Three Essentials Beginner Models Must Know

New model 'Katiegirl' has made herself well aware of the pitfalls associated with forging a career in the field of modeling.

The most frustrations for industry professionals and beginner models alike involve the public perception of modelling and model photography.

Like most beliefs that are essentially wrong, these fallacies develop a life of their own, and permeate through society, until even many models and photographers begin to believe them.

 

Presently modelling is at all time time low in the public eye, perceived as a deviant activity where naive girls are made to flaunt themselves for the entertainment and gratification of dirty old men with pony tails, a giant dose of mid life crisis, a shiny new camera and a battery of long, over sexualised lenses.

 

So if you are a girl who realizes that there are many aspects to modelling to which this horror image is complete nonsense, or that being a model is a very viable career choice, and you are wishing seriously to become a model, these three points should be firmly in your mind.

 

1. Modelling,  developing and maintaining a career is seriously hard work, 

NOT standing in front of a camera and 'doing your model stuff' or  'having a bit of a laugh' as many imply.

If you pose for the local camera club, or that studio down the road, for a couple of hours once a week, dressing up, costumed as a zombie, or a cupcake, or a sugarskull with fairy wings...

you are NOT a 'model', you are NOT in the industry, and you certainly are NOT,  (nor will a career in  modeling ever make you a 'public figure'), and NO-ONE at these types of events will ever 'make you a star'.

 

On the contrary,  if an industry professional ever 'discovers you', or does see model potential in you, valuable time and effort will be needed for you to unlearn all the bad habits, awkward posing techniques, unphotographable makeup gaffs, and totally irrelevant  modelling nonsense which you have learned. The general consensus of photographers I know is unless you have exceptional potential, that it is all too hard, and time consuming to re-teach, so basically it ain't gonna happen.

 

 

2. Hoping for useful portfolio pictures from amateurs, pretenders, and fauxpros, the majority of whom have never actually set eyes on an actual working model's portfolio is hoping beyond hope.

It seems now that every man, woman and dog who has recently bought a 'professional' camera offers 'model portfolio shoots', and it is also very true that almost all of them wouldn't know the requirements of a model's 'book'. (those who call it a 'port' instantly give away their lack of knowledge and fauxpro status).

 

Likewise anyone who chants the mantra of "it will be great for your folio", is equally a waste of time, money and effort, because invariably the resulting pictures,  if you ever see any, will be ANYTHING BUT SUITABLE for a working portfolio.

3. Modelling does not, I repeat DOES NOT, involve getting naked...

Regrettably the requirement of nudity in modelling has become a staple of the public perception of the 'evil arts', and of course nothing could be further from the truth.

 

Any photographer, model or hanger-on who tells you that nudity is required for you to get anywhere as a model is at best naive, but more likely an ill informed amateur, a pretender, a charlatan, or a pervy old wanker.

 

There are three major things to consider here, even if you strongly desire becoming a nude model...

• A. Posing in the buff for amateurs or pretenders will never get you anywhere, except a reputation as the girl who gets her gear off for anyone with a camera.

• B. The actual market for photographs of the nude is so small, and already overfilled that ONLY work from a very small, well established, highly respected, AND HIGHLY SELECT group of photographers and models is ever accepted, with most opportunities being well and truly sown up, and well beyond the dreams and abilities of any neighbourhood snap-shooter.

• C. Contrary to the bleatings of socially challenged amateur snappers, not every girl looks good with her clothes off. Unless your body is equal to or better, than the girls already doing nude modelling, even the girls appearing in those cheap rag-mags, i.e. close to PERFECT without relying on 'fix it in Photoshop', well you simply won't be good enough.

And very important to remember also: everything you do in front of a camera, including nudity, IS YOUR CHOICE!

For more detailed information have a read of my blogs specifically on unreasonable demands for nudity:

https://thedefinitearticlephotographyandvideo.blogspot.com.au/2016/07/nudity-naked-truth-part-one-of-three.html

https://thedefinitearticlephotographyandvideo.blogspot.com.au/2016/07/nudity-naked-truth-part-two.html

https://thedefinitearticlephotographyandvideo.blogspot.com.au/2016/07/nudity-naked-truth-part-three.html

Stephen Bennett is available for Guest Speaking, Seminars, and Workshops in a group or on a one to one basis for:

Models and aspiring models on all things Modelling, including Successful Portfolios and Building a Modelling Career … please visit my website to contact me.

©Copyright: Stephen Bennett, MMXVI

Except as permitted by the copyright law applicable to you, you may not reproduce or communicate any of the content on this website, including any photographs and files down-loadable from this website, without the permission of the copyright owner.

