There are many keys to making it in the modelling world and one vital step is to get yourself noticed.
But how do you make yourself stand out as a model?
The first place to start is with your e-portfolio and with the photos you take and upload that we at Models Direct – and our clients – will look at.
One great way of doing this is to think creatively when staging your pictures.
And this means that in addition to concentrating on your clothes, make-up and hair, you also need to consider scenarios and backdrops.
So here are three suggestions to get yourself started, but we are sure you will come up with some fabulous ideas yourself!
Outdoors
Try to have at least one outdoor shot in your e-portfolio and if that can reflect the current season, then so much the better. Let’s have something green and bursting with life for spring, for example. Put together an outfit that reflects the season’s trends and then find the perfect location. It can be as simple as in front of daffodils in the park or beside a shrub in your garden that is just coming into bloom. We could see you feeding ducklings by a picturesque pond or holding a baby rabbit at the petting zoo. Remember we need to see the whole of you, including your face and the length of your body – so snap away, take lots and lots of pictures and choose the ones that reflect you at your best, while also following our dos and don’ts to good photography.
Indoors
If we need at least one good picture of you outdoors, then we’d like to see you indoors too. So how about choosing somewhere with a bit of colour and pizzazz? Remember we don’t want a background that is cluttered and fussy, but a photo of you in chic evening wear somewhere stylish could be ideal. Choose your outfit carefully then bring your friend or family member along with you to that classy wine bar or hotel foyer. It’s polite to ask the establishment if they mind you taking a few photographs of yourself there for your e-portfolio and nine times out of 10 they will be only too happy for you to go ahead. Buy a glass of wine – or even fizz – to hold in your hand in a wine bar or bring along an elegant case for a hotel foyer, then once again, try a range of poses. People may start looking at you, but you will have to get used to that if you want to be a model! And have some fun as you pose, click and then go through all the images to choose only the very best.
Something daring
Try to have at least one image that reveals your confidence and ability to be edgy. This could be anything from choosing an outfit that is slightly out there in terms of its design but still looks fabulous on you to finding a something simple and understated to wear that you then offset by choosing an unusual location. Be brave when thinking about where to shoot, think beyond the obvious – and think contrast! For example, somewhere as easy to find as a graffitied wall, an iron gate or a set of concrete steps can really set off a dramatic look, while remaining very much in the background. Make a list of all the interesting – but safe – places you can think of near to where you live. Is there a skate park, an industrial-looking building or even something as simple as a corrugated iron fence that you could shoot safely in front of and that will make you really stand out as interesting and creative to those who are flicking through photographs trying to find just the right model.
