Aimee J. Martin wrote a guest post on my blog to help her fellow models. It was titled, “What to Look For in a Photographer: A Model’s Perspective”. After I published her guest post, Don Gianatti had a rebuttal which I posted later that day.
This post, “A Photographer’s Modeling Tips” is intended to be some advice that I would like to share with upcoming models. I want to share my advice on how to learn, where to find photographers and what to avoid.
Finding Photographers
You know that stereotypical agency that stands in the mall waiting for pretty people to walk by so they can sucker them into becoming “models”. Well, while the stereotype is not completely true, it does happen. If someone approaches you randomly, be cautious. Ask for credentials. If they work for an agency, check into it. Use Google to search for the person and agency. Make sure they are legit before giving them any money.
Use model/photographer websites to network: OneModelPlace, ModelMayhem, modellaunch, modelurl, etc. Please also be cautious and look into anyone that you might potentially meet. Just because they are on these websites does not make them legit. It’s the harsh reality of the internet. A side note: I have met and worked with many models through ModelMayhem.
Facebook and Twitter is a great place for photographers to network and market. It is rare to see model’s marketing on Twitter but that is how I met Aimee, so it does happen.
Learning
Not every photographer enjoys posing models. That is one of the reasons they want models and not random people. Because of that, I recommend studying the art of modeling. I am not model, but I know it is not a simple task. There is a lot going on during a photo shoot. You have to stand still during shots and blink little when the flashes go off. Photographers understand that. There are many resources on the internet for models to learn how to pose. Check Google, YouTube and any other source you can think of. Study hard.
Compensation
If you’re getting started and the photographer is offering to trade your services for a CD, then I suggest doing it. Free work to build your portfolio is better than no work because you might be stubborn about money.
Once you have a portfolio together and are working towards finding an agency then I would say pass up trade jobs. How much should a model ask for? I do not have a good answer for that. Again, do your research. Network and look online.
Shooting
If you are going to be modeling on a shoot make sure you are prepared.
Ask the photographer:
- Should I be bringing certain clothes, garments, shoes?
- What colors?
- Who is doing the makeup?
- If I am doing the makeup, what style should it be?
- What are the photos for?
- Should I bring props?
Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into and are as ready as the photographer. Things can go wrong, and sometimes they do. Nothing goes 100% according to plan. If you are prepared then there will not be any issues.
One last tip I can give is to try to work with the same photographer a bunch of times. Hopefully the photographer is versatile enough that he can offer different types of photos for your portfolio. By getting to know one photographer and working with him/her many times, it can lead to something in the future. But don’t ONLY shoot with one photographer. Branch out!
So there we go, my tips for models. I hope that I helped.
Thanks for reading and happy modeling,
Scott
Scott Wyden Imagery offers Trade for CD jobs to help build your model portfolio. Get in touch today and lets connect
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