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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!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi. I'm a 15 year old Asian girl and I've wanted to start modeling for ages! I just think that this is the perfect job for me. But my parents think that becoming a model is no way to earn a living and survive in the real world, and that I should forget about modeling and focus on school and my education.
What I want to know is how can I get started with modeling and is it true that some girls just get discovered randomly like on the street (like Barbara palvin) on the beach (like abbey lee kershaw) and even in the super market (like behati prinsloo)?
Also, what are the real chances of becoming a successful model and how much do they earn? $$
Last thing, can I become a successful model even though I have stretch marks on my butt, pimples on my face and from my Chinese background?
Dania Denise said…
Hi, Anonymous! You'll find the answers to your questions in its own post, titled "Answering a Reader Question #160." Thanks for reading!
Anonymous said…
Hey!

I was intersted in doing modeling and I read your article on where to begin. Do you know of any modeling agencies near Oxnard, California? Thank you so much for your time.

Mary :)
Dania Denise said…
Hi, Mary! You'll find the answer to your questions in its own post, titled "Answering a Reader Question #590," which can be found on my new blog: "Modeling 101 - Answering Readers Questions."

Please visit this link: http://amodelsdiary-readerquestions.blogspot.com/ and you can view your post there. Thanks for reading!

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