This week’s conversation turns to the all-important topic of marketing, namely editing and filtering Before and After photos. How much is too much? What about lighting? Should you even edit your photos? Danielle and Ani take on these questions and more in this week’s episode which will have you laughing one minute and taking serious notes the next. As always, they’re keeping it real with the Big Money Stylist Podcast. In Big Money Stylist, we go over the following formula each month: Week #1: Power Week #2: Production Week #3: Profit Week #4: Protection In This Week’s Episode…..POWER Point #1: Before and After Photos When taking Before and After photos, the goal is to deliver good work to the clients and to keep realistic expectations. If you’re going to do any kind of editing, just make sure it represents your work and what you can fulfill and deliver, and what it actually looks like in person. Ani: When you edit a client’s face, it’s not because you think they’re ugly or they don’t look good enough; it’s a way to make them feel better. It’s not to take away from who they are or their natural beauty, it’s to make them feel comfortable with having their photo taken. QUESTION How have you mastered the art of the Before and After photo? Point #2: Why Are You Editing? Ani: Some people use the editing app to correct the mistakes they have made while doing someone’s hair. We’re editing to get capture the look on film that we’re seeing in person. Lighting is hard, taking pictures is really hard, and depending on the time of day, the lighting can change. Danielle: Nobody knows how good you are unless you show them. Part of the process of marketing is getting really good at taking photos so you can show your work to others and have it look as good as it does in person. QUESTION How are your photo-taking and editing skills? Point #3: Feedback Danielle: You have to give yourself honest feedback, and you can’t blame everythingthat doesn’t look good in the photo on the lighting. If you are able to give yourself honest feedback, you will become a better artist. Stop judging everybody else’s work and wondering if they’re filtering or not filtering it. Just constantly rate your own work and ask yourself, “How can I learn and grow as an artist?” As you give yourself feedback, be sure to put it in the client’s notes. QUESTION How has giving yourself honest feedback made you a better Artist? Point #4: Showcasing Your Work Ani: As hairstylists, we post our work which can be both good AND bad. When posting work you can tell what looks legit as opposed to what has been filtered 15 times. Danielle: As you showcase your work, great lighting is a must. The better the lighting you have, the less editing you’ll have to do because it actually does represent your work. QUESTION Do you tend to use too many filters in your photos? Point #5: Keeping It Real Ani: If you’re going to smoothe someone’s face, they shouldn’t actually look blurry. When I look at a photo and the face is all blurry, I know it’s been filtered way too much and it doesn’t look right. Danielle: Don’t take away all the lines. If the face is too over-edited then people assume the hair is over edited as well. In my experience, if you have good lighting, the skin looks better. The point being, the more you learn how to use lighting, the less editing you’ll have to do and the more it will represent your work. QUESTION Do you tend to blur the lines too much or do you keep it real? Quote of the Week: “If I have a situation in business where shit goes sideways, I have to remind myself that I created the circumstances for this to happen, so it’s up to me to learn from it, grow from it, and then move on. Yes, that fucking sucks so let’s figure out how we’re going to do it better next time.” –Danielle K White “Remember, editing is fine if you’re doing it to represent how your work truly looked in person. If you’re using editing because you can’t get it right in the salon