posts that wow
Oh, the power of a before and after! We know an amazing B&A when we see it… YET we keep posting photos that show very little impact. Why? There are a few main reasons I commonly see that cause “meh” before & afters.
The angle is wrong, wrong wrong!
The client isn’t making eye contact with the camera.
BOTH photos aren’t edited.
Photos are over-edited.
Know Your Audience
Most lash artists try to tailor their social media to clients without realizing they’re actually marketing to other lash artists. This is the first thing you want to figure out if you’re doing, because if you’re marketing to other artists when you are trying to get clients, then you’ll want to start implementing changes in order to market correctly. If you are posting for clients, you want to make sure you’re doing so intentionally, with them as the viewer in mind.
Things that Make your photos Meh-worthy
One of the key ways I see an IG feed unintentionally marketing towards other artists is by looking at what kind of angle is being taken of the lashes. If your Instagram is mainly geared towards clients, you should absolutely not be posting lash photos of the eyes closed. No one looks at themselves in the mirror with their eyes closed. No one cares what their lashes look like from that angle. It tells a potential client nothing about how lashes from you are going to look on them.
Sure, it can be a stunning angle for other lash artists to see, but even for accounts geared towards other artists, I would still challenge us to not post this kind of angle often. It can be beautiful but it also doesn’t show other artists the intricacies of our work… specifically if you’re a trainer. Are the lashes balanced? Are the inner corners done? Do they make the eyes look smaller? Bigger? Narrower? Wider? Do they dip down unflatteringly at the ends? There’s absolutely no way of telling any of this and you are truly doing yourself a disservice as an artist to keep posting this angle.
You also miss out on a great opportunity to study the lashes later and decide if you want to improve or change anything for the next fill. It wasn’t until I started taking photos with the client looking directly at the camera that I realized the center of her eye and the “apex,” or center point for a doll eye or open-eyed look was completely different from my point of view looking down at her lashes sitting vs when I studied her lashes with her eyes open. This totally changed the way I lashed.
Another thing that I commonly see is the “wayward eye” - or when the client/model isn’t making eye contact with the camera, and kind of *just* misses it. Honestly, this one is only important if they’re supposed to be looking at the camera. Open-eyed photos where she is purposely looking in the distance aren’t what I’m talking about here, and I do like those angles too. The easiest remedy for this is to make sure you point to your camera lens as you’re taking the photo and say, “look right here at the lens” as you're pointing to it. When we use bright lighting they need to be instructed where to look. This will help you avoid the wayward eye!
The other thing I often see is the After photo beautifully edited and the Before photo not edited at all. I can understand wanting to have a dramatic B&A however, you want to avoid any distraction from the lashes. When the Before photo isn’t edited I stare straight at any blemishes, uneven skin tone or stray brow hairs. Ok ok this could be really picky of me and that’s ok, but if I’m thinking it, others might too. Just something to think about to up the professional look to your feed!
Last thing I wanted to talk about is photos that are over-edited. You know what I mean! Ultra-blurred, plastic-y skin… almost like you’re in a dream but can’t see clearly. I feel like this extremely edited look is kinda phasing out and I do want to say that if it’s your thing, there’s nothing wrong with that. I would just caution that it can also be just as distracting as not editing out blemishes, etc.
Meh to memorable
Here are some key tips you can implement that will take your B&A’s from meh to memorable.
Instruct your client to look directly at your camera lens before taking the photo.
If using a smartphone, point at the lens with your finger so they know where to look - it’s often a struggle for them to find it.
Don’t point your camera at an upward or downward angle - hold it facing straight on, level with the eye.
Play around with what works better for you and what you prefer: zoom in vs. taking the photo from a normal distance and cropping later.
Get real good at editing - remove anything in the photo that’s a distraction from the lashes - AKA blemishes, uneven skin tone and texture, etc. Take an editing course to improve your editing skills - mine is coming soon!
Don’t work against yourself by having bad lighting. Use a glamcor or ring light and play around with the levels and temperature a bit before you snap that pic!
I feel like this goes without saying, but make sure you are in focus!
Consider using a before and after slider app. A few I like are “Before and After Pro Slider,” “Now&B4 Slideshow App,” and “Before and After Split Editor.” People love this effect!
Understanding that you need to know your audience - and then make sure that you only market to them - will set a strong foundation for your before & after photos. I hope some of this helped. Let me know in the comments, email or DM!