FORWARD BY MATTHEW BURCH
I love working for all of my clients. Every single one has something to offer me in terms of conversation and working experience; but it cannot be denied that every so often there is a special client experience.
Last year I was commissioned to start creating a library of images for the Julia Lampard Hair Salon in Guildford. The plan was to build a portfolio of photos telling the story of the salon so as to provide images for the new website, as well as social media and marketing in general. I met with Julia and was immediately struct by two things; Julia has an unbridled passion for her client’s care and experiences, and her team echo that sentiment across the board.
This passion for what they all do made my work so much easier. Their attention to detail and ensuring the salon is a pleasant environment of the client gave me ample opportunity to find the storytelling photos needed.
I spent several days working in the salon seeking candid shots, setting up some posed action scenes, shooting portraits of the team as well as a few highlighted product photos. The salon itself is flooded with light and has a relaxing unhurried atmosphere with the team very obviously focused on client care. They all embraced me being there and were friendly, even with me unavoidably getting in the way sometimes.
Interestingly I was made very welcome by so many of the clients with a lot happy to take a little direction, so I could get the right shots. I think this is indicative of their relationship with Julia and her team.
Ultimately we finished this series of shoots with over 850 polished photos with them populating the website and appearing in the salon’s social media channels.
In addition to the salon shoots, which themselves incorporated some specific sequence photos, Julia asked me to document the Keratin straightening process which we did on a specific day with three models. I’ll post again separately about this shoot as it was an interesting application to watch with remarkable results.
I look forward to returning when new photos are needed and hope that I have a long working relationship with Julia. I have already recommended her to several people and would urge anyone looking for a hair salon to go and see Julia and her crew.
Matthew Burch, Photographer
www.matthewburchphotography.