Every time I see a photo of myself, my immediate reaction is to check to see how my hair looks. I’m so critical of my appearance in photos that I hardly allow myself to be photographed. “I prefer to be behind the camera, not in front of it,” I say, as if that’s the first time that has ever been uttered from a photographer’s lips in the history of humanity, though I’m very aware that isn’t the case. I respect a good haircut, so here’s a tip: if you’re going to even risk your life by taking a photo of me, your highest chances of survival come the days following a haircut. Just letting you know.

Knowing how I interact with having my photo taken, I’m never surprised when I have clients who are very aware of their appearance. Everyone is always critical of having their photo taken and I always have to take this into consideration when such a situation comes up. With DSLRs allowing people to chimp behind their LCD screens and get instant proofs of what they recently shot, it’s not uncommon for the subject to instantly request to see what you captured and place swift judgement upon their appearance stemming from your photographic abilities. Even after countless occasions of this happening, I still had many lessons to take with me after a great series of shoots with the salon Last Tangle in Washington, DC.

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