the constant personal upkeep. It's actually a bit more intensive than people realize until they do it themselves.

But I do agree that the small details can really bring a photo to the next level. So I recommend looking for those who seem to feel the same way and just giving those reminders I've referred to a couple times in my reply here. Good luck ^_^

Bourbon Street wrote:
...the model has two inches of roots showing through on a hair dye job...

Then there's the finger nails that have been bitten off really bad.

And five o'clock shadow for those who shave down below.

Thee are all things to discuss with your model prior to the shoot. Personally I do not know anyone that chews their nails or fail to shave/prep/do their hair before a photo shoot if they are serious about it. At the very least the model should tell you in your pre shoot communications, when you ask her, that she is overdue for a hair touch up, (or anything else that is out of the ordinary that would require post.)

Yes, I personally think the touch up is too frequent for me due to fast growing hair and I also prefer natural color due to how it reflects light. Even though I've seen some amazing looking color jobs and all that, it isn't for me.

Jen

Garry k wrote:
Sometimes a little root action makes the picture more interesting

I agree, however her hair is touched up and not a 2 inch grow out. This intentional look is awesome but not "roots."

Jen

Koryn wrote:
I used to sometimes stay in campgrounds when I was traveling and shooting. The campgrounds always had basic shower facilities, but that was about it. I also slept in my car at truck stops sometimes when driving long distances between cities.

You don't wake up in the morning beautiful and shiny; after a few weeks on the road, you're looking pretty rugged. If you're doing a long tour - a month, or more - and doing it on a budget, perfection in grooming is nearly impossible.

I did a month-long tour last fall and mostly stayed in the homes of hosting photographers. Stuff like hair dying processes are messy and can stain sinks and surfaces, so dying your hair in a host's home (or even a hotel bathroom) is a recipe for disaster.

Take these factors into consideration before you jump to conclusion about the "negligence" or perceived lack of professionalism among models.

I understand how you feel about this with traveling on a budget. I personally would rather a model have natural hair color and not bother with dying it if the model is unable to keep it up well. One of my favorite traveling models travels all over the world and last time we shot she was in a campground in a tent. We laughed because she warned me the coat she was wearing smelled like the smoke from the campfire they had sat around the night before and it did indeed, very much so. But her long black hair was her natural color. Her fingernails were short but clipped that way with no polish. She was all natural so shaving wasn't an issue, not my preference but beautiful regardless.

All I'm saying is sometimes it might be better not to dye the hair if it's not possible to keep it up. Natural hair color can be more beautiful than the dyed. And it's not difficult to keep fingernails cut neatly. And maybe for shaving sensitive areas I wonder if waxing wouldn't work better.

Of course it is all subjective and we must remember the old saying "beauty is in the eye of the beer holder," or was that beholder? Oh well, something like that.

Bourbon Street wrote:

I understand how you feel about this with traveling on a budget. I personally would rather a model have natural hair color and not bother with dying it if the model is unable to keep it up well. One of my favorite traveling models travels all over the world and last time we shot she was in a campground in a tent. We laughed because she warned me the coat she was wearing smelled like the smoke from the campfire they had sat around the night before and it did indeed, very much so. But her long black hair was her natural color. Her fingernails were short but clipped that way with no polish. She was all natural so shaving wasn't an issue, not my preference but beautiful regardless.

All I'm saying is sometimes it might be better not to dye the hair if it's not possible to keep it up. Natural hair color can be more beautiful than the dyed. And it's not difficult to keep fingernails cut neatly. And maybe for shaving sensitive areas I wonder if waxing wouldn't work better.

Of course it is all subjective and we must remember the old saying "beauty is in the eye of the beer holder," or was that beholder? Oh well, something like that.

