Growing your hair is a very exciting experience, but when we don’t actually see the difference, the excitement wears off pretty quickly. Today, we are going to unpack 5 helpful tips on how to take the perfect before and after photo to visually track your progress so that you can stay inspired to keep going and (most importantly!) to fall in love with your hair growth journey! Let’s get started!
Tip 1: What to Wear
One of the most important things about tracking progress is continuity, so wearing the same top in your before and after photo allows you to almost instantly see the difference between the two. More importantly though is to wear a neutral colored shirt without any patterns, shapes, pockets, frills or obstructions around the collar that affect how the hair falls around your neck and shoulders. A loose fitting  white (or pink!) t-shirt that hangs comfortably down your back without curves or folds is first prize. When waring the shirt, make sure the collar is evenly positioned in the front and back, and that the that the middle seems on your shoulders are straight and even.
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Tip 2: the Perfect Posture
Standing with your feet slightly apart, straighten you body, drop your shoulders down placing both arms on either side of your body, and lift your chin to be horizontal with the ground. Practicing this posture when taking your before and after photo’s is a fantastic way to see the difference clearly.Â
Tip 3: Background and Lighting
Lighting and background play a big role in the overall finished photo. When the background and lighting is dark, the overall photo doesn’t achieve our goal of creating excitement and a clear visual reference to go by. So first and foremost, find a wall or open space in your home that will become your backdrop. The simpler the better! A simple white wall is perfect. Wooden cupboards or cupboards in general aren’t a great background because it distracts the eye. The simpler and cleaner the better! Next up, lighting! Every house is different, some have better light in the mornings, others have great light in the afternoons, so pay attention to when this area you have chosen is at its best lighting (no direct sunlight please, but close to a window is perfect). Natural lighting is fantastic, but a ring light won’t hurt (and I know you’ve got one!) 😉
Tip 4: Snap snap!
Ask mum, your sister, boyfriend or hubby to help out on this one. Standing with your back to the camera, facing the neutral wall (ring light on!) let’s take some photo’s! Holding the phone at eye level, paying attention not to tilt the phone forward or backwards (this creates unwanted distortion) take a few photo’s at once, and then together you can evaluate the best one or take a few more, paying attention to your posture and remember to keep your chin up straight. Remember, your before photo is the most important one you take, so make sure you take quite a few takes of the same shot and keep them in a folder in your phone for easy reference when you’re ready to take your progress photo. Another very important point is framing. Â
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If your designated photographer (thanks mum!) is standing too close, and the photo only showcases your shoulders, then in a few month’s time when your hair is all the way down your back you are going to wish you had taken a photo further away so that you can put them side by side in your photo editor! Remember you can always crop in edit. So be sure to have a nice meter distance between each other and to ensure your full back down to your hips is in the shot. Lastly, make sure there is a small gap above the head and the top of the photo too.
Tip 5: Keep it polished!
Making sure your hair is clean, dry and looking beautiful and shiny is always a winner! Dirty, oily and even dull hair doesn’t keep us motivated or want to share our progress, so make sure your hair is popping on the day of your photoshoot. Part your hair in the front and brush all the hair to your back. Your designated photographer will then do one or two final sweeps with the comb to ensure all the hairs are perfectly straight and free of any bends or kinks before taking the shot. This is a very important step and makes all the difference.
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And that’s it! Please comment below if you have any questions or if you enjoyed this article (plus please share if you tried these techniques – we’d love to see how the photo’s turned out!). And remember, tracking your progress is the best way to stay on track and be consistent so keep snapping away! Can be once a week, but ideally every 3 weeks for a visual difference. Until next time. Happy growing!
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xoxo
Quick GrowÂ