The Australian Copyright Act allows certain uses of content on the internet without the copyright owner's permission. This includes uses by educational institutions for educational purposes, and by Commonwealth and State government departments for government purposes, provided fair payment is made. For more information, see www.copyright.com.auand www.copyright.org.au.

We may change these terms of use from time to time. Check before re-using any content from this website.

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Model Portfolio Checklist:

A Clear, unmanipulated head shot is at the heart 

of a good portfolio

A model’s portfolio is her most important asset, and should be compiled and constantly updated to present the owner as a competent, wholly professional and very employable commodity - a totally respected member of the model photography community.

Model Portfolios have constantly evolved over the years into a very streamlined and universally accepted formula, and every model, whether female or male, should do their utmost to comply with the well accepted conventions of the standard “book”.

Portfolios today can also exist as files on CD’s or DVD, or as pages on a website, but the traditional printed portfolio contained within a presentation folder is still the most valuable and useful possession a model of any experience level can possess.

It might be useful to note carefully, because seemingly many models, and far too many photographers who claim to provide model portfolio photoshoots, seem to misunderstand this important point: the collections of pictures appearing on Model Facebook pages, or on profiles on model social media sites, such as Modelmayhem, and Starnow, are NOT portfolios in the true sense which Industry Professionals expect. They are in fact simply collections of disparate pictures.

• A good portfolio should be highly focused, presenting the best of the best.
• It should consist of a minimum of eight images, and a maximum of twenty.
• It is not unknown for people in the industry to refuse to look at portfolios of more than 20 pictures.
• It should also provide the viewer with a strong idea of what the model is good at, and the direction she wishes to take in the future.
• It is not a collection of pics to illustrate her past history as a model.

What a Model’s Portfolio Should contain:

Not good photography, but Excellent photography, with excellent lighting, showing superb makeup skills, perfectly exposed and properly processed images, with accurate attention to detail.

Preferably colour images, however if black and white images are included, they should show an excellent tonal range and proper post processing. B and W should not be artsy farstsy crap, which might make the photographer look “creative”, but should first and foremost be about the model.

Colour and B and W versions of the same images should NOT be included.

Having stressed the importance of excellent photographs the whole portfolio is about the model, not the photographer.


Images to include without fail:

A good figure shot is essential

• One professionally shot image of the model’s face without makeup.
• At least one if not several headshots, the full head showing hair and with nothing lopped off by careless cropping out of frame.
• A bust shot, from between the bust and the waist upwards to the top of the head
• A three quarter figure shot, from thigh upwards to the top of the head
• These pics should be frequently updated, as the model, changes or grows older, changes hairstyles, gets teeth straightened, or other evident tweaks.
• Several pictures showing a variety of poses and clothing styles ...from casual to formal, and including beachwear. Bikinis, one piece swimsuits, shorts and blouses, jeans, slacks, dresses, skirts for girls and the equivalent styles for men.

Makeup for all portfolio shoots should be light and designed to enhance rather than disguise, and either professionally or skilfully applied specifically for photography: social or formal evening makeup does not photograph well.

Further pictures should show the type or genre of modeling you wish to concentrate on: for example a fashion model would have images of fashionable clothes complete with suitable accessories, a catalogue or advertising model would be shown presenting or demonstrating products, an aspiring television host would be photographed in a suitable set with broadcast legal clothing colours, etc


As Career Develops:

A model who has been successful enough to get paid work , should where possible include tear sheets from paid jobs she has completed and which have been published. Tear sheets should no longer be torn from magazines or wherever they appear, but high quality photographic copies of the pages should be made for inclusion in your portfolio, and any photographer who provided you with great folio pics, also has the expertise to do these quality copies for you.

If you are lucky, you may also be able to obtain outtake pictures from the campaign shoot to use in your folio, but do not ever expect to be able to use, or even get copies of the actual images used in the campaign, especially before the campaign is entirely completed.

Be aware though that amateur publications, photographs entered or taken as part of competitions
( such as swimsuit, or wet tee shirt comps and similar) are not suitable for use in your portfolio.

Neither are photographs which appear in vanity or exploitation online magazines, due to the very low level of acceptance, the non existent payments to models or any contributors, and the extremely poor overall quality of these “magazines”, they are not recognised by industry professionals as published work.

Remember if it is not PAID work, and it has not been published through normal channels, it is not really worth including in your portfolio. Be guided by photographers and artists when compiling their own portfolios: if it has to be explained it doesn't work.