I know almost no women of ANY age who have their natural hair color. My 13 year old daughter even dyes her hair or has me do it for her. Give up the thought of finding something that is impossible to find. As for waxing perhaps you don't know how that even works. To wax you must grow out your hair to a certain length so the wax can grab the hair and then pull it out by the roots. You will spend weeks in a weird longer than stubble stage before you can wax again. I fear you are not being practical because you don't know what all it takes for a woman to groom. As Koryn says, we don't wake up like that!

Bourbon Street wrote:
Is it a lot of trouble to keep hair color up to date? It seems like every time I get an image I really like the model has two inches of roots showing through on a hair dye job. Personally I would prefer their natural hair color regardless of what it might be. But if you are a model and are charging for your services wouldn't you want to keep something like that up to date?

If it bugs you that much, hire a hairstylist as part of your team.

Bourbon Street wrote:
I understand how you feel about this with traveling on a budget. I personally would rather a model have natural hair color and not bother with dying it if the model is unable to keep it up well. One of my favorite traveling models travels all over the world and last time we shot she was in a campground in a tent. We laughed because she warned me the coat she was wearing smelled like the smoke from the campfire they had sat around the night before and it did indeed, very much so. But her long black hair was her natural color. Her fingernails were short but clipped that way with no polish. She was all natural so shaving wasn't an issue, not my preference but beautiful regardless.

All I'm saying is sometimes it might be better not to dye the hair if it's not possible to keep it up. Natural hair color can be more beautiful than the dyed. And it's not difficult to keep fingernails cut neatly. And maybe for shaving sensitive areas I wonder if waxing wouldn't work better.

Of course it is all subjective and we must remember the old saying "beauty is in the eye of the beer holder," or was that beholder? Oh well, something like that.

In some ways, I agree with you. You're still responsible for doing the best you can do, but for travelers, the polished "perfect" look is generally impossible.

I started using wigs a lot in 2014, just because I couldn't keep up my hair as well while traveling, if I was staying outdoors a lot. No one really knew the difference unless I told them, and it took me 5 minutes to have amazing-looking hair. You can get cheap, very nice wigs on Amazon now ($10-30 for totally natural looking) so I have no idea why more models don't use them.

As for nails, I always kept mine short and natural, so I don't even know how one would be able to do upkeep on a manicure.

Farenell Photography wrote:

If it bugs you that much, hire a hairstylist as part of your team.

I expect the model to have updated images in their portfolio and advise me of anything different. If they have dyed hair without roots showing in their portfolio I expect them to look that way when they show up.

It would be different if I were paying them some small amount.

Basically if it bugs me that much I could send them away without pay if they don't measure up to what they advertised but I tend to be too nice to do that. I just posted thinking maybe some models who are charging for their services might learn the importance of keeping things up.

Koryn wrote:

In some ways, I agree with you. You're still responsible for doing the best you can do, but for travelers, the polished "perfect" look is generally impossible.

I started using wigs a lot in 2014, just because I couldn't keep up my hair as well while traveling, if I was staying outdoors a lot. No one really knew the difference unless I told them, and it took me 5 minutes to have amazing-looking hair. You can get cheap, very nice wigs on Amazon now ($10-30 for totally natural looking) so I have no idea why more models don't use them.

As for nails, I always kept mine short and natural, so I don't even know how one would be able to do upkeep on a manicure.

I like the idea of wigs. Maybe I should invest in some. Are they one size fits all or does it depend on someone's head measurements?

Bourbon Street wrote:

I like the idea of wigs. Maybe I should invest in some. Are they one size fits all or does it depend on someone's head measurements?

In general, you can use about any size for a shoot, but I wouldn't hang upside down off a lightpole with one that was loose. It'd fall off.

Let's say that one size fits MOST. They are generally adjustable.

Koryn wrote:
In general, you can use about any size for a shoot, but I wouldn't hang upside down off a lightpole with one that was loose. It'd fall off.

Let's say that one size fits MOST. They are generally adjustable.

Cool. Thanks for the suggestion. I might have to get a rock n roll long blonde wig for myself to wear at the shoot in addition to some wigs for models who don't have time to keep up their hair.