It used to be that to land a modeling gig you had to send your photos out to the agent, client or photographer that was casting models. Every aspiring model needed to have a headshot, card or portfolio to send out and getting those made was always costly.

The cards needed to be printed up and there was always a minimum order that the aspiring model needed to purchase. Printed pieces are still a staple of modeling but online portfolios are making it much easier for models to get their images out faster and cheaper.

Models just starting out and looking for an agent or work can now easily put up a portfolio online and send the link through email, many times with very little expense for the online portfolio. Actually, many modeling sites offer models free basic portfolios and even an email address to use for agents and model castings.

Explore Talent is the largest modeling portfolio and community site on the planet offering models a website of their own. ExploreTalent.com makes it very easy for models to put up their portfolios. A model does not need any computer skills other than internet basics and the site formats and positions the uploaded photos on the page automatically.

In today’s internet age a digital modeling portfolio is a must for every model and can be setup quickly and easily.

Posted: August 10th, 2008 under Model Portfolio, Modeling Articles.
Comments: none

You’ve passed the modeling-auditions.php" title="modeling auditions">modeling audition and now it’s your first time modeling at a “real” job and you are most likely very nervous. Here are a few tips to get you past the nerves and into the stunning photos you know you can take.

Eat a very light breakfast, any more may make you look and feel bloated. Try a bowl of cereal or some toast and fruit.

Make sure you call and confirm that you are on your way. It will make the photographer more comfortable knowing you will be there on time. Give yourself lots of extra time for any traffic and try to arrive early.

Manicure your nails the night before is a clear polish. Never use a colored polish unless you are asked to do so. Most photographers expect a natural nail and will ask for anything else beforehand.

If you need to do your makeup at the shoot or there is a make-up artist waiting, give yourself an extra hour.

Avoid being late like the plague, but if anything does happen, make sure you call immediately and let them know.

In fashion photo shoots there is no such thing as fashionably late!

On your drive to the shoot, play your favorite music in the car and try to relax… it will all work out

Posted: July 30th, 2008 under Modeling Articles.
Comments: none

Would you like to describe yourself as an actress/model and actually have some acting work to show? Sounds pretty good, right?

Getting that actress/model title for yourself may be easier than you think. You may already be a model with a great deal of work under your belt, now, lets take a look at the actress part.

Getting acting parts without an acting agent or any acting experience is not impossible. Actually, you may even get your pick of many roles if you are willing to act for free.

Paid acting jobs in large productions may be scarce for beginners, however unpaid roles in independent films, low budget films and student projects are all over the place. Many of these roles are not filled through any kind of casting agency, they are filled through open calls that are listed on various internet sites. Since these are unpaid roles, there may not be a huge amount of people trying out and your chances at getting the part may be good. Recently, a friend of mine ran an audition for a pilot, only a handful of people showed up and all were cast.

Getting a role in an independent film may be very rewarding. You will get a good amount of experience and some great insight into what goes on during the film making process. You will meet new people and get feed back on your acting skills. Of course, you will get film credit and most likely a free lunch.

Some independent films go on to winning awards at film festivals, helping the cast and crew get noticed by larger production companies.

Finding casting calls for film projects is fairly easy. You can spend an hour or two daily searching industry forums, film sites and classified ads. Once you get familiar with the sites that list casting calls, you should be able to scan through them quickly and narrow down the list of how many sites you need to search to find what you want in your area. Another option is a casting service like Auditions.com. For about $1 a day, they do the searching for you and email you the list of castings that meet your criteria.

Using a casting service may save you time and assure that you are on top of all the casting calls in your city.

Posted: July 21st, 2008 under Acting, Modeling Articles.
Comments: none

Most people are familiar with high fashion modeling, but few are familiar with the dozens of other types of models and modeling jobs that make up the majority of paid modeling assignments. Here are a few tips for aspiring models.

Do your homework

Learn about the different types of models and try to figure out where you fit in. Be objective and realistic. Know your exact measurements and figure out what kind of modeling suits you best.

If you are of average height, then focus on work that may be geared towards your height. Many girls dream of being high fashion runway models, but most do not have the height needed to be successful. You may be the most beautiful 5’2” goddess around, but at 5’2”, your gorgeous face will not be enough to land a gig on designer runways during fashion week. Always be honest and realistic about your chances. The last thing you want to do is put a lot of time and effort into something that is non-attainable regardless of your efforts.

Find your fit

Companies hire models of many different shapes and sizes, not just 5′10″ 18 year old girls. Models are paid to show off a product and that product may not always be clothing. Companies employ models to show off everything from hair color to toe nail polish.