Should NOT Contain:

• Nudity: Topless, full, or even “implied”
• Lingerie or sheer: although becoming acceptable in some quarters, the majority of industry professionals still frown on this kind of work in a normal working portfolio
• Zombies, sugar skulls, disaster victims or any similar “theme shoot” material where your identity is disguised or obliterated by makeup...your portfolio face should be a “blank canvas” to be considered for its suitability for a job, not a "work of art" advertisement for some “creative” makeup girl.
• Theme shoots may or may not be fun, but they are strictly amateur...consider just how many times in a publication or an advertisement you see a girl dressed as an ice-cream sundae pushing washing powder, or a horribly disfigured zombie as a featured cover girl?
• Any picture which isn’t quite up to the mark, but was included to make up the numbers.( Go out , do another shoot, and get a better picture)
• Bad photography, either or both technically or creatively, and posing which looks posed or forced.
• Photo-shopped images: no images should use photoshop tricks, screens, filters, over-saturation, HDR, or any of the multitude of “artistic”plugins. Photoshop correction should be limited to correcting tonal range, colour, and sharpness, and eliminating distracting background elements: skin blemishes, moles, freckles, operation scars should not be removed and figure altering manipulation is especially taboo.

If your photographer/s isist that any of these are "necessary" or "great for your folio". it is time for you to walk out and find a professioonal photographer who actually knows what s/he is doing, and has actually not only seen , but also photographed model portfolios in the past.

You would be surprised just how many have not!


 ©Copyright: Stephen Bennett, MMXV
Except as permitted by the copyright law applicable to you, you may not reproduce or communicate any of the content on this website, including any  photographs  and files downloadable from this website, without the permission of the copyright owner.
The Australian Copyright Act allows certain uses of content on the internet without the copyright owner's permission. This includes uses by educational institutions for educational purposes, and by Commonwealth and State government departments for government purposes, provided fair payment is made. For more information, see www.copyright.com.au and www.copyright.org.au.
We may change these terms of use from time to time. Check before re-using any content from this website.
Interesting Links:
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Facebook page for Professional Photographers and Models
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Professionalism, other Redundancies, and the New Meaning of Life…

We are told by those who study such things, that the meanings of words, and interpretations of concepts drift and change over time, and our language becomes richer for it.

The realm of photography is no exception becoming richer as it evolves and adapts.

Calm down dirty old men! According to the New world order this IS NOT a photograph containing Implied Nudity! Why?

• The model was in fact fully clothed
• It is not a full figure nude picture digitally manipulated to eliminate the clothing, or even to create and enhance the girl’s  “naughty bits” by retouching.

Remember for example when that otherwise indefinable term coined and used almost exclusively by the amateur fraternity  “implied nudity” meant an ambiguously clever camera technique where a photograph of a fully and discretely clothed woman left the viewer wondering wether she was nude or not?

( Camera technique? Wow..ya can do that in the camera? Lot easier after in Photoshop!)

Now though, as I was emphatically told recently by a “widely respected professional” – well he did have a small but efficiently tamed gang of facebook likers to back him up – that he worked to the “accurate and only definition” (?) that implied nude means full figure nudity achieved by removing nipple covers and  g string from a model by digital retouching…

It seems therefore that the model does not need to be payed at the nude rate, because she is not nude in the original photo…just g string and falsies (???)

Woops forgot: Pay a model !!! Who is stupid enough to pay a model??? tfp rules right!

Well obviously “accurate definition” wins out over subtlety and art every time in the vast, murky depths that is creative internet photography!

…

But there are three words used on a daily basis which have drifted in meaning so far from their original concept to warrant a review of the “accurate” (?) dictionary definition

NB: If the New World Meaning of Life has not reached your particular neck of the woods, it soon will…it is certainly firmly established in my region.

and more importantly New Meaning of Life definitions do not in any way apply to legitimate, or real world photography.

Definition:

Professionalism:- this is the divine right of those with a modicum of ability, a lack of talent, a tenuous control of their gang of disciples, but a thorough mastery of schoolboy bullying techniques to denigrate, discredit and vilify anyone outside of his immediate gang, who disagrees with his beliefs, or threatens in even the smallest way  to expose the fraudulence of his self proclaimed importance , or the pathetic and derivative quality of his “work”

Those with “opinions”( see below) are the obvious natural targets of the “professional”

Definition:

Opinion:- A belief or knowledge of traditional techniques, concepts, ideas and ideals, well proven theories; real knowledge especially when gained from  long experience, education, and the ability and willingness to advance learning and skills through reading and research ( as opposed to knowledge gleaned from your mates, and  religious worship of “internet experts” on forums and YouTube.); reliance on actual proven facts and the immutable science of light and photography

Definition:

Hater:- anyone who adheres to, holds, believes in or makes the mistake of publically expressing opinion (see above)

anyone who has deliberately opened a camera instruction manual, and …god forbid!…gone to the extreme of actually reading a photography book, irredeemably brands you as a latent hater.

