Director of Photography - John Rawson
Photography Director - John Rawson
John Rawson is a world renowned photographer with a background in hairdressing. He started taking pictures in the mid-90s after having a successful 15-year career in hairdressing. He became an Art Director at the age of 20, heading the team that worked worldwide teaching and presenting shows for Alan International and Wella. His passion for creating images led him to photography, which became the only route for him once he decided to move out of hairdressing. Rawson has been featured on over 400 covers worldwide. Rawson works closely with his clients to understand their needs and vision, using his extensive knowledge of hairdressing to bring their ideas to life. When not traveling John resides in England.
How would you describe your style?
I like a cleaner aesthetic .. a bit 80’s influenced I suppose.. I love B&W Graphic images but I suppose I’m most well known for very clean, well lit ‘pure’ images that show the hair and colour.. which is probably why we’ve won so many hairdressing awards for colour etc…
You started as a hairdresser and grew your career through art direction and now into the incredible photographer you are now, How did you get started with your photography career?
I started assisting in the early 90’s and worked hard to build a working profile, and then a Hairdressing friend of mine asked me to do some images for them, which I did, and they got featured and a cover in Hairdressers journal and all of a sudden other people started asking me to shoot collections for them!
How did you learn photography?
I always had an interest in photography and my parents bought me a good camera when I was about 16!.. I always watched the photographers we shot with but became disillusioned over the years because we weren’t achieving what I wanted so I thought I’d change roles and give it a go.. most of my peer’s thought I was crazy!