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

Category: Photoshoots For: Male & Female Models (Freelance & Agency Repped) The great thing about magazine publications becoming digital is that it opens the doors to models of all types, shapes and sizes to be eligible for submitting their images for consideration. However, it can be tricky to figure out how to determine which publications you'll want to submit to and what to send. Already have images from a shoot you've done that you feel belong in a magazine? While the hard part has been taken care of (getting the photos), it can be challenging to then match up what magazines you'll want to send your submission to. To make the process a bit easier to navigate, think in terms of theme. Do the images you have follow a specific theme or concept (i.e. glamour, summer fun, fantasy, winter, extreme beauty looks)? If so, narrow down your search by looking for publications that would match your theme. Many magazines (both print and digital) specialize in cert...

Category: Etiquette For: Male & Female Models (Freelance & Agency Repped) Being told by an agency that they'll contact you in a few days is great but plan for the possibility that they might not get back to you when they said they would. "A few days" is very broad and could mean 1-2 days or it could be a week. Of course it isn't easy being the person waiting for the response. Before you hit the panic button and blow up their phone or email inbox, take a moment to observe standard business etiquette for when to follow up. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to this but I recommend giving an agency between 2-3 "business days" BEFORE reaching out to follow up. A "business day" is defined as being between Monday - Friday...not weekends. That means if you received an email on a Friday with the promise of reaching back out in a few days, you should reach out for a follow up as early as Tuesday, NOT Monday. Agencies operate s...

Category: Makeup For: Male & Female Models I'm including the male models in this post, too, since as we all know, male models wear makeup, too! :-) If you've ever dealt with glitter in makeup (lip color/gloss, bronzer, eye shadow, etc.), you'll know that it can be a pain to get rid of. The best makeup removers on the market don't always get every little spec of sparkle. I'm sure both you models and non-models alike out there have had at least one encounter with mystery glitter speckles suddenly catching your attention in the mirror or pointed out to you by someone. To get rid of glitter in a more effective way then scrubbing your face raw, follow this nifty trick I learned from a great makeup artist out of San Francisco (I don't remember his name...gah!): Take a small strip of Scotch tape (the clear kind or the kind that's a bit hazy/not as see-through), lay it on top of the area where the glitter is on your skin, gently press down and...

Category: Posing For: Female & Male Models Are you having trouble producing a really intense, dramatic stare? Then try this awesome tip from fellow model/actor (and photographer!) Breanna Baker (who took the headshot image of me below): Focus your eyes on the photographer's camera...you know how oftentimes the lense or some part around it will have wording (usually it's white and contains the name of the camera or product info)? Concentrate on trying to read what the writing on the camera around the lense is. The key is to not squint but instead hold a steady and intense gaze into the camera as if you're in deep thought. The result: a really great dramatic shot that doesn't take a lot of effort to produce.  The key to perfecting this "tip" is by practicing in the mirror at home. Write something on a small piece of paper and tape it to the mirror at eye level and practice staring at the words and pretending to try and read it. The paper...

Category: Modeling Agencies For: Male & Female Models Do you have more than one agency to submit to? Make sure you send out all agency submissions within the same time frame. You don't have to submit to one at a time and wait for a decision before moving on to the next. It's better to submit to all your choices around the same time because it increases the chances of getting responses around the same time period as well. This is especially helpful for those that wind up with more than one offer to choose from. Waiting too long in between to send out agency submissions could result in getting some offers right away but being conflicted because you haven't heard back from the other choices yet (which could take weeks). Contract offers have a shelf life and agencies will only give models a short amount of time to make a decision so help yourself out and send those submissions on their way...no lagging!

