Photographing my bride's beautiful gray hair

[John Kasaian]

My bride has decided to let her hair grow out in it's natural gray color this summer. This is a rather traumatic experience for her to say the least, but I think she'll look terriffic and I'd like to take a B&W portrait with her gray hair (she said it will take all summer to look natural.)
Any suggestions for filters/lighting from you portrait guys? What techniques will make my bride's gray hair "pop" on panchro?

[MIke Sherck]

So in other words, you want to take her gray hair and make it white(er)?

:) Buy a new sofa. You're going to be sleeping on it shortly.

:) Mike :)

[Tori Nelson]

Here's my 2 cents; It's NEVER gray hair on a woman, it's "a beautiful silver shade". You're welcome. ; - )

[lenser]

John,

It will depend on what you have available for lighting. You want the light to be a big and soft source so you don't blow out the already very light hair color.

If you don't have electronic flash and big soft boxes, the simplest (and extremely effective) technique would be window light with her placed at least four or five feet in from the window to soften contrast. Then a large reflector to the shadow side but not right on top of her (to fill in the skin tones and hair on that side) and a smaller and brighter reflector like a plastic mirror (available at any good plastics shop and most sign companies) still on the shadow side, but high and toward the back of that side of her head as a hair light to highlight those silvery strands.

For this hair reflector, a good microphone stand with a goose neck and clamp arrangement like some are set up for bands, makes a perfect way to articulate and position the mirror reflector at any angle and height you desire.

Think of it from an overhead point of view. If the window is on the left of subject at nine o'clock, the main reflector would be at about 3 o'clock and the hair light reflector would be at about 1-1:30 and about one foot higher than her head level.

If you want to get really elegant with the lighting, a second large reflector should be placed by the window and facing at about 45 degrees toward the window so it captures some of the direct window light and skims it across her face to wrap from the highlight to the shadow side of her features. This gives a soft and absolutely beautiful three dimensional lighting that truly does wrap around the geography of the face including the hair.

Both of the large reflectors need to be at eye level and the one by the window could go a bit higher. If shooting color, I love the warming effect off gold reflectors. If black and white, white reflectors are fine. I avoid silver as being way too specular and contrasty.

By the way, choose your windows carefully. North facing is ideal and smooth/delicate light all day. East or West facing are fine if you shoot morning for west facing and afternoon for east facing so you don't have direct sun as the source light. South is often very problematic because it catches some direct sun almost all day when it's not cloudy. You can further soften the light by using shear curtains if needed.

Good luck, I hope we get to see your results.

[David Beal]

My wife has been gray since her late 20s. Her hair stylist suggested that she use a shampoo called "Shimmer Lights," which has worked well to preserve the gray and give it a uniform patina.

I'd shoot in front of a heavily-wooded & dark green North-lit grove with a short DOF. Because I believe that "new technology" films tend to suppress mid-tones, I'd opt for traditional emulsions, and would probably use HP5+, shooting at different speeds to see which gave the best overall rendering of hair plus skin. Although I like Microphen or DD-X with HP5+, I think I would develop the lower-rated shots (200 or 250) in Perceptol.

My very best wishes to you and your lovely bride for a long and peaceful life.

/s/ David

[taberahkj]

Here's my 2 cents; It's NEVER gray hair on a woman, it's "a beautiful silver shade". You're welcome. ; - )


Tori, your starting to sound like the Impossible Project marketing department! Maybe you should submit your resume?

[Mark Sawyer]

It's hard to prescribe the specifics, but it's all in the light...

[John Kasaian]

Here's my 2 cents; It's NEVER gray hair on a woman, it's "a beautiful silver shade". You're welcome. ; - )

Tori,
I would call it silver, but she says its gray and if I argue the point she'll hit me ;)

[falth j]

LET SOMEBODY ELSE TAKE THE PICTURE...

emotionally and economically, you'll be better off.


All males should at once take notice that whenever we are drawn into commenting on a females hair color, no matter what a male says, he will be a loser both economically and emotionally.

It is not enough to comment on hair color, whether you call it ‘shimmering‘, ‘mature‘, ‘distinctive’ or ‘sophisticated‘, you’ll be challenged, as she’ll want money for a new wardrobe if you say its beautiful and/or sophisticated, and if she needs to change the color, she’ll need money for the job, and again, a new wardrobe to match the color change…

The best thing to do is ‘run’, when you're asked for your opinion...

its just a scheme to get you on the hook…

After all, haven’t you learned by now, they don’t want our opinion, and if you offer it, they ignore it…


year after year, after year…

[Hugo Zhang]

Sable silvered instead of gray?

[William McEwen]

My bride has decided to let her hair grow out in it's natural gray color this summer. This is a rather traumatic experience for her to say the least, but I think she'll look terriffic and I'd like to take a B&W portrait with her gray hair (she said it will take all summer to look natural.)
Any suggestions for filters/lighting from you portrait guys? What techniques will make my bride's gray hair "pop" on panchro?

First of all, my compliments to your bride. I hope the experience won't be traumatic and you'll get some pictures that she'll like.

Covering gray is a billion dollar industry, and I'm glad she's bucking the tired old trend and going natural.

I wouldn't concern myself too much about film/filters/lighting to get the gray to pop. Any reliable black and white film will serve you just fine.

[Eric James]

...and I'm glad she's bucking the tired old trend and going natural...

I've always thought that the money women spend on their hair and hideous hairstyles run collinear. Here's to hoping it settles out at 18%; you can place it on her zone of choice John.

[Struan Gray]

I'm not a great fan of Susan Sontag or Annie Leibovitz, but this combination has a lot to recommend it:

http://fotografia-e-identidade.blogspot.com/2008/02/photograph-is-not-opinion-or-is-it.html


Women writers seem more ready to show grey hair in public than, say, actresses, or politicians or others who are regularly photographed and want to project a particular image. It might be useful to trawl the websites of photographers specialising in author headshots, such as Chris Felver (http://www.chrisfelver.com/portraits/writers2.html).

I also have a great affection for the portraits of Lloyd Erlick (http://www.heylloyd.com/photos1/photos1.htm). He makes people look good while retaining their individual character - the portraits are obviously posed, but you don't get the feel that the sitters are trying to look like an archetype.

[Rob Klurfield]

My wife did the same thing two years ago. It took a long time, but she has never looked back. I think it looks great. If you want to stay off that sofa, tell her much you like the way she looks even during that awkward period when she looks halfway between dyed and natural (skunk-like). Hair dye always struck me as being rather like putting pyro developer all over one's head.

I have no clue about how to take advantage of the silver when shooting her, but light prefers real hair to dyed hair for sure as it always makes dyed hair look like it was dipped in shoe polish.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5183/5629925453_df80329585.jpg

[J_Tardiff]

John,

My hair went gray in my early 30's and at 48 I am now nearly white -- I say "gray" as well, because white, well it really fits better when one is elderly (at least that is what I tell myself ;) ) . I never bothered dying it because I didn't have the patience nor the time. Tell her to have fun with it -- being a relatively young woman with silver hair is like joining a bit of a club, especially since the vast majority of women who "turn" early do dye their hair. It's amusing, people comment on my hair all of the time given the obvious discordance between my age and hair color. Oh, and +2 on the shimmering lights stuff -- easy to find on amazon.

I agree wholeheartedly re: the natural light approach, Rob's shot shows that well. The other concern will be her skin tone, I am very fair and look best when photographed wearing darker shades, deep browns, occasionally black.

And kudos to you for being supportive, numerous times women have said to me "I wish I could let mine go, but my husband would hate it". I always find it bizarre.