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

Alrighty, I've got the final details confirmed for my meet and greet that I posted about before! Below is the confirmed info for anyone that is able and interested in attending: When: Saturday, September 22nd Time: 1:00PM Where: Starbucks @ The Hacienda Crossings Center, 4930 Dublin Boulevard  Dublin, CA 94568 I'll more than likely be indoors working on my laptop until people show up...since I don't know what any of you look like (lol) please don't be shy--introduce yourself! For those of you reading this for the first time who haven't checked out my other two posts about this, I'm basically making myself available for any of my readers who want to meet me in person and talk shop about anything related to modeling. This will be a great opportunity to get one-on-one advice/guidance and learn more about what it really takes to be successful in the modeling industry, as well as get any questions answered. Male and female models of all experience lev...

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....

Posing is the major duty of any model, male or female. Even runway models are required to post at the end of the catwalk. This skill comes naturally to many models but does take time and a lot of practice to master. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges that comes with posing is the fact that it requires a model to multitask mentally. How so? Well, there's a lot that goes into posing--namely the details. It doesn't take much for one tiny posing error to throw off or even ruin an otherwise amazing photo. This subject is hard for me to explain in words (if I had the time, resources and crew I would love to do a video blog about this topic...it's on my to-do list) but the best way for me to capture the essence of what goes into posing and why it requires multitasking is to imagine yourself striking a pose in front of the camera. Actually, you know what? I want you to get up right now and do a pose in front of the mirror. Don't think--just do. Got your pose? Good....

When reading my blog posts, you've probably come across the term "contact person" more than a couple of times. While I do clarify who this person is in the posts themselves, I figured it would be helpful to do an entire post on the topic itself so that there's no confusion for my readers that are applying this info to their own careers. Whenever I talk about the contact person in regards to a modeling job, I'm referencing a specific individual that serves as a model's "go-to" for important info related to the shoot/gig and other related matters. Situations where a model may be given a contact person typically involves situations where a model needs to check in when they arrive at a casting, go-see, fashion show or shoot. Knowing the name of the contact person is a fast way for the model to get sent to the right people. For example, arriving at a business where there is a lot of activity and people going on, a model can easily get lost in the mi...

(This post is for both agency represented models and freelance models but is mainly applicable to freelancers.) In any model's career, the portfolio is going to play a major role. However, many professional models also have actual resumes they use to submit to gigs. Why would clients care about looking at a resume when they could easily just review a model's portfolio? For one thing, a resume is oftentimes a much more direct way for a client to see exactly what type of work a model has done. Browsing through a physical portfolio book or looking at an online portfolio is convenient but sometimes clients want to know the name of the photographer, project, client or assignment the model has done work for. The pictures don't always list this info, especially if it isn't a recognizable tearsheet. A resume is a more organized and structured way of obtaining this information. Agency represented models may or may not have a resume put together for them but freelance mod...

Getting hired for a modeling job: awesome. Getting paid for your services: sweet. Getting published: epic! A model's portfolio is the greatest asset because it's obvious proof of your capabilities in this profession. However, getting published and having that included in a portfolio skyrockets a model's cred exponentially. It is important that any published work a model has appeared in gets added to his/her portfolio. Since technology has changed the way the industry operates these days, below are typical situations where a model may find themselves published, as well as tips for how to get copies. Magazine Publication (Print, Not Digital) Once you've been notified that your image is going to appear in an actual magazine (not its online version), it's simply a matter of waiting for that particular edition to appear on store shelves. Usually when a model is notified about being published, that's also when they'll find out the exact month/date/editio...

Hey, readers! So I have good news: the Dania Denise Meet & Greet opportunity I posted about before has gained momentum and has about 6 people so far that are interested in attending...yay! That means the window is still open for anyone that is just now finding out about the meet and greet and wants to be a part of it. Don't know what the heck I'm talking about? Please click the link below to get the 411: Attention, Nor-Cal/Bay Area Modeling 101 Readers: Dania Denise Meet & Greet Info As I said in that original post, I would do a follow up post to update everybody about where I'm at with the event. Right now it's looking like we'll be holding the meet and greet on a Saturday in September. The location is likely going to be a Starbucks--the one in particular I have in mind is located at the Hacienda Crossings, which is in Dublin. I like this Starbucks location because it is easy to find, is located right near the I-580/I-680 interchange, as well as...