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

Just a quick note to let you all know that I'm slowly but surely making moves to make this blog more user-friendly. As far as I know, there is no search feature that allows you to type in a topic and jump straight to it on my blog and since I have well over 100 posts, I know it can be hard to find what you want to learn more about. The best alternative I was able to come up with so far is by adding hyperlinked words throughout my posts. By clicking on the word or words, you'll be sent directly to another post that relates to a similar topic. When I started getting emails/comments about topics that I've already covered, I realized that not many people want to take the time to go through the long list on the right-hand side of the page. So I figure this way will be easier to jump from topic to topic. On some of the older posts, there are links to related topics that can be found at the bottom of the post after the comments part...so check those out, too. The hyperlinks a...

Money is always good, I'll always stress that, but when it comes to other important assets to a model's career, tearsheets are gold. If you are ever offered a modeling gig that is willing to give tearsheets instead of pay, take it! Tearsheets are important because they show legit proof that you have been booked for a particular gig and that it has been published. This type of payment is often better than money because it is a quick way to build up your resume and portfolio. Clients tend to take a model more seriously when they see that he/she has a good collection of tearsheets. As opposed to a really nice image from a photo shoot, a tearsheet contains all the elements that show it has been published: text, captions, logos, etc. For those of you who aren't familiar with what a tearsheet is, it is literally a copy of an image that has been torn out of the actual publication. While seeing a piece of paper with a torn side may sound unappealing, having a portfolio...

One type of modeling that is often overlooked is hair modeling. Hair shows are huge around the country and there is no end to the castings for hair models. You don't have to be with an agent to book these types of modeling gigs so this is excellent for new models and freelancers . Some hair shows have an open height requirement so that is also a plus, but it's best to double check that if it isn't stated. Hair shows work just like runway shows except instead of focusing on the clothes, the focus is on the hair. Hair stylists from all over the world make their mark by showcasing their best 'dos on the runways. Some hair shows are smaller than others but either way, the experience is definitely worth it and is great for a resume. Runway modeling is involved so for new models who want to practice strutting their stuff, hair shows will give you plenty to work with. This type of modeling is also great for models who know they don't qualify to walk in a high f...

Just to let everyone know, I'm still kinda unfamiliar with some of the features here on blogspot so I may do certain things the difficult way. For those of you who post comments, they get emailed to me but they don't have an email address that I can reply to. While I love comments and reading them, if you have questions that you'd like answered personally, there is an email link available here if you click on the "view my complete profile" link on the right hand side of the page. This will allow me to respond directly to you from whatever email address. :) To answer Jemmica's question on where to get started and how I got started, you can click on the following links that'll take you directly to two posts dealing with these topics: How I Got Started Where Do You Start? I realize that there are way too many posts for people to go through on here so I will begin adding hyperlinks that will let you jump from one post to another to make navigating easier. ...

For my freelance models out there, finding well-paying and legit gigs can be difficult. Unfortunately, for models looking for work on places like Craigslist and even modeling sites such as Model Mayhem, there are many people who create posts requesting models to do jobs that aren't...well...modeling. I hate seeing such posts because it is obvious that they only want someone with a pretty face to do grunt work that, many times, doesn't even pay. They claim you'll get great exposure, meet tons of people and--for the ones that are paying--earn great money. For the gigs that pay, the rates can be very nice, especially if you need quick cash, but read these postings carefully. Aspiring and especially inexperienced models should make their choices wisely. If you're looking to get into promotional and tradeshow modeling , that's fine but be sure to choose posts that pay a high rate or high flat rate, are legit and actually involve the duties that qualify for thi...

I got the title of this post from one of the photographers I work with and I thought it was such a simple statement/question that had so much food for thought contained in it. I find it comical that there are so many girls out here who call themselves "models", yet all they really have are a bunch of pictures and no resume or agency representation. In those cases, they are just pretty girls who take pictures. Sometimes people get the misconception that if you do a bunch of photoshoots and have a nice portfolio to show off, that qualifies them as a model. Well, I guess I shouldn't say they can't be called "models," so for lack of a better word, I refer to those types of individuals as "non-working models." I don't know of many people who want to model but not make any money or get any real exposure. So please don't get confused about it...in general (correct me if I'm wrong), the goal of being a model is to be a "working ...

Being an aspiring model who is inexperienced can be difficult but this is where natural talent comes into play. Lately I've seen a couple of posts on Craigslist from young girls, posting about how they are inexperienced and hope to find quality photographers there to work with in order to build a portfolio . Some of them even go as far to state that they are looking for a photographer who is good at giving direction and teach them how to pose . First off, inexperienced or not, don't expect most legit photographers to "teach" you your job. Yes, being inexperienced is one thing and it is understandable that you may not know how to pose the right way but that is why they are called "test shoots."  Most photographers are not experienced in showing models how to pose and the ones who do usually hate doing it. At most they will give you some direction (chin down, head to the side more, etc.) but do not expect to show up to a test shoot, stand there and ...