Once you start researching the modeling field, you will begin to see different modeling opportunities.  If you have a very athletic physique, you may be perfect for fitness modeling. If you are very curvy and have a more voluptuous shape, you may want to look into plus size modeling. If you have amazing hands, legs or feet, you may look into parts modeling. Remember, no matter what type of modeling it is, you must match the physical requirements such as height, weight, skin, hair, teeth, etc.

Get another opinion

Once you find the modeling niche you wish to explore, try to get a second opinion. If you know any experts or agents, ask them for their opinion and what type of modeling they believe you may be well suited for.

Make sure you are photogenic

This may be a bit obvious but there are many girls who look stunning in person, yet can not translate that to film, just like there are many girls who seem plain, yet take stunning pictures. Being pretty is not enough to make you a success, you must look amazing in person and in pictures.

Get an agent

Once you’ve identified the type of modeling you are suited for, you should be able to find an agent that specializes or represents your niche.

Be persistent and thicken your skin

As you pursue your new career, you will most likely find a great deal of rejection and even some criticism. You need to be able to take rejection without breaking into tears. Keep in mind that there are many models going after the same jobs and you will be rejected many more times than accepted. You must have a good deal of confidence in yourself and the drive and determination to keep going. Be persistent, eventually you will begin getting the jobs you want.

Network

As you begin your career, you will meet other models, agents and photographers. Networking is a great way to find out about upcoming jobs and industry events. People will often choose someone they already know to work with rather than someone new, especially, if you are charming and a pleasure to be around.  The more people you meet and talk to, the greater your chances are of getting work.

Posted: July 17th, 2008 under Modeling Articles.
Comments: 1

So you want to be a model. You know you have the look, you know you have the charm and you take a helluva good picture. How exactly do you go about getting yourself out there to get modeling assignments and get “discovered”?

Well, here is how you don’t do it….

You do not just sit around the mall or Starbucks waiting for fame to fall into your lap because any minute now a casting director will come through, see you and say.. “come with me, I will make you a star”. Now, someone may come along and say that, but they sure wont be a REAL casting director. That kind of stuff rarely happens and maybe once every decade some lucky girl wins that lottery by being in the right place at the right time.

You do not put all your faith and money into unknown modeling agencies, especially those that do make promises of stardom, millions in earnings, tons of jobs in exotic countries… AFTER, you pay them thousands to create that perfect portfolio you really need to work with them. When it comes to modeling agencies, unless they are very well known and reputable, you must be very careful.

Many of them work by promising stardom to everyone and telling them how gorgeous they are(what the girls want to hear). They tell you there are 100’s of jobs you are perfect for. After you pay them for photos, shoots, prints, makeup, hair, this that and the other, they tell you they will call you. Wait… where are these 100’s of jobs?  Again… they will call you when they book you.

I have heard dozens of stories like that and most end up getting one job after months that payed 100 bucks for the 3k they spent on pictures for the agency.

When it comes to agencies just keep in mind that if they believe they can book you everywhere and make millions… they why do they need money from you? Reputable agencies make a fee from what the client pays the model. The client pays the agency, not the model.

Also, always be very aware of your market, this is where those scam agencies hook the model by telling them what they want to hear, not what they are right for. If you are 5′3″ and an agency telly you they will get you runway work in Paris, run out of the office. As a model, you must know your target market and not be swayed by smooth sales talk. There is no such animal as a 5 foot High Fashion Runway model, no matter how gorgeous she is. Kate Moss is an exception and she is still fairly tall at 5′7″.

Make sure that the modeling you would like to do fits you physically.

Now, if you are 5′3″ it does not mean you can not model, you just cannot model Paris Runway, but that is just a drop in the bucket of all modeling work. There are commercial catalog models, hair models, parts models, trade show and promo models, makeup models, fit models, fitness models, shoe models, hand models, eye models and any other bodypart you can think of. There is also a good amount of work in TV and movies as extras. Those jobs are readily available and filed daily in every city in the US large and small. There are many local fashion shows that book models and many events and exhibits that do as well.

Wow, thats a lot of work, but how do I find it? you may ask. There are a few ways. You can find work on your own in papers, job boards, client websites, etc. It may be a large task to do daily as there are 100’s of websites you would need to check on a daily basis to find the modeling jobs you may want. The other option is a model casting service.

A model casting service is a company that specializes in finding casting calls, auditions and requests, matches them to a client (a model) and sends the information to the model so they can apply. A model gives the service her information, her portfolio, and her job specifications as to what she wants to do. Then daily, the service looks for work for her and notifies her the minute someone requests booking for her “look”.