 

Additional Notes:

Legitimate or “real world” Photography: a phenomenon which it seems is merely an out-dated figment of the imagination and, if it ever really existed, is an historical insignificance when compared with “where true art and creativity is really happening” Nevertheless it’s influence was long ago and long forgotten, having occurred in the real “old days”, of …well…wow…five years or more ago.

Professionalism: has absolutely nothing to do with earning a living from your creativity ,or that “dirty” word used by those who have sold out;  money. True professionals not only exude a fuzzy good guy feeling about their “ethical treatment of others and their approach to life in general”, but also far too much “artistic integrity” to have ever earned a cent, or the likelihood of ever doing so: that would not only sully their ”work” drastically reducing their  natural to bully, intimidate, exploit and be fully exploited by their “collaborators”

 

©Copyright: Stephen Bennett, MMXV
Except as permitted by the copyright law applicable to you, you may not reproduce or communicate any of the content on this website, including any  photographs  and files downloadable from this website, without the permission of the copyright owner.
The Australian Copyright Act allows certain uses of content on the internet without the copyright owner's permission. This includes uses by educational institutions for educational purposes, and by Commonwealth and State government departments for government purposes, provided fair payment is made. For more information, see www.copyright.com.au and www.copyright.org.au.
We may change these terms of use from time to time. Check before re-using any content from this website.

Interesting Links:
My Photography Webpage
Facebook page for Professional Photographers and Models
The Definite Article Photography and Video on Facebook
My Pond 5 Page
The Definite Article at Publicise Me

A Modern Chronicle of the Knights of the Creatively Challenged

©Copyright: Stephen Bennett, MMXIV
Except as permitted by the copyright law applicable to you, you may not reproduce or communicate any of the content on this website, including any  photographs  and files downloadable from this website, without the permission of the copyright owner.
The Australian Copyright Act allows certain uses of content on the internet without the copyright owner's permission. This includes uses by educational institutions for educational purposes, and by Commonwealth and State government departments for government purposes, provided fair payment is made. For more information, see www.copyright.com.au and www.copyright.org.au.
We may change these terms of use from time to time. Check before re-using any content from this website.Interesting Links:
My Photography Webpage
Facebook page for Professional Photographers and Models
The Definite Article Photography and Video on Facebook
My Pond 5 Page
The Definite Article at Publicise Me

Working with Under Age Models

Working with underage models is easy 

if all the rules and regulations are observed before and during the shoot.

Maybe it's the school holiday season, or maybe even the onset of spring “when the dirty old man's fancy turns to photographing nubile chicky babes”, but the Internet forums have had more than their usual share of questions along the lines of: “What do I do when an underage girl approaches me wanting to be photographed?”

The stories of recent years involving illegally obtained mobile phones with ensuing exorbitant bills, and illegally  obtained tattoos should be a pretty good indication.

However it seems that rather than the photographer going to the trouble of finding out the law as it stands in his region, state, or country, the question is thrown open to Internet forums and Facebook friends in the hope that if a good enough number of “Internet experts” vaguely agree with what he wants to do anyway, then it somehow makes it the right thing to do.

The responses are always strangely predictable, and fall into the usual distinct groupings:

• total ignorance of the law.

• total contempt  for the law.

• an interpretation of the law based on what  an individual would like it to be, rather than what it actually is.

• an egotistical interpretation where the law applies to everyone else, except ‘me’

• the mantra of the latent criminal: it is not illegal unless you are caught.

• an occasional lone voice who recommends checking with the appropriate authorities.

As it is also technically illegal to give legal advice when you are not qualified to do so, and I am not: therefore it is sufficient to indicate that the law  which applies (in most countries – CHECK for yourself!) revolves around the age of majority and/or consent (it does not only have to do with sex, y’know) and the inability of a minor to ‘contract’.

Therefore if you are a photographer, rather than a guy with a camera (GWC), it is advisable to first check the law as it stands: most laws and regulations are very specific and unambiguous: laws are generally only complicated and onerous to those who do not wish to understand.

