Modeling & Acting 101 - A Model/Actor's Diary

Okay, so you know how in the post below I was talking about participating in a small, local fashion show for a college? Yeah, well it turns out that the show isn't going to be so small...it's being held at the Santa Clara Convention Center in CA and is expecting a turnout of 600 people! There are going to be 43 models--including yours truly...YAY!--with four outfit changes. Even though we won't be getting paid, we get 50% off 5 tickets so my friends and family can get in for only $5.00. And there is already going to be a photographer taking pictures at the event and I will be getting a CD of the high resolution images for my portfolio use. Score! My boyfriend says he still plans on taking pictures of me anyway so hey, I get two great shoots in one! Sweet! The fitting tonight went really well. I arrived at the school and met with the show coordinator and she gave me four outfits to try: a long, slinky and form-fitting crushed velvet black and burgundy dress that ...

Hmmm...little ole 5'4" me tearing up the runway? Thought you'd never hear that, huh? Okay, so it's for a college fashion show which isn't exactly New York Fashion Week or anything to brag about, but hey, it's still a fashion show and one that I'm actually volunteering for...yep, no pay. Hard to believe, I know! But I do make exceptions to the rule. While I don't care for fashion shows and the runway scene normally, this sounds like a fun event that will help Brooks College in CA showcase their students' work. Plus, any fashion show that has an open height requirement is one that I will usually want to do, since it's always nice to work with folks who aren't so snobby about how "tall" and "runway" are always together like PB&J and are open to working with shorter models. haha. Last night I was actually practicing my runway walk in my 4 inch heels from Victoria's Secret (they're way sexy, thank you v...

Okay, so I finally took the time to figure out some features and other things I could add to my blog to make things easier for my readers out there. As you'll see, on the right-hand side of the page is a Google search box. You can search for anything either on Google or on my blog. So if you are looking for a post I've written about "casting calls" or "agencies" (for example) just type it into the search box and it'll show all my past posts that contain those keywords. It's a really great way for you to find more posts that you may not have read yet. So hopefully that helps. The other features and links are just there to help me make some extra change on the side using Google AdSense if any of you are familiar with it. I don't know if anyone would actually click on any of the links but I tried to pick stuff that related to this site...not sure how accurate Google is going to keep it though...I guess we'll see. :) I put up a shopping c...

This post was inspired by a forum convo I had with another model. While venting about how I hated having to turn down a well-paying gig because of my new full-time job, she replied, "Well if you get so many well-paying gigs, then why don't you just do that full-time?" That got me to thinking about how many young girls, models or not, have this misconception that once you're a model, that's it and there's nothing else. In a perfect world, all models could model full-time and not have to get a regular 9-5. But this is far from a perfect world, as we all know. For those of you who would have asked me the same question, ask yourselves this: do you really believe that modeling is the end-all and be-all of life? Do you believe that modeling is a 100% foolproof way of not ever needing a real job? Just a little reality check: not all modeling gigs pay well. If you're lucky enough to get a handful of gigs a month, then yes, you stand to make really goo...

I personally love Photoshop . Not just because it helps with retouching pictures, but because I actually know how to use it. But there is a bad side to Photoshop, which is what this post is all about. It is one thing to use Photoshop in order to create a cool effect (like the photo associated with this post) or to magically get rid of a zit or other small detail...but it is another thing to use Photoshop to make yourself appear flawless is every photo you take! This may seem harmless but could prove disastrous in a worst-case scenario. Photoshop and photography have gone hand-in-hand for some time now. At first using this software program was limited to just the photographers who needed to retouch images to meet the client's standards. However, more and more models are learning this software and are able to use it for their personal reasons when retouching their own photos. Personally speaking, the most I do when it comes to my own photos and Photoshop include croppin...

Being able to work well with a photographer is vital when it comes to being a good model . Having the right people skills will help you in letting loose in front of the camera and bringing a lot of personality to a shoot, whether you're one-on-one with the photographer or working with a whole crew. However, each photographer has his/her own personality that may or may not be so easy to work with. Based off of my past modeling experiences, I thought it would be helpful to list examples of the types of personalitites of the various photographers I've worked with over the years (I won't be naming names of course!). This may help you in the future if you should ever work with a photographer who has a similar personality. This is not to say that ALL photographers act like this...this is merely based off of my professional modeling experiences . The Buddy This type of photographer is very friendly (but not in a creepy way). He/she is able to make you feel comfortab...

Many times there can be confusion as to who does what in a model's life and who is a part of it. It's already common knowledge that for most models, having an agent is a must. Aside from it helping with exposure, agency representation helps weed out the bad elements so 99% of the time (I say 99% instead of 100% because these days you can't really be 100% sure about anything) you are only dealing with legit photographers, art directors, crews, etc. and are getting the best pay. But what about managers? I know there are model hopefuls out there as well as established models who may be wondering if they need a manager and what exactly a manager does. I can safely tell you that most models do not need a manager. If you already have an agent, they pretty much act as your manager. If you are freelancing and/or don't have agency representation, then a manager may help you but it is not going to make or break you to not have one. Managers are more or less associat...

