Anybody know anything about the modeling business?

[TNDemo]

Somehow my daughter managed to fish some great genes out of the gene pool and all her life we have been continually approached by people wanting to know if she is a model and saying she should be. I have never pursued this in any fashion because (a) I know nothing about it and (b) I wanted it to be her decision. She is definitely a natural for the camera and knew how to turn it on at a very early age but we were just too busy to think about it before now. My older daughter has been after me to get something going because it could be some college money for her. So daughter is 16 now and wants to look into this. Is there such a thing as a reputable company? What do I do? Just mail some shots to them? Just want to stay local at this point. What do I need to watch out for?

[DS1]

1. "What do I need to watch out for?"

matcom

[mitchum]

2. Watch out for agencies which want to sell you a portfolio package...

to present to "their clients"
No reputable agency, at least back in my day, would ever do that

[BlooInBloo]

3. Yah. You got a big bunch of time series data, and you typically are looking for a linear best fit...

... although sometimes you have prior knowledge that the data come from a quadratic or exponential source. You run into bigger challenges when you have multiple time series, and you're trying determine which ones are linear combinations of which others (in the least squares sense, of course). A fascinating area to work in.

[dolo amber]

9. ...

:spray: :thumbsup:

[supernova]

4. My niece went to Barbazon college

back in the day. Mostly what they seemed to teach her was what used to be called "finishing school" stuff: how to walk, stand. How to apply makeup for different lighting, how to dress to flatter your figure. I think they did offer to shoot a portfolio for you, but I don't think my niece did that.

I don't know if they still are around, but they were the Fred MacMurray studio of modeling schools back in the 80s.

[Schema Thing]

5. Yes, there are reputable companies

and if they are reputable, they will only be interested in your daughter if they see that she has a "look" that will get her booked enough so that they make money on a percentage of her bookings.

Reputable modeling agencies are not schools, nor are they photography studios. They make their money on modeling fees.

Watch out for anyone who wants money from you for training etc. or insist you use "their" photographer for testing.

You may have to pay for some make-up and photography when she's starting out, but choose carefully, and only invest in those things after a reputable agency has given you confidence that they are truly interested in representing her.

As a budding photographer, I approached a guy in a Whataburger and told him he ought to model. He was receptive, and we were going to do some test shooting, but never got around to it. About 4 years later, we recognized each other when he came in for a "go see" at a studio I worked in; he'd hooked up with an agency I'd told him to check into, and had ended up traveling and living in NY and Paris before returning to Dallas. I've run into him a couple of times since then, and he's had a great career. One of the most genuine, down-to-earth people you'd ever want to meet too, although he's not necessarily the norm in that biz.


feel free to pm me if I you have more questions

[TNDemo]

6. Thanks.

I will let you know how it goes. I so don't want to be the stage mom and don't want to fall into all the money-making traps. I guess I owe it one shot anyway.

[gmoney]

7. One approach I've heard discussed...

There are a few model/photographer networking sites that are more on the semi-pro/amateur level (OneModelPlace.com or ModelMayhem.com are two). You could check into them, find some quality photographers in your area who are willing to work "time for images" or "time for prints" or some other variation on a trade or "test shoot". The photographer and model both get to build their portfolios without money changing hands. Look for photographers doing the types of work she'd like to do (fashion/glamour/art, whatever) and set up shoots with them. The objective is to build up her portfolio with a variety of strong images. After a few shoots, she should have enough to put together a print book of 10-15 professional looking shots. THEN turn up at the modeling agency as this "fully formed" model with a portfolio that shows what she can do, and it can really fasttrack the process. It will also get her used to working with photographers and being in front of the camera in low-pressure situations and she can learn a bit about posing and such too so it will be easier if she finds herself on the set of a paid shoot with the clock ticking and the meter running and the expectations high. These are usually low-budget, so if she can do her own makeup, that's a big plus. If a makeup artist is required, the photographer may ask you to cover or split that fee.

The semi-pro/amateur levels has its share of creeps, but so does the pro level, and overall the creeps are pretty few and far between and will red flag themselves if you're paying attention. Look at the quality of the work, and the "quality" of the models, and the variety of models in their portfolio. If you have doubts, ask for a get acquainted meeting with the photographer first or contact some of the models in his portfolio. But in general, quality work is usually a good indicator. It doesn't mean that a lousy photographer can't be a good, trustworthy person, but pictures from a lousy photographer won't do you much good.

And, honestly, no matter how good looking your daughter is, paying work is scarce outside NY, LA, Miami and maybe Chicago. But people are always looking for fresh faces, so it's always a possiblility. The attitude is to try to have fun, and if the money happens, all the better.

[edbermac]

8. I belong to a camera club.

They have model shoots every few months. The models get $50 for a few hours of posing and usually get some prints from the photographers to build up their portfolios. You might want to check if there are any clubs in your area as a starting point.

I was also at a photo conference at UMASS Amherst this summer; this is a link for it:

www.neccc.org

Click on the Model Print Competition for some shots that were taken there. There are usually 20-30 photogs who show up at my club for a half day shoot, UMASS was the whole weekend with over 1,000 people attending.

[begin_within]

10. No reputable agency is going to ask for money from you.

The big, established, reputable agencies are always saying this. If they ask for money from you, they are not a legitimate agency. If a reputable agency is interested in your daughter and wants to hire her, the money will flow from them to her, not from her to them.

[Karenina]

11. It's a VERY NASSY BIDNESS.

Just sayin. :O8):