Life as a Model
Many people think that being a model is a dream life - flying around the world on shoots, going to parties, being waited on hand and foot by an army of stylists and assistants. The truth however is much more grounded in reality; modelling is a tough job and take a lot of hard work and commitment to turn into a successful career.
The big misconception is that the hard work stops as soon as a model finds a modelling agency to join, but that really isn't the truth. Of course the first step is to get an agency to notice you (read a great article on applying to a modelling agency here) but even once that happens the hard work still has yet to start!
Once a model is with an agency the first job is really to get them comfortable in front of the camera and start to build their portfolio with images. Even for a natural extrovert who loves having their photo taken it can take a while to understand how to pose properly and how to work with a professional photographer. the big mistake that models make is that they often forget that the emphasis of the shot isn't the model themselves but the clothes or the product that they're advertising! It's something that needs to be learned.
Only once a model has a portfolio of good images and is ready to be introduced to the world will an agency produce a composite card for them and start pushing them out to clients as a new face. From there it's down to the clients' so even with all that work there's no guarantee that a model will be booked for a campaign!
Of course, the perks of modelling really do outweigh the negative aspects - it can be well paid and a unique job but don't forget that it's still a job with all the same pressures and stresses as a regular job. Our advice is to go into modelling with your eyes open and be prepared!
Written by Iain from Sapphires Model Management, a London Modelling Agency
The big misconception is that the hard work stops as soon as a model finds a modelling agency to join, but that really isn't the truth. Of course the first step is to get an agency to notice you (read a great article on applying to a modelling agency here) but even once that happens the hard work still has yet to start!
Once a model is with an agency the first job is really to get them comfortable in front of the camera and start to build their portfolio with images. Even for a natural extrovert who loves having their photo taken it can take a while to understand how to pose properly and how to work with a professional photographer. the big mistake that models make is that they often forget that the emphasis of the shot isn't the model themselves but the clothes or the product that they're advertising! It's something that needs to be learned.
Only once a model has a portfolio of good images and is ready to be introduced to the world will an agency produce a composite card for them and start pushing them out to clients as a new face. From there it's down to the clients' so even with all that work there's no guarantee that a model will be booked for a campaign!
Of course, the perks of modelling really do outweigh the negative aspects - it can be well paid and a unique job but don't forget that it's still a job with all the same pressures and stresses as a regular job. Our advice is to go into modelling with your eyes open and be prepared!
Written by Iain from Sapphires Model Management, a London Modelling Agency