Hello Ladies,

There were again issues of tardiness this week. It is not easy being a model is it? The actual photo shoot is the easiest part don’t you think? Preparation and planning takes most of the time and you can mess all of that up if you choose a photographer who doesn’t send you the images in time.

Things can always go wrong. If there is an outage or your internet connection doesn’t work there is little you can do but it helps if you have a team of people around you that help you succeed. In the President’s words, ultimately the buck stops with you. You are responsible for the photos that you submit and will be available for the rest of the world to see and to judge.

Enough of the preaching. I know it’s tough and stressful but believe it or not I am cheering for you. I want you to shine but at the same time I also know it will only get harder from now on. Don’t be intimidated though. At this point you got the hang of things and you are at that point where you can bring your A-game! That is ultimately what this competition is about. So let’s get down to the judges.

After the judges and I had another round evaluating I came to the following conclusion:

1) Most of you have taken our feedback at heart. We see that and we love that.
2) Lydia Onimo’s photos were among the best this week as were Suzie’s: clear and to the point. I especially love the quote: From Frizz to (KUMBA)ya in 30 Minutes…
3) Sadly we also agreed that the only contestant who didn’t seem to take any of our advice is Tiffany. Same type of images no improvement at all.

Here are our individual responses to your Kumba Out photo shoot this week.

Dajuan

Angela:

Photos:

• Interesting use of shadows on the bridge, I liked your third image the best, but the crop cut off the top of your hair. 4 stars

• Interpretation: Good. 4 stars

• Hairstyle: Nicely done 4 stars

• Write Up: Enthusiastic. 4 stars

• Connection: Not much. Bring your eyes and make a statement. I believe you can do it. 3 stars

Lydia Y:

• Photos: Your last image was your best in my opinion. However, cropping into the hair should be avoided at all cost in this competition. Your second image was a better attempt of connecting with your audience. I encourage you to make a big bet if you advance to the next rounds to partner with a photo who can challenge you to break through your comfort zone. 3 stars

• Interpretation: Better in the write up than the photos. 3 stars

• Hairstyle: Your hair is your strength. You did well in this area. 5 stars

• Write Up: Good write up. I like that you researched the origins of the style. 4 stars

• Connection: I want to say there was an attempt, but take a look at the last two images in your set. There’s attempts to connect, but what is it saying? 3 stars

Jayme:

• Photos: Your instruction image showed your hair well. Your last image may be a nice image for your personal portfolio, but it says nothing about your hair.I love how you responded with a little more expression this week (your last few images). You’ll want to bring a LOT more of this if you advance in the competition. 4 stars

• Interpretation: Good. 4 stars

• Hairstyle: Unfortunately it didn’t work out for you this week. 2 stars

• Write Up:

• Connection: Much better this week. One of the best this week 4 stars
   

Lydia Onimo:

• Photos: You are having fun! I really enjoyed your images this week. The ONLY thing holding you back from taking top honors this week are the instructional images: to much contrast in the images led to less detail in the hair. 4 stars

• Interpretation: Good in my eyes. 4 stars

• Hairstyle: Nicely done. 4 stars

• Write Up: Very good write. 4 stars

• Connection: Several good images connected, and that is better than most of your competition. Keep it up. 4 stars

Susie:

• Photos: Everyone, please take notice. Commercially clean images showing good detail. Still, a hair light would’ve helped. Loved your last image. Give us a LOT more of that. Advice for coming weeks, vary your expression. 4.5 stars

•  Interpretation: Very good. 4.5 stars

• Hairstyle: Nicely done. 4.5 stars

• Write Up: Good. 4 stars

• Connection: The best of the week. 5 stars

Farah:

• Photos: One of the best photos this week (image of you in red dress sitting on your feet). But Farah, you have the same facial expression in the majority of your images, and the remaining images just weren’t that strong. 4 stars

• Interpretation: Good. 4 stars

• Hairstyle: Nicely done. 4 stars

• Write Up: Good. 4 stars

• Connection: I wished for so much more. Bring your eyes to the camera, or give us a look that pulls us in. 3 stars

Tiffany:

• Photos: No improvement at all from previous weeks. The poorest submission this week. 1 star

• Interpretation: Not translated well 1 star

• Hairstyle: Only one of the final instructional images gave a glimpse. I can’t tell. 1 star

• Write Up: Good. 4 stars

• Connection: None. 1 star

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Michelle’s Feedback

Angela’s Kumba Out(3)

You have taken your challenge this week to a new level. I appreciate your attention to details in your historical summary of the Kumba as well as your step by step pictorial annotations. The quality of the pictures were reminiscent of an online picture album in a familiar/retro way which was nice. However, with low definition and quality. Great presentation and summary including GN products. However, the shortfall for you this week is presentation of the style. I wish you would have given us more of you and your personality, working with the Kumba by integrating the diversity of your with the Kumba, connecting with the viewer. The bridge pose was a taste and I wanted more and I wanted to see it closer! So you wet my appetite, but left me hanging. Next time focus both substance and quality for the win!