Category: Agency Open Calls For: New/Inexperienced Male & Female Models Aspiring models with zero experience, when you get asked by a modeling agency, "What modeling experience do you have?" it is perfectly acceptable to tell the truth: that you currently don't have experience. Remember, previous modeling experience isn't mandatory to be considered for agency representation (unless they say so on the website). So don't feel pressured to lie or make something up to try and make yourself look better to an agency. When answering this question, let them know you have no experience but then go on to mention that you're eager to learn the industry and what it takes to become a great model. Saying you're inexperienced might sound negative but if you follow it up with that bit of positivity and show them your enthusiasm about getting into modeling, it will work in your favor.

Category: Shoes For: Female Models Worried that you'll slip while wearing your high heels? Take a piece of sand paper and scruff up the bottom of your shoes. It will create friction on the bottom of the heels when it makes contact with any surface so instead of feeling like you'll slip, it'll have a better grip. This means more confidence in your walk and less of a chance that you'll wind up kissing the catwalk instead of strutting on it.

Category: Agency Submissions For: Male & Female Models When reading through the instructions listed on a modeling agency's website for how to submit yourself, if they mention the word " snapshot(s) " that means you should send them non professional, digital photos...not professional images ! Unless the website specifically says it is okay to send professional pictures (or if they let you submit both pro and non pro) only send digital snapshots. Failing to do so could mean automatic rejection. Why? Because you didn't follow directions! So save your professional images for the interview/casting call and use the snapshots to get your foot in the door. Remember, you don't need professional images or a portfolio (in most markets) for agencies to consider new models for representation.

Category: Snapshots For: Male & Female Models When sending modeling agencies non professional digital snapshots via email, make sure to properly name the jpg files of the images you plan on attaching. But always check the agency website first to find out if there are specific instructions on how they want you to name your image files. Don't see any such info mentioned? Then here are some recommended file names that can be used for reference...to make it easier for people to understand and model their file names after, we'll use my name. Let's say I'm about to submit 4 snapshots of myself to an agency: a headshot, full body shot, full body profile shot and a closeup profile shot...below is what I would name the files: - DaniaDenise_Headshot - DaniaDenise_FullBody - DaniaDenise_FullBodyProfile - DaniaDenise_CloseupProfile This example isn't absolute and there are variations but in general you want to make sure 2 things appear in the file name: your...

Category: Modeling Agencies For: Male Models While male and female models aren't exactly the same, when it comes to seeking agency representation, sometimes they tend to get lumped in together. Tired of competing against female models? Look into modeling agencies that only represent men. Obviously, there's still going to be competition but at least it'll be against other men. Note: Men only agencies are mainly found in larger markets like New York, Miami and Los Angeles. Small to medium-sized markets don't typically have agencies that just represent men but it doesn't hurt to do research to find out for sure.

Category: Photographers & Modeling Photos For: Male & Female Models When receiving final images from a shoot, give credit where credit is due! Plan on using your modeling images online? List the photographer's name, company name, website--whatever information there is that lets people know who took the picture. That includes tagging on Facebook, writing this info in the photo description box, etc. It's not that hard and doesn't take away from the picture at all. Does the photographer have a logo they've included on some of the images? Then those are probably the versions you should upload to the Internet. Having the logo on the picture serves as credit by itself and means you don't have to take the extra step of providing credit in another form. I always let any photographer I work with know that I provide proper credit on any and all of the images I use for online purposes. You'd be surprised how elated they get when they hear this. But their...

Category: Posing For: Male & Female Models Your eyes don't always have to be looking directly at the camera during shoots. However, when attempting to do this, prevent "demon eyes" where only the whites are showing by making sure your eyes/focal point is in line with your nose--not looking way off to the side. This will guarantee that enough of your irises appear in the photos and not just the whites of the eyes with only a little bit of the irises being visible.

Category: Photoshoots For: Male & Female Models When doing a shoot with more than one outfit/look, always wear your least favorite outfit first. It takes some time to "warm up" in a shoot, which means the poses and expressions aren't always on-point right away. This is normal so don't panic if you don't like what you see when previewing the images on the photographer's camera. The more comfortable a model gets as the shoot progresses, the better the poses and expressions will be. So remember, put your least favorite outfit on first and save the best for last. By the time you get to your #1 pick, you'll have adjusted completely and feel right at home in front of the camera, guaranteeing amazing results you'll be proud to showcase in your portfolio.

