Answering a Reader Question #157

Autumn Wrote:

Hi, Dania! I was not sure where to post my question, so I thought doing so on the most recent article would be appropriate! :)

I am fifteen years old, skinny, blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, short etc.
I have been told by many people that I should pursue modeling, but I'm sure many people hear that...how do you know if you have what it takes? Could you post a few pictures of you when you were closer to my age? I would like to see what some starting poses look like. How can you test yourself in home taken pictures to see if you have what it takes? Thank you so much for reading my comment! 

Hey, there, Autumn! All of my readers simply post their questions in the comments section of any of my blog posts, so you were right in your assumption! :-)

Awww...you're the age I was when I first started! Ah, memories! I can hear the excitement as well as the anxiety in your questions lol. Let's see if I can help you out:

- The main thing that matters is whether YOU believe you have what it takes. Are you confident in your abilities? Do you have a passion/desire to excel in this industry? Does the thought of being a model excite you to no end or do you automatically hesitate and freak out? Great models not only have a great look, they're able to adjust to new situations, step outside of their comfort zone, work with people from all walks of life and have no problem being the center of attention during a shoot or show. If you feel you have the personality, charisma, ability to adapt to new things and follow directions well from people you may be meeting for the first time, then you're well on your way.
- Because I started modeling over 10 years ago, my pictures from back then definitely don't resemble what most new models' photos look like. I'm not a fashion model, either so I never possessed exotic, alien or unique features lol. I actually came across images from some of my first photoshoots back then but they haven't been scanned yet. But below is my very first acting/modeling headshot (you know it's old because it's black and white...while there are some places that still use B&W, 99% of agencies have long since made color photos the norm):

- Below are two posing guides that you can use for reference. The first one I put together from a larger document from the site: How to Shoot? I didn't care for a lot of the poses that were in the original document so I selected the best ones that were also fairly age appropriate.

Copyright Dan McCormick www.photographytips.com

 - To get more familiar with posing and your body in general, I always recommend practicing in the mirror. This also goes for facial expressions. It may feel silly at first but use the posing guides above to see how you look doing them yourself. With time and practice, you'll feel more at ease and learn which angles, poses, etc. will make you look best.

- When it comes to testing your posing by taking photos at home, definitely have a friend or family member help you by taking the pictures for you. Camera phone/mirror pictures aren't gonna cut it or help you develop your posing skills. Memorize a handful of the poses from the guide and have your friend take the photos while you do each one that you remember. Then go back and view them.  Make a note of what you liked about the poses you did and what you didn't like but feel you could improve on. Remember, you can change up the poses how you see fit--you don't have to copy the guide exactly...it should be used as inspiration in the beginning until you're confident enough to experiment with new ones or come up with your own.

I hope that helps and feel free to post any other questions you may have on any of my blog posts in the form of a comment--I'll definitely get it!