Just a quick note to let you all know that I'm slowly but surely making moves to make this blog more user-friendly. As far as I know, there is no search feature that allows you to type in a topic and jump straight to it on my blog and since I have well over 100 posts, I know it can be hard to find what you want to learn more about. The best alternative I was able to come up with so far is by adding hyperlinked words throughout my posts. By clicking on the word or words, you'll be sent directly to another post that relates to a similar topic. When I started getting emails/comments about topics that I've already covered, I realized that not many people want to take the time to go through the long list on the right-hand side of the page. So I figure this way will be easier to jump from topic to topic. On some of the older posts, there are links to related topics that can be found at the bottom of the post after the comments part...so check those out, too. The hyperlinks a...

Money is always good, I'll always stress that, but when it comes to other important assets to a model's career, tearsheets are gold. If you are ever offered a modeling gig that is willing to give tearsheets instead of pay, take it! Tearsheets are important because they show legit proof that you have been booked for a particular gig and that it has been published. This type of payment is often better than money because it is a quick way to build up your resume and portfolio. Clients tend to take a model more seriously when they see that he/she has a good collection of tearsheets. As opposed to a really nice image from a photo shoot, a tearsheet contains all the elements that show it has been published: text, captions, logos, etc. For those of you who aren't familiar with what a tearsheet is, it is literally a copy of an image that has been torn out of the actual publication. While seeing a piece of paper with a torn side may sound unappealing, having a portfolio...

One type of modeling that is often overlooked is hair modeling. Hair shows are huge around the country and there is no end to the castings for hair models. You don't have to be with an agent to book these types of modeling gigs so this is excellent for new models and freelancers . Some hair shows have an open height requirement so that is also a plus, but it's best to double check that if it isn't stated. Hair shows work just like runway shows except instead of focusing on the clothes, the focus is on the hair. Hair stylists from all over the world make their mark by showcasing their best 'dos on the runways. Some hair shows are smaller than others but either way, the experience is definitely worth it and is great for a resume. Runway modeling is involved so for new models who want to practice strutting their stuff, hair shows will give you plenty to work with. This type of modeling is also great for models who know they don't qualify to walk in a high f...

Just to let everyone know, I'm still kinda unfamiliar with some of the features here on blogspot so I may do certain things the difficult way. For those of you who post comments, they get emailed to me but they don't have an email address that I can reply to. While I love comments and reading them, if you have questions that you'd like answered personally, there is an email link available here if you click on the "view my complete profile" link on the right hand side of the page. This will allow me to respond directly to you from whatever email address. :) To answer Jemmica's question on where to get started and how I got started, you can click on the following links that'll take you directly to two posts dealing with these topics: How I Got Started Where Do You Start? I realize that there are way too many posts for people to go through on here so I will begin adding hyperlinks that will let you jump from one post to another to make navigating easier. ...

For my freelance models out there, finding well-paying and legit gigs can be difficult. Unfortunately, for models looking for work on places like Craigslist and even modeling sites such as Model Mayhem, there are many people who create posts requesting models to do jobs that aren't...well...modeling. I hate seeing such posts because it is obvious that they only want someone with a pretty face to do grunt work that, many times, doesn't even pay. They claim you'll get great exposure, meet tons of people and--for the ones that are paying--earn great money. For the gigs that pay, the rates can be very nice, especially if you need quick cash, but read these postings carefully. Aspiring and especially inexperienced models should make their choices wisely. If you're looking to get into promotional and tradeshow modeling , that's fine but be sure to choose posts that pay a high rate or high flat rate, are legit and actually involve the duties that qualify for thi...

I got the title of this post from one of the photographers I work with and I thought it was such a simple statement/question that had so much food for thought contained in it. I find it comical that there are so many girls out here who call themselves "models", yet all they really have are a bunch of pictures and no resume or agency representation. In those cases, they are just pretty girls who take pictures. Sometimes people get the misconception that if you do a bunch of photoshoots and have a nice portfolio to show off, that qualifies them as a model. Well, I guess I shouldn't say they can't be called "models," so for lack of a better word, I refer to those types of individuals as "non-working models." I don't know of many people who want to model but not make any money or get any real exposure. So please don't get confused about it...in general (correct me if I'm wrong), the goal of being a model is to be a "working ...

Being an aspiring model who is inexperienced can be difficult but this is where natural talent comes into play. Lately I've seen a couple of posts on Craigslist from young girls, posting about how they are inexperienced and hope to find quality photographers there to work with in order to build a portfolio . Some of them even go as far to state that they are looking for a photographer who is good at giving direction and teach them how to pose . First off, inexperienced or not, don't expect most legit photographers to "teach" you your job. Yes, being inexperienced is one thing and it is understandable that you may not know how to pose the right way but that is why they are called "test shoots."  Most photographers are not experienced in showing models how to pose and the ones who do usually hate doing it. At most they will give you some direction (chin down, head to the side more, etc.) but do not expect to show up to a test shoot, stand there and ...

So this post was inspired by my boyfriend/photographer. He was going through one of his recent shoots with a model and was looking up her personal info that was listed on her model release form . He told me her email was "sweetcheeks@..." This not only made the both of us laugh till we cried, but it made me realize that this was a topic that I haven't really touched on yet. I always talk about being professional as a working model and maintaining business relationships but how you present yourself is a whole 'nother part of the industry. Many people don't think twice about even the littlest things but those can be the ones that make or break you. Excuse me if I come across as anal but I take my modeling career seriously and for those who really want to become a part of this industry, they should take it seriously as well. When it comes to marketing yourself, regardless of whether you have agency representation or not, it is important to keep in mind how...