Getting Started
There are going to be a few things you need in order to get the ball rolling if you want to become a serious model, but don’t worry, again, thanks to the beautiful technologies of 2020, it will not cost you a lot of money.. if any at all! These are just in order to get your name and face out into the world, allow clients or those looking to hire you to find you, and also to be able to act as a home to everything you do.
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1. Develop your skills
Study and understand posing. Practice runway walking. What separates a average model from super model is going to be their posing ability and their model walk. Modelling is an artform and viewed by many as a magnificent talent. Whether it's binge-watching season upon season of America's Next Top Model, scanning the pages of Vogue, watching YouTube tutorials, reading eBooks (as you are!!). Posing and walking on a runway is very awkward and you may feel silly doing it on your own in front of a mirror at first. But don’t, and just practice!
The next step to know how to start modeling is to practice in front of the camera. The supermodels you see in gorgeous magazine photos did not just sit in front of a camera and get lucky when the photographer took a picture of them. They worked alongside the content creator to whip up a masterpiece. Both equally skilled in their respective trade, a model will use their posing, facial expressions, and artistic intuition to help create the photographer's vision. Having the right posing skills is an essential requirement for becoming a model. The photographer will use his knowledge of lighting, angles, framing, etc. to bring everything to life on his end. It is a choreographed dance, and you need to hone your skills the best way you can. If you cannot pose and don't feel very confident in front of a camera, unfortunately it will be 100 times more difficult to get a great shot. You need to practice and work on becoming the best model you can possibly be!
A Few Ways to Practice
Poses, Facials, Walks, Skills:
Any successful model knows that just staring blankly into a camera and having a pretty face is not nearly enough to be considered great at their job. The expressions you use when being photographed convey all sorts of emotions and depending on the demands of the particular job you are doing; these expressions can make or break the success of the campaign. So, how can you know if the expressions you are making are conveying what you intend them to or if you are totally off-track and making a photographer’s job way harder than it must be?
A photographer will often give you instructions and feedback on how you are posing and how your poses are translating on camera, but you can do your part by making sure you are working with them, rather than against their instructions. To save photographers the extra work of correcting everything you do, make sure you know your own face and how it moves before heading into a photo shoot. One of the best ways to master your expressions and movements is by doing mirror work. Mirror work is the practice of watching yourself in the mirror and doing several different poses and expressions so that you can gain muscle memory to recall what those poses feel like so you can easily re-create them when you’re in front of the camera.
You certainly do not need to do mirror work for hours at a time, but spending a few minutes on it every day will gradually build up the muscle memory you need to master it and become a better model. Before long, you will be able to do any pose or expression on command and without much coaching, thanks to the mirror work you put into it.
You will also instinctively know if a pose or expression you are doing looks awkward, based on the way it feels.
Not Just A Pretty Face!
A full-length mirror will be an essential tool for a model working on their poses. You can practice posing in the mirror and quickly rule out anything that looks awkward and unnatural and instead, focus on your most flattering and natural poses that photographers, model scouts, and agents are sure to love.
Work on Conveying Specific Emotions
With a specific emotion in mind, be it fear, happiness, or disdain, practice conveying it with only your facial expressions. All models can benefit from these skills, but this skill may be most useful for commercial models who are usually required to do more expressive facial work than fashion models.
Practice Mirror Work
If someone else is in the room while you are practicing in the mirror, you will likely feel even sillier than you do making faces in the mirror to begin with! Make sure you have room to yourself so you can really focus on the mirror. Being alone will also prevent distractions from interrupting your work. Carving out a few minutes of alone time each day will also benefit your peace of mind!
Get Good Quality Photos!
You will of course need a few good quality photos of yourself, perhaps wearing different types of clothing, in different locations, different hair styles etc. This will allow you to be able to showcase the types of fashion you can wear, the types of scenery you could be seen in (if for TV, Film or Commercial type roles) and also to allow those looking to hire talent the different looks that you can bring to their brand or company.
You can use a phone, if it shoots clear, decent quality photos, and ask a friend to help you out to get full body, portrait, and natural poses in different locations. Find a local field, car park, abandoned building (if safe!) and start shooting some shots!
If you are looking to invest in yourself and do not mind spending, then look for a local photographer in your area who will be willing to shoot for you! This will ensure the images are amazing in quality and will also be a good introduction to being in front of the camera. There are also many up and coming photographers looking for models for TFP Roles, which means Time For Print.
This means that the photographer will take a portfolio shoot for the model for free, in exchange for the images produced. It is a pretty cool way to meet up with new photographers and get some free, good quality images in exchange for some modelling work, and allows up and coming photographers to build up a portfolio of their work.
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Set Up Social Medias / Website
In order to be able to be found by those looking for clients, whether it be agencies, stylist, brands and such, you will need somewhere for them to be able to find you!
You will need to create the basics at least in order to be taken seriously, no matter whether you take an agency route or independent talent route. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and all the rest you can think of are vital in order to build yourself as a brand, rather than just another person!
