All hail to the hirsute! Facial hair is here to stay, well, at least throughout November in any case! It’s Movember again and so influxes of creative photo competitions are growing at rapid speed.
Some of these Movember competitions permit women to enter, but some don’t. One option for women compers is to persuade a Movember-man to be photographed – in various poses and positions of their devising – after all, it’s for a good cause!
The creative standard of these competitions are high. Many students and dapper hipsters flock towards these competitions so be prepared for some serious competition!
Preparation Hints:
1 ) Before you start growing the moustache, take a BEFORE photo, as two photos are sometimes requested. Try to stand in the same room/place for both before and after photos – it just looks better/funnier.
2) Research previous winners from last year, it is amazing what ideas spring up from visual research. As long as you don’t copy them (there’s no fun in cheating or plagiarising) they might provide you with a Eureka! Movember moment!
3) Searching Google images will throw up a lot of different ideas. Moustaches are very popular so there should be no shortage of inspiration!
4) Researching grooming products can be helpful, just a quick look in Amazon at the beard combs and moustache waxes available will give you some idea of the scope and tone of certain brands. Each site has a tone, or ethos and the way they take photos for their site, is the way they like photos to look – so try to emulate their style.
5) Rather than take a generic before and after photo – be brand specific. Try to tailor each photo to the brand – for example, a tabloid newspaper might prefer a funny topical photo, a brand might be swayed more if their brand is incorporated into your photos? If you want to be subtle – you might want to try creating a photo that uses the brand logo colours or an aspect of what the brand stands for. Being brand specific is sure to get you noticed and anyway, it shows that you aren’t using a generic photo just to gain an entry – it’s much nicer and more enjoyable for both the entrant and the promoter.
6) Last but not least – photo filters. Many of these competitions are shared on social media. Most people have photography apps now, and a photo filter that compliments the brand might benefit your entry. For example – a vintage brand is more likely to like a vintage looking photo. A tabloid newspaper will require a high-quality image that they can reprint. It’s common sense really, and there’s no prescriptive formula, but because the standard is high, a little preparation can go a long way!
Whichever Movember competition you are entering – karma favours the generous, so it would be nice to donate to this great cause too – either find someone to sponsor or go directly to the main site, here
Are you getting involved this year? Do you know anyone who is? Did you do it last year? As usual, let us know in the comments below!