Lydia Young(4.5)
I love how you bring it with your diversity and energy. You brought us a tutorial, a well researched summary with personal inflection and detailed explanation of the various steps involved in reproducing the Kumba. You took the time on your pictorial presentation and your written summary with an ontime presentation incorporating GN products. You took the previous advice, applied it and it shows. The rawness of the style poses was commendable. Lighting was ok, the order of the poses was a bit confusing if I were to reproduce the style. I know what to do, but would others? It’s difficult to critique your poses. I love the diversity you bring with your poses and I particularly appreciate the professional close ups of YOUR HAIR! You connected with me and demanded my attention. I felt your confidence come through, even though you hair was doing it’s own thing. That’s big for me. Good job.
Keep It Knotty!

Luds(4.0)
You gave us style and personality and I enjoyed reading your summary this week. With 2 judges as authors, it makes a difference to us to read a quality presentation that represents who you are. You shared with us in such a way that I felt the stress of your week, yet you showed that you could still show up to the job and give your all because the stress does not show on your face. And, that’s a difficult thing to hide from the camera. I enjoyed your description of the style and how you used GN products to set the style.The lighting throgh me off(shadows were distracting) fro your beauty. The order of the instructions was a bit confusing to follow in pictures-not in print. Once again, lighting could have really helped to get you over the edge and some of the hair shots chopped off the full view. The action shots were dope and I was feeling the Mardi Gras vibe and appreciate the energy you put into repping the N.O, while showing the diversity of the Kumba. Good job!

Jayme’s(3)
Wow, I didn’t even know that was you! Your face seems to transform with the style and I think that’s pretty unique and shows that you can bring forth a diverse look easily. I applaud you for bringing forth multiple poses even though the Kumba does not seem to work best for you and your multiple hair types. I think this style would work better if left to set un wet hair with you for a 24-48 hours, to help with the definition, etc. However, that’s my preference. Others may like it wild and free. It was a bit distracting to me, as some of the poses seemed to convey that your style was in a state of transition, not complete. I did not connect with a feeling of confidence, you met the request of the challenge but didn’t sell me on it.

When modeling, there will be poses, looks, make-up, clothes that you would not prefer-but you still need to draw from inside and bring it with confidence so the end-user will buy what your pushing. The summary was good and the explanation with pictures and use of GN products would help me. A new natural might be overwhelmed with the mixing of other products-akin to other YouTubers concoctions-and I would have preferred to see you stay within the realms of this challenge and only implement GN products. Your lighting is the best I’ve seen so far on the tutorial shots and the professional poses are good-minus the disconnect already mentioned, the order would have made more sense if rearranged. Keep focusing on connecting and selling whatever you are working with for the win, like you did in the first challenge!

Susie T(3.5)
You didn’t give us much in your summary. It was more like a quick commercial bit. It was surface without explanation of your styles, and history of what a Kumba is along with how you used the GN product CK(heavy, volume? distribution? Any others or just that?_Even thought this is a model contest, I would have liked to read more from you because you seem like you have so much more to you-but you are holding back. Your hair is cute. As cute as you are, at this point I need to see more than cute, show us who you are. Tell us why you’re in it. Bring it with some background, some history, much more of you. You seem to be good at keeping people aloof, away from the real you. And even though this is a model competition, the camera can read emotions well. Cute and pretty will get you in the door-but with this fierce competition, I’d like to see the flame turned up a bit and see you challenge yourself to a higher level because you got it. I hope you share more of it.

Farah(4.0)
I thought your summary was simple and concise. You explained the GN products that you used and the steps you took to prepare the Kumba. I would have like more historical background on the Kumba. Your pictures are cute and diverse, as are your hair styles. You gave us close ups and a full view of how the Kumba could flow with your style and schedule. That’s great. From a Mohawk to a puff-the Kumba is truly diverse and you reveal that with your poses that made me stop and think that I’d want to know more about ‘that’ girl.I think the Kumba is truly a winning hair style for you if you choose to rock it! Good job.

Tiffany(3)
I felt like you just showed up and turned in the assignment this week. Your summary was limited. I would have liked to see more background on the Kumba and how you implemented the style with instructions. The pictures were a bit distracting and the fuzzy touch ups did not help me. I felt like I was looking for you again. You showed up in the last competition, then you started hiding again. I did not connect with you in the competition and the Kumba style does not feel like you were ‘feeling’ it either. It came across as indefinite and incomplete and a bit like you wanted to distract the viewer because of a lack of certainty with this look for you. It’s ok if it’s not ‘the’ look for you, just remember as a model you have to still show up and bring your A game and sell whatever is on the table, regardless of your preference.

