Beauty Photography: Behind the Scenes at Barcelona Hair Academy Workshop

Receiving a return invitation to photograph at Barcelona Hair Academy suggests my previous work met their professional standards—an encouraging validation for any commercial photographer. This follow-up assignment focused on a women’s styling workshop, which presented a slightly different atmosphere and creative opportunities compared to the previous male grooming event.

The academy’s environment offers ideal conditions for beauty photography, with abundant space and natural light complemented by thoughtful interior design that enhances rather than distracts from the subjects. This balance of functionality and aesthetics creates an excellent backdrop for professional beauty imagery without appearing overly contrived or artificial.

Having previously worked in this space, I approached the lighting setup with greater confidence and efficiency. The artificial lighting configuration I had developed during the first session proved effective, allowing me to establish a consistent visual style across both events while accommodating the different styling approaches featured in this women’s workshop.

Professional beauty photography requires careful attention to lighting that accurately represents colors and textures while remaining flattering to the subjects. The controlled studio-like environment of the academy allows for precise lighting adjustments that would be difficult to achieve in less specialized locations.

For this session, I placed additional emphasis on documenting the finished hairstyles, which typically featured more dramatic and visually striking results than those from the men’s grooming workshop. This focus on end results provides valuable portfolio material for both the stylists and the academy while creating more compelling visual content.

This approach highlights an important consideration for repeat clients: evolving your photographic approach with each assignment prevents creative stagnation while providing the client with a broader range of imagery. For future events at the academy, implementing more formal portrait sessions would further diversify the content while showcasing the stylists’ finished work in a more sophisticated presentation.

This assignment aligns with my professional development goals of expanding my portfolio to include more beauty and lifestyle imagery for my updated website. Commercial photographers must continually evolve their portfolios to demonstrate versatility and stay current with industry trends.

The only significant challenge in this otherwise ideal photography environment is the prevalence of mirrors throughout the space—an unavoidable feature of hair styling academies. These reflective surfaces require constant vigilance to avoid unintentional self-portraits appearing in the background of otherwise professional images. At least one such accidental self-portrait from this session reveals more midriff than intended—a humorous reminder of the unique challenges in beauty industry photography.

This ongoing relationship with Barcelona Hair Academy demonstrates how developing specialized knowledge of particular environments and client needs can lead to repeat business—a crucial element in building a sustainable photography career in competitive markets like Barcelona.