Category: Posing For: Male & Female Models Experienced models will totally relate to this saying, "If the pose hurts, you're doing it right!" So true! Anytime you're doing a pose and you feel "comfortable," that means it's not going to photograph well. I swear, it happens every single time. The only exception are simpler poses like standing up where you're not doing much. What I'm talking about mainly refers to poses where you're sitting down, kneeling, lying down, etc. Anything that involves some kind of stance where your body is dynamically posed in some way. When in front of the camera, the entire body should be in action, your muscles should be tense to some degree as you are holding the pose. Whether it's high fashion or a lifestyle image, to some degree your body should be alert. Depending on the pose, you'll be able to feel a slight burning in your muscles--similar to holding a pose while doing an exercise like yoga....

Category: Modeling Agencies For: Male & Female Models When sending modeling submissions via email to agencies, ALWAYS include your full measurements in the body of the email. No exceptions! Female models should include: - Height -Weight - Bust - Waist - Hips - Shoe - Dress - Shirt - Pants Male models should include: - Height - Weight - Chest - Suit - Waist - Hip - Shoe

Category: N/A For: Male & Female Models My name is Dania, not Diana, Dana, etc. LOL. I know most people either misread my name or when typing it, they're so used to typing those other names so I know it's an easy mistake to make. I don't get mad about it or anything--I'm so used to it--but just thought I'd put it out there for my readers that my name is D-A-N-I-A. :-)

Category: Portfolios For: Male & Female Models When choosing images from your shoots, stick to the best 1-2 shots per look. Translation: if you have 3 outfits, that means you have 3 "looks." By the time you're done going through all the photos, you should have at least 1-2 of your favorite images for each outfit/look you've done...so that would total 3-6 images. When it comes to portfolios, you should not have a bunch of photos with you wearing the same "look." It may be hard to decide but you want diversity in your portfolio and that can't be achieved if you have 5-6 pictures with the same outfit on. Having trouble narrowing it down? If you just can't pick 1-2 final images from a shoot and instead you have 3-4, then consider putting together a collage or having a 2-in-1 photo instead. Below is an example of 2 photos that were combined into 1, which would count as 1 shot for your portfolio: Below is an example of 3 photos that wer...

Category: Modeling Portfolios For: Male & Female Models When it comes to traditional hard copy modeling portfolios, your photos should be printed on paper that is all the same size. 8"x10" is the most widely used. Your portfolio shouldn't have images that are a combination of different sizes like 5"x7", 4"x6", 8"x10" and so on. That would be a portfolio I'd call a "hot mess!"

Category: Modeling Portfolios For: Male & Female Models PLEASE don't print your modeling portfolios at places like FedEx/Kinko's or the Kodak printing kiosk you find at the drugstore. Stick to professional printing companies--there a ton of quality ones that are online operations--they'll have the right pricing, formatting and finishes that are industry standard. Plus, if you have questions, their staff will actually know what you're talking about. Save the other printing options for family photos and special occasions like birthdays, holidays and graduations.

Category: Modeling Portfolios For: Male & Female Models These days it is best for models to have two kinds of portfolios: online and hard copy. Only operating with one version could put you in a position where you're unprepared. Scenario 1: if you only have a hard copy portfolio but a client emails you and asks for a link to an online portfolio they can view, you'll have to scramble to get digital versions of your pictures and/or scan the hard copy ones you have, reformat them for the Internet and then upload them to the right site(s). Scenario 2: if you only have a digital/online portfolio and are about to attending a casting in a day or two but are asked to bring a hard copy portfolio, you'll have to print your pictures out last minute and buy a portfolio case. If you don't have a photo printer you'll have to rely on a place like Kinko's or a drugstore printing kiosk, which may or may not produce the right quality to get you the job. From the be...