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

As a model you will be required to wear makeup. This aspect of the job can occur in a number of ways: having a makeup artist on the set of your shoot, doing it yourself, or making an appointment to have your makeup done professionally beforehand. Models with agency representation will almost always have the luxury of having a makeup artist on the set of their shoots—that’s the upside of having an agent because they’ll book you for gigs that take care of all that stuff for you so all you have to do is show up. Freelance models can use one of the two options stated above, which is to do your makeup yourself or make an appointment to get it done. If you’re lucky, your freelance gigs may already have someone on-hand to do your makeup but more often than not, freelance clients will require models to arrive on the set with their makeup ready. For you makeup gurus who already know how to make your face look fabulous on your own, kudos to you! Being able to do professional quality makeu...

As a model or potential model, it is important to take care of yourself from head to toe. That includes not only your skin/complexion and your body but your hair as well. Having a healthy and naturally shiny mane of hair is a very desirable trait for a model to possess, especially female models. Most male models won’t have to deal too much with their hair so this post will be of more interest to the ladies. Of course that doesn’t men you fellas should neglect your hair. You may not think much of the role hair plays in the modeling industry but having a good head of hair is like icing on the cake in terms of model attributes. A good head of hair can make all the difference during a photoshoot, not to mention that having excellent hair is also vital for hair show modeling and beauty modeling. It isn’t very appealing to see a model with a gorgeous face, excellent figure but horribly damaged hair. You always want to present yourself in the best light so you’ve got to keep everything o...

I'm excited to announce that I have been chosen as the featured model for a pretty cool website called Indie Music Stop. They're a site that focuses on the music scene and more specifically giving exposure to indie artists. I came across their post for models to feature on their site while cruising through my typical websites and it just so happens that I had done a shoot a few months back with guitars. I thought it would be really cool to send those photos in and the folks at Indie Music Stop loved it. I just got the email notifying me that my photos and feature are currently up on the site. My feature will be up for 2 weeks and a link will be provided after it's been taken down. I included a screen shot of part of my feature in the photo associated with this post. If you want to see the whole thing, click HERE. I'll definitely be adding this page as a web tearsheet to my portfolio, which will hopefully be the start of many more to come!

For those who aren’t just into modeling but acting as well, you have many more options available to you since you are not limited to the modeling industry. My best piece of advice for you “well-rounded” entertainer types is to sign with a talent agency instead of a modeling agency. You’ll find that it is much easier to kill two birds with one stone. Imagine the run around and time commitment you’d need if you had not only a modeling agency representing you but a talent agency as well! Many talent agencies also have modeling divisions and a lot have the name “Model & Talent” within their names so it’s fairly easy to tell which ones represent both. There are loads of talent agencies that work with the same types of clients that the top modeling agencies do so don’t think that you’re sacrificing the credibility of work by going to a talent agency over a modeling agency. Having the ability to act and perform on-camera in addition to modeling skills can make you a very valuable a...

Read the next sentence very carefully: to be a model you do not need to have perfect skin but you do need to have good skin. There is a big difference. It’s funny to me how much we throw the word “perfect” around in the modeling industry. The only “perfect” there is comes from Photoshop so don’t get sucked into that frame of mind that you need to be uber perfect in order to get your foot in the door. Good skin simply means that you have a complexion that is free of scars, noticeable discoloration, huge zits, blemishes, and the like. That’s not to say that you cannot ever have a zit or blemish—that’s pretty ridiculous—even the top models have bad skin days…it happens and it’s completely natural. To start off in modeling, having fairly clear skin is a great step in the right direction. If you have past scars or other skin issues, this won’t necessarily put you out of the game because makeup can be used to cover those things up, but it would also be in your best interest to do wha...

