A pretty face can make a model, but hard work and smart decisions make a career. Modeling is a competitive field where finding the right agent and building a proper portfolio are just as important as smiling for the camera. In order for a modeling career to work, the model needs to be prepared to take risks as well as learn how to deal with the industry and keep up with trends. It’s also important to keep in mind the demands of the business and the energy required to complete a single shoot. For aspiring models and working models who want to keep work coming, here are fifteen steps on how to build a modeling career and make it last.
1. Research Agencies
“It all starts with getting an agent,” says Neil Hamil, a former Ford Models exec who now works for Elite Model Management. The best resource for New Yorkers is The New York Model’s Black Book, published by the definitive resource store for models, Models Mart. This handy guide lists all the city’s legitimate agencies with the information that any model needs to get started (including listings for photographers, showrooms and print companies). Outside of the city, Hamil recommends calling your local department stores to find the agencies they use. You can also pick up the Agency File, an annual index of over 1,400 agencies worldwide.
2. Avoid Scams
Sticking to the resources listed above is the safest way to avoid modeling scams. These scams prey on young, idealistic individuals by asking for money in order to start their careers, and many scams that get busted reinvent themselves and reappear. The basic rule is to avoid any so-called agency that asks for money up front. “Agencies make money for you by getting you jobs, not by selling pictures or capitalizing on your hopes,” David Vando at Models Mart explains. “If someone approaches you, get their business card and then check them out.” Internet scams can also trick aspiring models, and Vando advises that posting pictures online is usually “a waste of time and money.”
3. Study Your Craft
Before you enter the field of modeling, you should know something about it. Models Mart’s wide selection includes The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Being a Model (written by supermodel Roshumba Williams, with Anne Marie O’Connor) and The Hair, Make-up, & Styling Career Guide (by Crystal A. Wright), along with videos including
4. Know the Physical Requirements
Modeling obviously relies on physical appearance more than most professions. Having a pretty face is always an advantage, but height also matters. Female models usually need to be at least 5’8 or 5’9. “There are exceptions, but the further away from the demands you are, the less work opportunities are available,” Vando explains. Some agencies work with plus-sized models, and many work with children. Another factor is age. Models usually start between the ages of 13 and 20,” offers Joel Wilkenfeld of Next Management Co.
5. “Cheap” Shots
Sending your photo to agencies is essential; paying for an expensive photographer is not. “Don’t spend a lot of money on professional photographs until you sign up with an agency,” Wilkenfeld advises. Most top agencies request photographs, usually a few headshots in which you sport several different hairstyles or simple shots of you wearing shorts and a tank top so that agencies can see your body. Namil adds that Ford prefers models to wear very little or no make-up in these so that Ford can see them with “clear skin.”
Though many agencies stress that a new model should not spend anything when beginning a career, you do have other costs to consider besides Polaroid photographs. “A model is starting her own business, so she will need money for housing, money for tests and prints, and money for food and transportation,” Karen Lee, director of scouting at Elite Model Management, explains. Once you sign with an agency, costs can vary. Some agencies, like Ford, finance their models, while others expect you to repay any money that was advanced after you begin to earn money.
7. Create a Portfolio
Once you’re a working model, you should have a portfolio filled with tear sheets, or clips, from your past work. Any model, beginning or working, should have something to showcase herself. Elite’s Micki Schneider explains that portfolios should include “a diverse range of images that truly showcases their face, body and personality.” Vando offers some specific tips for what to include in a beginner’s portfolio: “The female should have a lovely headshot, preferably smiling. There should be a beauty shot, a glamour shot, a casual look, ideally a shot with a male model, and a shot that is active and shows life.” If the body is in good shape, he adds, she should include a shot in a bathing suit or in something else that shows off the body. For male models, Vando offers similar advice: “There should be a headshot, again smiling. There should be a body shot, something in jeans, something in a suit, something with a female model, and something active.”
8. Get Guidance
“Once you have representation, your agency will prepare you to start working,” Lee says. If you sign with a good agency, they will help you make the right choices in order to create a career and make it last. Wilkenfeld says that the best thing that a model can do to keep working is to “be with a good agency.” After all, a reputable agency has experience in helping past clients and can help you to create a lasting career as well. Your agency should be able to provide assistance with day-to-day career decisions, as well as lead you in new directions when the time is right.
9. Be Professional
Olga Gonzalez, a model with OTM Philadelphia, explains that a model must be “outgoing and really nice to everyone” in order to keep getting work. “When they see someone with a big head, the diva type,” Gonzalez says, “that’s the type that they want to throw out of the industry right now.” Professionalism is an important part of modeling because it ensures that people will want to work with you again. Arriving for a shoot, models must be prompt, well-rested, full of energy and prepared for work. “Being professional is the most important aspect for keeping clients,” Schneider says. These things show that you are up for the work and tell clients that you will be next time as well.
10. Don’t Forget This Is Hard Work
Modeling is not just smiling and looking pretty. “It’s not glamorous,” Gonzales says. “That’s the first thing I learned.” Models have to grow accustomed to lights shining in their faces and pins poking them from clothes that do not exactly fit. Runway shows are hard work; models must run backstage, rip off their clothes, change quickly, wipe perspiration from their faces, and go on stage again with a smile. “There’s a lack of understanding and a misconception of how glamorous this all is,” Vando says. A model must understand the strain that this profession puts on one’s body and the amount of energy required to fulfill each job.
11. Find Your Niche
Once you’re used to working, find out what work suits you best. “Emphasize the strong points,” Vando advises. Some models work best showing off their full bodies, while others find more work with specific parts of their bodies, such as the face or hair. In addition, you may find that your niche lies almost exclusively in print modeling, runway work or another category. Your portfolio is the primary way to show potential employers your best past work, and it should reflect your best qualities in order to help you procure future work. Experience in the field will also teach you which photographers capture you best.
12. Explore Different Types
Though finding your strengths in the modeling industry is important, you should also keep in mind the different types of modeling that are available. Some models become involved in parts modeling, which includes exclusively modeling hands, hair, or another part of the body. Shoe modeling is another field to explore. Another type of modeling is fit modeling, which ignores physical appearance and relies on your body size in order to test dimensions of certain designs. These types of modeling can help you earn some extra money, but most models find it difficult to support themselves doing this work alone. Usually other modeling work or other work in general is required to make a living.
13. Make Adjustments
In order to keep up with the modeling world, you need to stay up-to-date with the current trends. Sometimes that means changing your look to accommodate current styles and fashions; sometimes it means revamping your image to grab attention and obtain more work. “Most fashion models in the ‘90s had to make at least one drastic change, maybe dying or cutting their hair, so people will look at them in a fresh way,” Vando explains. Your agency should be able to tell you when to make these changes and when to keep a look, but always stay attuned to the latest (and upcoming) styles.
14. Keep Work Current
Your portfolio is your best asset when meeting with potential employers, and keeping it up-to-date is essential in order to keep working. Lee says that a portfolio should show a model’s “most current and best work,” and, if you manage your career correctly, your work should keep getting better. Employers want to see that you are actively working, and that you are keeping up with the latest trends in fashion and beauty. Constantly working is the best way to not only keep your work current, but to also ensure that you can continue to find new work. Make sure that you keep recent tear sheets in your portfolio and that these images represent your best work.
15. Take Care of Yourself
Every agency offers the same advice in order to keep working: take care of yourself and your body. Stay in shape, eat well and take care of your skin and hair. As long as you keep your body healthy and beautiful, you are always fit to find more work. Take care of yourself and a successful career is on the way!
