Meet my very first cover model, Ariel. Isn’t she beautiful? I had the privilege of checking an item off my “Bucket List” this past March while in California when I did nails for my first NAILS Magazine cover (now another cat is out of the bag). Ariel was so sweet and helpful and a joy to work on!
It is really interesting to see what’s going on behind the scenes of creating a cover. There’s propping the photo, which involves dressing the model and selecting backgrounds or anything that may (or in some cases may not) be included in the photo with the nails, and the photographer moving around looking for that sweet spot that makes the cover shot.
The photos are digital and come up instantly on the laptop so that everyone can check them out and decide if something needs moved, adjusted, fluffed, etc. Like everything else I’ve seen done by NAILS it is done with teamwork and enthusiasm.
The day is long if you look back on the time, but flies by while you are there with everyone working together to create reality from a vision. If you would ever like to try doing a cover and plan to be in the LA area, submit your portfolio to Hannah via e-mail several months if not a year in advance. The other way to go about it is to enter NAILS annual cover tech contest. (They are always due the first week of October.) It is never too early to get started on your ideas. Good luck!
— Holly
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