Photographing a hair salon on 35mm film

A week or so ago I did a little shoot for a new hair salon that had opened nearby. The guy running it had recently decided to go independent and had just opened his own place, though it was in an interesting location that wasn't really a commercial sort of zone. Rather, a rented apartment in a new building. I had seen the studio already and knew that it would look fun on the 28mm lens I had recently got for my Canon AE-1. I knew I wanted to shoot it on film and do some general interior work, and so I offered to help the guy out with a few images that could be used for his socials. A bit of artsy marketing, pretty much. The 28mm served quite nicely for the most part, it was wide enough, though I think anything wider may have introduced some unwanted distortion around the edges.

It was a fun little experiment with the lighting, both artificial and natural. Some nice golden light bouncing off from the windows on the building opposite, pushing down into this one. Creating some softened light with the gardens, though I opted for opening them and letting that harsher light enter and create some nice tones across the room and some of the materials the owner had out and stated he thought he'd want to advertise a bit more. It was still a bit soft, but I think it came out really nice on film, Kodak Colorplus 200 as well so it was requiring quite a low shutter speed even at 2.8. I wasn't sure how some of these would turn out with the lower shutter speeds, I was a bit worried that they might be underexposed or introduce some camera shake that was not intended. Though they actually came out beautiful. With lovely tones from the Colorplus and the softness of film grain. Removing a more clinical look and making it a more welcoming environment.

I knew film was the right decision here based on not wanting to capture more sharp, clinical look to everything. I think the studio the owner had crafted was intentionally made to look more artistic and inviting, less about getting a hair cut and more a space that felt like home that also left the customer with some sense of inspiration. Where the boredom of a hair cut was replaced with a sense of new starts, as if to have someone enter and leave feeling reborn and more confident. This was something I talked to the owner about a bit as I took the images, to which they agreed was pretty much the intent.

It was a fun little shoot in the end. Most of the pictures turned out just fine. And it was a fun experiment going into the 28mm that I hadn't really had a chance before to use, especially for interiors. I loved how much opportunity it provided with that wider focal length. I love that it didn't feel limiting and allowed me to capture a wide range of space and objects. It's exactly what I had been wanting to have for so long! And I can't wait to use it more for other shoots.