A casting service is a mix between an agency and a do-it-yourself job search. Modeling.net is a casting service. Their network and employees spend all day calling photographers, casting directors, etc. to find work for their members, then they email the members and tell them about the jobs. Casting directors also go directly to their site that lists all members and uses the online portfolios to cast their projects.

A casting service is a great option for models who either do not have an agency or do not want to sit around waiting for the agency to find a job for them. The casting service sends the model a list of jobs she requested and then the model submits her portfolio to the jobs she selects. It’s a good way for the model to get herself out there and get all the work he can. The casting service does not take any fee from any jobs the model gets.

The way the casting service is paid is with an annual fee for service that is very reasonable. Many models wonder why there is a fee. Well, it is a business that has 100’s of employees making calls to casting agents trying to find work for its members. Those people need to be paid and since they do not act like a agency in taking money from a booking, they charge a small fee, less than $1 per day I think.

There are a few levels of service as well. The first level is FREE, A free member gets to put up a portfolio for talent scouts and agents to see as well as explore many of the jobs and try the service out. If they decide they want a higher and more personal service level with jobs specifically matched then they can call and change the level of service.

Anyway, its a great option for anyone serious about working and reaching their dream. You can check it out at Modeling.net or Exploretalent.com.

Posted: June 30th, 2008 under Model Agency, Modeling Articles.
Comments: none

Do you wanna Model?  Many people do, most have no clue at all where to start or even think of starting the modeling career.  Yes, breaking into showbiz may not be the easiest task around but if you have the right look and attitude it’s definitely doable!

What to do? well, you put 1 foot in front of the other and get yourself out there for all to see. Since we live in the age of internet, nobody needs to sit around the local ice cream shop hoping to get discovered.

A quick internet search for modeling in your city should give you direction.  There are 2 ways to go, traditional modeling agencies or the new breed of internet Do-it-yourself agencies such as exploretalent.com.

The difference is simple, traditional agencies have models apply and clients that they match models with for a fee from the client and the model if they are chosen. If the model is not chosen, then no fee is paid, however many agencies do charge models for photo shoot and portfolio fees regardless of if they got the job or not, when they apply.

The second Do-it-yourself choice is very new and very internet. Basically, the client tries to find the model on their own by putting out casting calls and modeling auditions through online agencies. By doing so they get a larger pool of modeling talent since many models are not signed with a particular agency, and, they get a great pool of brand new talent that maybe was not accepted by the agency and therefore never even shown to the client.

Aspiring models should work both channels of modeling job seeking to maximize their exposure and also get more experience at the auditions and casting process.

The Do-it-yourself model booking will probably not bring the model the thousands of dollars per hour that supermodels may make in Paris, but it can be a spring board to bigger and better work as the models book more and more work on their own, and by doing the booking themselves, they do not need to share the profits since most jobs are paid on a per job basis to the model.

Either way, models have more avenues of finding work today than ever before, and they should take advantage of it.

Posted: June 23rd, 2008 under Modeling Articles.
Comments: none

Have what it takes to be a fashion model?

So do you? here is an article I found about becoming a successful fashion model and the physical requirements needed to get the job.

Now remember, the following are guidelines for fashion and runway modeling. There are many other types of modeling such as promotional modeling, parts modeling, hair and makeup modeling and commercial modeling. The height requirement does not always apply to those.

Either way and regardless of height and body type, if you want to be a model of any kind you should probably be in the best possible shape you can.

But here is a short checklist I found for fashion modeling.

Virtual physical exam for models

Once you begin to see yourself as a successful model you’ll start doing the things to make it happen. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, it does require work but so does working a 9-5 job.

So, now that you’re visualizing yourself as a successful model, let’s get to some basics you must know …

The Physical Requirements of Modeling

If you plan to model, especially as a high fashion or runway model, you need the following physical attributes …

a) You need to be at least 5′8″ tall or taller

b) Your body weight and proportions need to flatter your height

c) You need to have a good skin complexion without lots of pimples or blemishes

d) Your hair should be in good shape (no excessive split-ends or over-dying damage)

e) Your teeth should be well taken care of, straight and white (a dynamite smile)
Look closely in the mirror and be honest with yourself. We all have limitations. Some of these things listed above you can work to improve and some (like height) you were born with.

Even if you don’t have all these model attributes. There are other opportunities in modeling not mentioned in this article by Bob Pardue (www.bobpardue.com). So Don’t Give up Hope!

Posted: May 12th, 2008 under Modeling Articles.
Comments: 1