 

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My feedback

Lydia

It seems like you were one of the few who got the hairstyle down. And not only that, you clearly had fun doing it. You were clearly in the Mardi Grass mood and it comes through. Your writeup helps get me in that mood.

Your best shot for me is nr. six with the flower in your hair. Your hair looks fabulous and your facial expression is that of a model. The ninth is also a great shot but the last shot is lost in all the Mardi Gras fun and phone booth. So for the next challenge also focus on what the sponsor wants. Definitely use your self expression but don’t let it deter from what is asked from you as a model.

Suzu
Your images are absolutely on point. Your photo shoot carries what was asked in the challenge. I look at your photos and see the guide. That is great.

I also see a smile and your connection. That is great improvement. As I said the quote to Kumba(ya) is great. The only thing I would have liked to see is more shots of the end style that could be used on a billboard. One is really limited but please continue to improve. I look forward to more of your images.

Lydia Young
Lydia, you got a gorgeous head of hair. Indeed the boldest brightest strands that stand out. I really love image nr. 6. I like the colors your look. You look happy, you connect and draw people in but I miss that billboard head shot. Your last image may have been an attempt. The makeup looks good, your hair fabulous but your hair is cut. I don’t get to see the style not sure what you are telling me.

Looking at the rest of your images, I think you can loosen up a bit more. You look tense in shot nine. I can see it in your fingers. You don’t seem relaxed. Same with shot 7. So try to relax more for your next photo shoot.

Angela
You were way, way, WAY too late. Of the pictures that were you had one up of the products. It seems that you are missing the point. When we ask a model to shoot we want you in the picture. We got our product shoot. So please no more photos of products. Use every image to promote you, yourself as a model.

Having said that, I liked your photo. But then again the photos are nice, the environment well chosen, your style is lovely but these are not images that I would be able to use for a hair commercial. For a billboard. So ladies this goes for all of you, when you do a shoot, listen to what the customer asks for. The one shot that may had a chance is the 3rd headshot but your hair is cut.

So, although you clearly improved your photos this week, you missed the point a little bit and you were late.

Jayme
Jayme, even though the style didn’t come out as you expected I see that you are more expressive in your shots. So I do see improvement. I really like the shot with the Kumbas. That is where I see you open up to the camera. You let the photographer in. Very nice shot even without makeup, your eyes, smile and hair are enough to draw people in.

I also like your 5th shot. It’s what I call the classic Jayme look. I think this can be one of your signature expressions. I saw it in the Bridal shoot too and it works for you every time.

Now I am not sure what went wrong in trying to do the style. Reading that the end result looks like a Bantu Knot makes me wonder if you got the style right because there is a big difference in how a bantu looks and what a kumba looks like. A Bantu is created on top of the head around the base while a Kumba is tucked into the base.

The other thing is the products that you’ve used. That may be another reason why the style didn’t come out right. When you use oils on your hair you get a whole different result than when you use a milk. The Hair milk will make your hair curly and moisturize your hair with a h2o base. A Hair Butter will moisturize and protect your hair but wont bring out the curls. It is a bit of a disappointment because you were specifically asked to use the Going Natural products. I hope you do better next time.

Farah
Farah, I think it’s great that you got the style right and got great definition from it. You got it. The Kumba Out Natural Hairstyle is all about bringing out the beautiful definition of ones uniquely coiled tresses. I liked the fact that you wanted to shoot for different age group. I like that thought however I wish I could see more of your hairstyle throughout the shoot. I only see one close up/head shot.

I totally agree with Dajuan about your best shot: the one in the red dress where you look over your shoulder. You clearly love style and the dress looks gorgeous on you. You look sexy! The other red dress shot could be in a fashion magazine as well but I can hardly see your hairstyle and that was what this challenge was about. So next time, again yes, use your creativity but stay through to the challenge.

Tiffany
Tiffany, you were the first one to submit your images and your essay and I was more than pleased with that. I enjoyed reading your experience with the Curly Twist Out Hair Milk and your approach to creating the Kumba Out natural hairstyle but unfortunately that is the best thing I can say about you this week. I hardly see your beautiful big hair. The images just look like cell phone photos that you share with friends. I don’t see model at all. Maybe the style didn’t come out well but I sure expect better photos than hat.

So Tiffany because we all of the judges agreed on the fact that you didn’t improve and your shots are really not up to the standard, we have to let you go. I do think you have talent and that your hair is gorgeous so I like to thank you for your participation and wish you good luck.