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

I think just about every model has a love/hate relationship with the modeling industry. Probably the most frustrating thing about this business is that there are so many dos and don'ts that you're supposed to follow and yet there are still those exceptions to the rule that make things very unfair sometimes. For example, yesterday I had a casting in San Francisco at 11:00am for a hair show. I showed up early and waited patiently with the other 30 models who showed up. The people holding the casting were presenting a new line of hair care products and were looking for models to showcase the new brand. Luckily, they weren't planning on cutting or coloring. The lady in charge thanked us for showing up early and on time and explained that they would be pulling girls up in small groups to evaulate their hair and that the rest of us could relax and wait until we were called. The first group was about 7-9 girls with really long hair down their back. One of the stylists...

Modeling is very similar to acting at times. As a model it is common for you to step outside of yourself and take on a different persona to match whatever theme is involved with your gig. Models need to have the ability to tap into their emotions and project the right attitude and presence to sell the product, idea, concept, clothes, etc. For example, a model may have to pose with another model of the opposite sex and have to convey the image of two long lost lovers--even though he/she may have just met their modeling partner a few minutes ago on-set. But once the two step out in front of that camera, the goal is to convince anyone who sees the photo that these models are madly in love. Or you may be asked to do a group shot with other models that you may never met in your life but you'll all have to act as if you've been friends forever. The possibilities for these scenarios is endless and if you can manage to fine tune your acting abilities to suit each concept, the ...

There may be a period of time in your modeling career when you are just swamped with shoots, whether they're TFP/TFCd or paid bookings. Take it from me, the last thing you want to worry about is forgetting something or not being completely prepared when you step on-set. When things get hectic with my shooting schedules, I've found that keeping certain things together and organized helps eliminate any snafus. For example, I have a greally great Victoria's Secret bag that has large straps and can hold a lot of stuff. That is my main bag that I use to carry my clothes, shoes and makeup. Every model should have such a bag that is easy to carry around. Even if you have smaller bags that you carry, they can easily be put into your big bag so that you don't have to worry about misplacing or forgetting your smaller items. Below is a list of things that I feel every model should have in her special bag for any and all shoots: Shoes  Even if you're not shoo...

Just thought I'd update you all on what's going on with me and the modeling biz this weekend: Saturday, October 20: Photo shoot @ 10am w/Rich of Makodef.com , an online hip-hop magazine. We'll be shooting swimwear and dresses at Laney College in Oakland as well as the Oakland waterfront. Should be fun, AND I'll be getting all of my images, score! Soon as the images are up on the official website, I'll be sure to post about it so you guys can check it out! Sunday, October 21: I'm teaming up again with Anya Grzeskowiak Photography , and makeup artist & stylist, Michelle Yueh, for a photo shoot @ 12 noon in Oakland. This will be the first step towards the redesign of my Dania Denise website. The images I get from this shoot will be used as downloadable wallpapers for your computer...pretty sweet, huh? :-) The redesigns to my website will include Flash intro and features, an online store--where the wallpapers will be sold--and all new, updated ph...

It really bothers me when I see young ladies fall over themselves when looking at a picture of a model in a magazine sometimes because the most common thing they end up saying is something along the lines of, "I wish I had (hair/skin/makeup/body/eyebrows) like her! How can I look like that?" *SIGH* Ladies, when it comes to modeling, nothing is as it seems. That's the whole point. If you think any of the models look the way they do in real life compared to their professional photos, you live in a different reality. That's not to say they emerge from their photo shoots with acne, beer bellies and split ends...but they are not flawless and weren't born that way, either...hard to believe, I know. Models are paid to take care of themselves. When you get millions of dollars per gig, of course you can afford to have all the good things in life. You don't have to worry about staying up late working on a project or working overtime at your job. Looking g...

As a working model with agency representation, I've always freelanced on the side. But that was when I had a non-exclusive contract. Since signing with FORD Models in San Francisco last Fall, I've been dealing with an exclusive contract. I wanted to make sure I wasn't breaking any rules so I went through the pages of my contract and couldn't find anything that mentioned being allowed to find and book my own work.  I'm sure it was in there somewhere but with over 6 pages of legal jargon, I'm sure I missed it. So I emailed my booking agent at FORD asking her for clarification. She was happy I asked because apparently many models aren't aware of the seriousness of the subject. She informed me that under an exclusive contract, all bookings must go through the agency. What does that mean for me? No more freelancing. Surprisingly, I'm okay with that. I want to do right by my agency. While I've been able to get more work myself than through t...

Is modeling with braces impossible? No. But is it possible? Rarely. Before you start rattling off the models you've seen in publications wearing braces, let me just inform you that they are far and few in between. Of course there will always be exceptions to the rule--the modeling industry is famous for that, but generally speaking, modeling with braces may not always be an option. If you currently have braces and wish to pursue modeling, you may encounter some difficulties. Models wearing braces are not in high demand. Yes, there are those print ads for dentists and other specialists who do braces but there isn't enough of that type of work to keep the small number of models with braces busy. You'd end up seeing the same faces over and over again for those ads. If you're hoping for agency representation, don't be surprised if an agency decides to pass on you. Marketing a model with braces is just too hard and time consuming. However, you may find ...

Okay, it's time for me to stop talking on and on about my shoots and get down to educating people about modeling! LOL. What do I mean by "outing," you ask? Simply put, "outing" is a term used in the modeling industry for publicly stating something bad about someone. This situation is the most common among photographers and models. It is a reality that not all photogs and models will get along during a shoot. Both are guilty of being flakes, showing up late to shoots, being unprofessional and even downright rude or disrespectful. But regardless of this, the modeling industry is one that stresses the importance of not "outing" ANYONE, no matter how badly that person has been treated by the other. For example, Model A shoots with Photographer B. Photographer B is a jerk, is rude, and tries to cop a feel on Model A throughout the shoot. But that's as far as it goes. After the shoot, Model A is so upset with Photographer B that when Mod...