My personal rule of thumb when approached for photographs by teens who appear to be  under the age of majority:

• Ignore most of them: most are not serious, and few have anything of interest to a professional or serious photographer anyway. (Just as not everyone can or should be a photographer, not every girl with stars in her eyes has what it takes to be a model – rule of thumb: an amateur photographer uses his friends and acquaintances to learn and practice; a fauxpro is desperate to get anybody in front of his camera, and it shows in his photos; a professional picks, chooses and rejects everyone except those with real ability or potential, and goes with the one model who is most suitable for his current project or vision.)

• If there is genuine potential, as well as signs of genuine interest and dedication, the parents should be referred to at the earliest opportunity.  It is the parents or guardian who you will be dealing with for all contracts, transactions, model releases, and required legalities, including  the most important: their Parental Permission (preferably in writing) for the photography to actually take place.

(It goes without saying that the girls who say they don't want their parents to know about it, or want to see if they are any good before they tell their parents, or they want to surprise their boyfriend with a professional pic, and even the seemingly innocuous “go on take a picture of me” that happens at public events: are all potential trouble with a capital T.)
I would still not go ahead unless I could ascertain in person that the parents were fully supportive, involved and, fully cooperative: those who seemed to be uninvolved, uncaring, or worst of all, meekly controlled by the kid’s whims would be an instant deal breaker.  At the opposite  extreme so would be the obsessive stage mum.

©Copyright: Stephen Bennett, MMXIV
Except as permitted by the copyright law applicable to you, you may not reproduce or communicate any of the content on this website, including any  photographs  and files downloadable from this website, without the permission of the copyright owner.
The Australian Copyright Act allows certain uses of content on the internet without the copyright owner's permission. This includes uses by educational institutions for educational purposes, and by Commonwealth and State government departments for government purposes, provided fair payment is made. For more information, see www.copyright.com.au and www.copyright.org.au.
We may change these terms of use from time to time. Check before re-using any content from this website.

Interesting Links:My Photography Webpage
Facebook page for Professional Photographers and Models
The Definite Article Photography and Video on Facebook
My Pond 5 Page
The Definite Article at Publicise Me

MODELS BEWARE!

If you can stop laughing that is...

  An experienced model can work confidently with any photographer, secure in her knowledge of the model release

Remember, that all photographs accompanying this blog are Copyright (All Rights Reserved) and may not be used for any purpose whatsoever without written permission from the photographer. 

Was shown a  ¨Model  Release¨ yesterday presented to a model acquaintance for signing by a ¨photographer¨ I didn´t know very much about.

Being experienced the model took one look, laughed and walked away from the shoot, but the document is indicative of much of the nonsensical paperwork floating around shoots in recent years.

Obviously cobbled together from ¨stuff¨¨garnered from interent forums and their resident experts, knowledgeable mates , and a bit of home spun ¨fairness¨  thrown in for good measure, the release consisted of  4 to 5 pages ( yes! really!) of psuedo legalistic terms and phrases , paragraphs compeletely contradicting the one before it, and  a liberal sprinkling of demands, obligations and ¨rights¨ for everyone involved.

I stopped reading when I reached a large section ( almost a full page) devoted entirely to the make up artist (?)...therefore I don´t know whether the studio cleaner, or the tea lady featured in the remaining two and half pages.

Part release, part contract, part ¨agreement to shoot¨ ( who uses those anymore? ), part control-freak egotism, and part utter nonsense, the whole document became all of them and none of them simultaneously, couched in meaningless gobbledegook.

However after interpreting the confusing and almost illiterate language of the very first statement, the penny dropped:

Basically it translated as  ¨This Release covers photographs taken for NON COMMERCIAL purposes ONLY¨

Are releases like these the result of complete ignorance, plain stupidity, or the overwhelming desire of people masquerading as photographers to appear as if they know what they are doing?

As the sole reason behind needing a ¨Model release¨ is to permit images to be used for Commercial purposes, why even attempt to bamboozle models, especially those with little or no experience, with such time wasting, energy sapping and delusional rubbish?

But then again it could be just an aversion to proper research by the photogapher into the accepted workings of his chosen profession.

In that case just how much does this aversion to knowledge about the necessary paperwork vital to their profession correlate with their knowledge and skill, in relation to techniques, creativity and marketting of their actual photography?

So Models, please dont encourage them.

Instead, check out what a  standard, and acceptable model release looks like, and what it needs to contain, and when and why it is necessry to sign one.

And if the one you are presented by certain photographers, varies too much from the norm, have an experienced  professional photographer check it out for you.

There is probably no need to go to the expense of a solicitor looking it over, because the concept of a model release is so simple that legal advice should not be necessary.


Then you too can confidently enjoy the thrill of laughing and walking away, when you need to.




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