I touched on this subject in one of my recent posts but I felt that it deserved its own post because I believe strongly in smart planning, especially when it comes to your future. To get things started, let me just say that it isn’t realistic to expect to do modeling forever. As obvious as that statement may seem, you’d be surprised at how many people still fail to heed the warning. It is extremely difficult to make modeling a full-time career in the real world. Modeling has a short life span and if you weren’t blessed with great genetics and/or haven’t been taking good care of your skin and body, your career could dwindle as the years go by. Because the majority of models start out young, usually within the preteen or teenage group, I find that it is essential that these young girls and guys understand the reality of the industry and not just living for the moment, but preparing for what will happen when their modeling career eventually slows down or stops altogether. There are...

This is an added post to the topic I wrote about dealing with creating your own comp cards in Photoshop. After creating them, the next step obviously is to print them! Of course you don’t want to just go to anyone and since you’ll be paying out of pocket for it, you’ll want to make sure to find a printing company that offers affordable services without compromising the quality. Not lucky enough to own a printer that can easily spit out clear and top quality digital images? Then I suggest researching various printing places. You could go with FedEx Kinko’s since they are the most conveniently located company but because they don’t technically specialize in comp card printing, you may not be happy with the results and personally and professionally, I wouldn’t recommend using them for this particular project. Of course if you have successfully had Kinko’s print out your comp cards with no issue, then by all means stick to it. Or if you want to have them print out a test copy to see...

Okay, if you're a guy, take the hint from the title and photo and skip this post! LOL. Now I'm assuming we're all somewhat mature so I can talk about this topic without too much flack or giggling... It may not have crossed your mind but as a female we cannot escape that dreaded "time of the month" and not only can it ruin a good day, it can also pose as an annoying problem during your modeling. So what should you do when it comes to PMS and your modeling career? Being that it only happens once a month you won't have to worry about this subject too much. However, there may be that one day when you know you've got a shoot coming up and you just start your period or won't be done with it in time. What to do? Before freaking out, figure out if it's even something you should be stressing out about. If you're doing a shoot involving full clothing, then obviously, PMS is not going to be an issue. Even wearing a dress or skirt during that time o...

Let's talk about the exceptions to the rule. The debate over height in the modeling world is one that continues to rage on and will continue to do so for many years. The fashion industry believes in continuing the age old tradition of using tall models for everything from editorial work to runway shows. For those who think the opposite, their favorite example to use is Kate Moss. Okay, we all know that Kate is the icon when it comes to short models. Whether you believe she's really 5'5" or 5'6" or 5'7", it goes without saying that she is definitely one of the lucky gals. Why another has yet to come right on her heels to be the next exception to the rule is beyond me. I guess Kate Moss is the prime example of being at the right place at the right time. Will another eventually appear in the next few years? Even I can't attempt to answer that one. In addition to providing Kate Moss as a reason why shorter models should be used in fashion, man...

This isn't a perfect world and we don't always get what we want. Unfortunately, the same is also true for modeling. There could be the greatest event you want to try out for and you give it your best...and you don't get it. While it can be a crushing feeling, it is a part of the territory. For newer models, it can be very frustrating and damaging to the ego to be turned down for a gig, whether you have an agency representing you or if you're doing on your own through freelance. Even the well-known models don't get all of the jobs, surprisingly. I just want to tell you that it's okay to not book everything you try out for. You do win some, and lose some. The best thing to do instead of getting down about it, is to pick yourself up and keep it moving. There are other gigs out there that you can go for and there is no shortage of projects that need models. Sometimes you may go through a bad streak where you may not book a gig for weeks or even months. Even th...

It goes without saying that all models should know their measurements. However, if you've never measured yourself or been measured, it's understandable that you wouldn't even know where to begin. So first thing's first: understand what measurements are important and how to find them. When you see the measurements: 34-24-34...those are the numbers that represent the bust/chest size, waist, and the hips of a person, male or female, in inches. It goes in that exact order every time. As far as how to get yourself measured, most of you should have a regular measuring tape laying around somewhere in your house. It's best to use the flimsy kind that you can wrap around yourself and is used specifically for sewing or tailoring, and not the kind that comes with a metal backing (like the type you but at the hardware store). It's better to have someone other than yourself do the measuring because that gets you the most accurate numbers. You can get one of your best ...