At first, you may not get followers or feel like you are wasting time posting images, but you cannot give up! Everyone starts at 0 and there are many ways in which you can build up your profiles in order to gain a fanbase who will support you through your modelling journey. Like a musician, it is very important to see yourself as a business or brand, and as a model you can use these social media sites and apps available to you for free to become successful.
Again, if it is something you want to invest in, here are a few steps that can help you to promote yourself on Instagram, Facebook and more!
1. Create social media pages on as many sites as possible and ensure contact details are available!
You may want to create a work email for doing this to separate from personal emails! You will then want to create a Facebook Page for yourself, set your Instagram to Business Profile (Fashion Model Category), Create Youtube Channel and all social medias relevant to building yourself as a brand!
2. Start Posting!
Build up your profiles and show who you are and what you can do! Use the images as mentioned before to show your face to the world! Remember, there are thousands, if not millions of people doing similar things, so make sure you stand out from the crowd! Think outside the box and make sure your content is better than the rest!
3. Ask friends & family to support!
Do not be worried about asking those close to you to support your new venture, its always good to have people behind you, especially when starting! Whether it be by sharing your profile or following and liking posts, all support is good!
4. Use Ads to further promote to an outside audience
(This is available on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and more) This can be costly but also a great way to reach a new audience.
5. Reach out to other Business accounts promoting similar talents
There are many accounts that promote models, fashion and much more, so try and connect with them and you may get some promotion from them! Another great way is by wearing brands you are a fan of in the images taken and tagging them in your post! (Many talents have managed to secure sponsorship and influencer deals through this tactic, and it shows the brand/agency you are serious about working for them)
You can also create a website for yourself in order to showcase your portfolio and allow people to find your contact details. This way is more costly but can look a lot more professional than just social media accounts. There are many sites in which you can create a website for yourself, such as WordPress, Wix, Squarespace and many more. If this is something you are interested in doing, I would recommend doing some further research or ask someone for help when creating your site!
It is not hard when using these services but can be time consuming and costly with no results in done incorrectly. Alternatively, you can also pay someone to create a website for you, but this can cost nearly thousands of pounds depending on the developer and website needed, so may not be wise for those just starting!
Do Research
This is a very personal and self-dependent task which depends on the career path you would like to take in your modelling career.
If you want to become signed to an agency, then do some research about the agency in depth! Find out how they work, there application process, who are there talent agents? Can you visit their office to meet the team? These are all things you should know if trying to get your foot in the door… Do not be afraid to ring or email the agency and ask some questions, believe me, we are used to it! Find out what you need to know in order to apply, or who you can speak with about working with the agency.
If you want to go directly to the brand or company that you would love to do modelling work for, this may be much trickier, as many only source talents with agencies directly! It will also require a lot more time as finding contact details or information on how to apply as a talent for 1000’s of brands can take quite some time!
Here is a list of the top 10 international modelling agencies:
Elite Model Management..
Ford Models.
IMG Models.
The Beautiq Modelling Agency
Models 1 Agency
Wilhelmina Models.
Premier Model Management.
Storm Model Management.
Next Management.
Marilyn Agency.
www.beautiqmodels.com/faq - apply to work with us today
Sign Up to Casting Sites
This is an amazing new way for freelance talents to find work. Casting sites such as The Beautiq’s own (www.beautiqmodels.com/castings) allows talents to sign up as members, without a manager or agency, and apply for unlimited modelling roles across the world suitable to them. It allows talents to connect almost directly with casting directors searching for talents for projects, and helps talents avoid agency fees as they are paying members of the site. There are many sites that still take agency fees and booking fees as well as monthly subscriptions from talents, so be sure to check before signing up!
This is a great way for those starting out or looking to work as an independent talent especially, as it means managing your own workload, finding your own roles, and being able to communicate with those in charge of productions.
It doesn’t cost a lot, and can be free, in order to get your career started, so be don’t be afraid to try and if possible, take it a step further and invest in yourself... as it may not just be handed to you! If you need help with doing any of the previous mentioned, ask a friend, family member, or have a look online for those experienced in setting up social medias and websites. It can be tricky for some, but do not stress as it will all be worth it when you get paid for it! The more you can build your social medias up the better, as social media influencing is heavily becoming used by companies and brands alike to promote their products and services, so having a strong following can actually be beneficial in many ways!
The Pro's And Con's of Modelling:
Pros
Travel around the country or even the world.
Meet lots of interesting and potentially famous people.
Earn lots of money if you work hard.
Be the first to wear gorgeous designer clothes with even a few freebies.
A healthy diet and exercise routine will make you feel great.
You get to do your dream career that you are passionate about.
Cons
All models need to be aware of scam artists throughout their careers.
Long hours with early starts and late finishes.
Can be low pay (for industry standards) or not enough work until you become a successful/active working model.
Rejection happens to both new and established models.
Work is very sporadic with models not finding work for weeks.
Not seeing family for long periods of time.
To sign up today as a freelance model and start applying for paid jobs, look no further!
Or, to apply to work with our agency as a permanent talent, see more information here!
Written by The Beautiq Blog Team & Go Getter World Books, Extracted from The Modelling Start Up Guide, available also on Amazon Kindle