Hair stylist Tony Vacher (Sterling) and I have collaborated on a number of photoshoots over the years and are always kicking around ideas for fun and creative shoots do next. But our busy work schedules (and new dad lives) meant it kept getting put on the back burner.
But a few months ago he got in touch with an idea that had come to him in the wake of David Bowie’s death. It had rocked him pretty hard and sparked the idea to do a hair/photo tribute with female subjects. It would also be a submission in the ‘Salon Team of the Year’ category for the Hair Expo Awards.
So in partnership with his team at Sterling (including colourist Michelle Hunjak) they dreamed up six scenarios taking inspiration from different Bowie eras.
It was a fun shoot, with Bowie blasting on the stereo all day.
The final shot with Izzy was the most iconic look, the Aladdin Sane lightning bolt. But it’s also the most overplayed, with every man and his dog doing and homage to it.
So to finish off the day we took a more somber turn, smeared the make-up and changed the mood. Izzy was a massive Bowie fan and went into a very mournful place where tears fell naturally with no prompting from me.
It’s my favourite shot from the shoot.
Credits
- Hair: Tony Vacher, Michelle Hunjak, Tara Sutton, Alyce Rollason
- Makeup: Angie Hogan, Sophie Webb
- Models: Isabelle Faith, Celia Flower Jones, Sabrina Haley, Joan Cameron-Smith, Amanda Bla, Laura Mitchell
- Photography: Daniel Boud
- Assistant: Rachel Murdolo
- Retouching: Steve Horsfall
