Skip to main content

Answering a Reader Question #236

Kat Wrote:


hey Dania i was wondering would you be willing to look at my amateur online portfolio and could you give me advise on what to improve for my pictures and my overall look that would be greatly appreciated.

Hey, Kat! For your privacy I removed the links you included with your comment here, although they were published when I accepted your comment on the post you put it on (I can't edit anyone's comments on there).

In terms of ways you can improve your pictures, I would recommend choosing outfits that flatter your skin tone and figure. Since you have a darker complexion you want to stay away from colors like reds, yellows and oranges. Pastel colors in blues, greens and shades like heather gray will be more flattering to your complexion. You also want to make sure that you use powder to take care of "hot spots" on your face, which is industry lingo for shine. A shiny complexion never photographs well. So always keep that powder handy...not only does it take care of shine, it also creates a more uniform/even skin tone.

You look great with a smile! Commercial/print models are all about expressions so use that to your advantage. The photos with you smiling naturally are your best shots. It's also good to practice your full body posing more. Aside from your snapshots where you aren't posing (which is good because you aren't supposed to for those types of pictures), your other images are posed in ways that don't really showcase your figure in the best way. Definitely make sure to practice posing in the mirror so that you can see for yourself which poses work for your body type and which ones don't. Not all models can pull off the same poses, especially if they aren't built the same way physically. To take your portfolio up a notch, you may want to look into doing a test shoot with a professional photographer who can give you the right quality and setup that will produce the best images.

I hope that helps!

Comments

Kat:) said…
Thank you so much Dania I really appreciate you answering my question especially because of the holiday. I'm curious though what do you think makes a pretty smile in a man or a woman. Is a pretty smile genetic or can someone be taught how to smile pretty I'm just wondering.
Dania Denise said…
Hi, Kat! You'll find the answer to your question in its own post, titled "Answering a Reader Question #238." Thanks for reading!

Popular posts from this blog

Want to Be a Victoria's Secret Model?

(*Due to the number of comments and questions I get from aspiring models about working for VS, please be sure to read my post on this very carefully. If you don't meet all of these requirements then you cannot become a model for VS. If you are not tall enough, if you are not signed to a top agency, your chances are not good.  If you don't meet the requirements, please don't be too upset about it. Find another field of modeling you may be good for. There are plenty of other modeling opportunities for models outside of being a VS angel. They may not be as good or as well-known as VS but it's better than nothing.) I know I’d jump at the chance to be offered a gig modeling for Victoria’s Secret (although I think they’d be irritated by Photoshopping my stretch marks HAHA, yeah, I said it, I’ve got stretch marks!). All silliness aside, the gals of Victoria’s Secret are probably the inspiration for a majority of aspiring models out there. Not only do they get to wear the s...

Modeling & Pay Rates: How Much Should You Charge?

(This post is more targeted towards freelance models and not those with agency representation, although it may apply to those that have an agent but continue to find their own work.) A part of being a successful model is making money from the jobs that you book. However, being a freelance model comes with many challenges--figuring out what you should charge is one of them. I will say upfront that there are no established black and white rules when it comes to pay rates. Each modeling job is different, each client is different and budgets vary. Ultimately the factors that should influence what you charge should be the amount of experience you have, the strength of the images in your portfolio and the client's budget/needs. Not every client is going to pay what you want to charge. There may be times when you will be skipped over for charging too much or taken advantage of for charging too little. It's going to happen so be prepared for it and do not take it personally. It...

How Old is Too Old to Model?

It’s no secret that the media has made a big deal out of youth. Think about it: how many people have you heard say, “Gosh, I can’t wait to get wrinkles!” Worldwide, selling the idea of youth has made many companies billions of dollars. Without the models, however, they wouldn’t get very far. So that’s the obvious stuff but what about the question of age and being older in the modeling industry? Well, for starters, if you plan on being in the fashion and runway field, the younger you are the better. The longevity for this type of modeling is extremely short for the majority of models involved. Agencies sign girls as young as 13 years old and tend to hesitate if a model is over 18. This topic, like the height issue, is a reality of the industry that you don’t have to agree with but you will have to accept or at least get used to. It’s just a plain fact that agencies and their clients can get more work out of youthful models than those who already show the signs of aging. Sadly, this...