When they say a picture is worth a thousand words, it’s probably work by Lois Cohen. We’re thrilled to have the Dutch photographer on the Keune Hairstylist Awards jury panel. We met with the versatile artist to talk all things creative. This is what you need to know.
“Let something that has nothing to do with hairstyling inspire you. That could be a painting or even the shape of a beautiful undersea creature.“
Dutch photographer with a global footprint
Lois is a published photographer with over a decade of experience. She spends most of her time between Amsterdam and London. If she’s not travelling for work, that is. Lois: “I started out doing personal projects, but now I do a lot of commissioned work. From editorials and campaigns to album covers.”
Her style is recognized and loved on an international level. Lois’s work has been published by the likes of VOGUE Italia, i-D Magazine, Dazed, and Numéro Berlin. She has also shot for top level brands including adidas, Playboy, and Gucci.
Solo dress up parties at 3am and discovering a love for photography
The way Lois discovered her love for the craft is perhaps unusual. “As a teenager, I had a corner in my bedroom where I kept a dress up box. I had several fabrics that I used as backdrops. This is where everything happened. From solo dress up parties at 3am to eventually forcing friends and family – or basically anyone available – into that corner to wear all sorts of outfits and wigs. It was the process of complete transformation that was my driving force. Ultimately, I started capturing these absurd makeovers on camera. That’s how I discovered my love for photography”, she says.
LOIS'
TIPS
USE UNIQUE REFERENCES
“Try to be as unique as possible by making sure you use unique references. Let something that has nothing to do with hairstyling inspire you. That could be a painting or even the shape of a beautiful fish”, Lois says.
Creating worlds through visual concepts
Lois’s style is fuelled by her vivid imagination. “My life revolves around visual concepts. I spend most of my time fantasizing and making up images and stories in my head, which is an important part of my process”, Lois says. “Even though I’m heavily inspired by daily life, I’m not your typical photographer who carries a camera everywhere. I use photography as a tool to create my own world with both utopian and dystopian elements. Plus a strong love for characters, the eccentric as well as the mundane.”
“I use photography as a tool to create my own world with both utopian and dystopian elements. “
Go big, tell a story, and do it in an original way
For the Keune Hairstylist Awards, Lois loves a fabulous, big, or sculpture-like look. “There is so much you can do with hair. These looks can be little works of art in their own right. But they can also include an element of storytelling. What I’d like to see is how the hair, combined with casting, lighting and angle, can tell a story or express a certain attitude as part of a bigger picture.”
