New Model photos!

I am going to start posting some great model pics on this blog from now on (at least I will give it the old college try!) I see so many bad photos its a good thing exposure to them doesn't cause blindness or I would have a seeing eye dog by now.
A good model photo is well lit and shows the models face well looking nice and natural. The rest of the photos should show different poses and expressions. They ALL should be nicely lit (even natural light is nice as below) and they should be appropriate to the market place. In upstate NY we want a variety of shots that show first a great smiling head shot then (for adults) a business shot, a casual shot (ie upscale consumer) and then possibly athletic etc. Those are the basics. In no case to we want overly photo shopped, all sun glassed, hooded, ANGRY, overly accessorized shots that hide YOU. The client needs to see you to hire you. You can't fool an art director with photoshopped/overly accessorized shenanigans.

o that I can show people what good photos look like. I have been getting
Cute Dominic!

How to apply to an agency- we aren't splitting the atom here.

So how do you apply to an agency? It is really quite simple but it is surprising how many people mess it up. Often the most obvious things trip people up.
First remember that there is a professional business person on the other end of your transmission. If you can't spell or create a capital letter then by all means find someone to assist you. Your letter should start with a "Dear someone". Not Hey, or Hi. (Yes, I have gotten emails with no punctuation, no capitalization and HEY as a salutation.)
Most agencies including ours have a detailed list of what we require for our submissions and even have an on line application so that potential models can easily enter their data. It also lists what we are not looking for ie nude photos and out of state talent- which doesn't mean we don't get those submission. I can't stress enough how important it is to READ all of this information because not all agencies are kind enough to respond to you if you do this incorrectly. We respond to all applicants but some agencies simply lose your application.
When applying to agencies who do not have an application like this make sure you send them exactly what they requested and be considerate of their in box. Size matters so don't muck up an agency's email with 20mb photos. That will earn you no brownie points. Make sure you reduce your photos to a size that is reasonable as it will ensure that not only do they get them but you won't crash their email account.
We also want to know if you look good. If we can't SEE you, how are we know? DO NOT send photos of yourself that obscure your body or face. This seems so simple again, but  if I had a nickel for every sunglassed, ball-capped, mumu wearing model I could have a closet full of Christian Louboutins. To take that further, would you mind showing us your teeth? Most models have pretty nice teeth, not perfect but nice- so show us your pearly whites.
Don't forget contact infomation. This seems truly obvious but one of the reasons we created the form was that probably half of our submissions had photos and no contact information. Another half had no personal stats. Please tell us your height, weight, dress, pant, shoe sizes etc. You aren't applying for a telemarketing job here- you want to model so this info is germane. (and we will eventually know if you weren't being truthful so you might as well be honest here)
Most agencies are looking for new talent and don't want to waste time opening incomplete emails or applications- time is money.  The bottom line is if you want be considered as a professional model then send something akin to a professional submission. So SIMPLE!(and for the record save your duck face for your friends on FB; they may garner OMG's from your BFF's but they just get LOL's and deletes from profession talent agents) Good luck!

How badly do you want it?

We sometimes hear from models who ask us why they haven't gotten a job yet or in a while. There is no one answer to this question. One possible answer is another question: "How badly do you want it?"

If you really want to get the job(s) there are a few things that you simply must do:
1. You MUST have good, recent professional photos. Period, end of it. Often the person with the best photos wins. It is not about who is the prettiest model, it is about the model with the best photos. The photos that are the most diverse, best styled, best lit etc. Very few people with bad photos work regularly. They also must look like you do RIGHT NOW. If you have changed your look at all you must update your photos. If the photos are old you should also update. My clients look at our web site all the time and they are pretty discriminating and savvy. If they even think your photos might be out of date they will skip over you for new talent. The thought process being: fresh talent, fresh photos. Even if you still look like your photos, a good model updates them.

2. Do you attend auditions? Booking the gig(s) is not about getting an agent and waiting for the phone to ring. You must be proactive. My top bookers are also my most proactive talent. Coincidence? I don't think so. Attending auditions also gets you in FRONT of clients. That is never a bad thing. Even if you don't book every job you got out for, the clients will know you and see your dedication. I have had models book assignments for jobs they didn't even audition for because the client has seen them so many times before and remembered them or already had them on a reel. This type of over exposure is a good thing.

So sitting back and letting your agent do all the work is not really how its done. It should be a partnership. If you have a job change and you are now more available than you previously were, let your agent know. If you think you need new photos, ask your agent. Consult your agent BEFORE you get photos so they can coach you on what kind of photos are appropriate for the area you will be booking. (all locales are not created equal) Every time you get a booking your agent makes money- they want you to get work as much as you do. Every bit of advice they give you is to that end.

Do you know what you are worth? Your agent does!

I am sharing an email that I just sent to all of my models today as it may help people better understand what a manager does for their talent. Many of you who know me well, know this to be my philosophy but just as a refresher or for those of you who don't, I want to share this with all of you. My job as your agent is more than just answering the phone and plugging you into a job, collecting a check and taking a cut. My job is to get the best price for your image and your experience. I don't sell models out to the lowest bidder. There are places (and people) you can go to that can get you jobs just to get you a [modeling] job. Facebook has turned into that place among other places, but if you are somewhat serious about this and wish to protect your image long term, you need to be careful what you say YES too. We just received a phone call from a local client who wanted an experienced, attractive spokeswoman for a TV ad. She had to be over 5'6" and deliver lines for a .30 second ad. I gave this client a quote that was quite fair and reasonable, and limited the use to a year (I also said they would have to pay travel for out of town selects). That client came back with a response that said additionally they would like to use that talent for 2 to 3 hours, my quote had to remain in effect for a year (what?!), they would not pay any travel, they wanted a full buy out to use whenever, whereever and however long they would like and that their budget was 125.00 and it was non-negotiable. The very polite response (the one I sent back ;) simply said that I had to respectfully decline as what he wanted in talent did not match up with his budget and I wished him a good weekend. Do I need the 20% so badly that I would sell any of my talent down the river on this job? NO WAY. Will he post this somewhere and get a whole bunch of responses? Probably. Should you respond and make 125.00. That is up to you. The bottom line is if you do get this "plum gig" you could be out of the running for something better that comes up because now this job has you out there on the little screen as this guy's gal precluding you from other [possibly better] things. Do we have jobs that come up that with rates I don't like? - yes. Some of you have replied to them and I have told you I would rather you didn't take it and leave it to someone starting out. (that's me, doing my job) It is also upstate and in a not so great economy and sometimes we have to play ball....but not all the time..... Do you know what you are worth? I do- its my job. :)