models for fashion : Tips and Fashion Modeling Advice

Dear Model,

Here are some interesting articles about photography and how to get to be a model written by some of our guest authors including models and others working in the entertainment industry. I've added this modeling advice along with our own model lessons to provide a better service to you. Hope you enjoy them. - Bob

Also, if you have a website related to male or female modeling, please link to us so that others may take advantage of these model tips.

Top 10 Tips for Applying to Modeling Agencies

Your friends and family are always telling you that you should become a model. But, is modeling something you really want to do? Read these tips about how to be a model before you make up your mind to enter the entertainment industry.
"If you are really serious about becoming a male or female model then read this advice from Ian for tips about modeling agencies and talent scouts. He hits the nail on the head with straightforward info on how to get started in modeling." - Bob Pardue, photographer
As model agency booker for Sapphires Model Management I get model applications on a daily basis. In fact we get more model applicants than we do junk mail! The truth is however, for all these applicants we probably sign one in every two hundred applicants; that's 0.5%... and that's on a good day!

A big problem we have with applicants is that they simply don't know how to apply to an agency effectively. If you're serious about modeling you should be serious about submitting your application. The fact of the matter is that a badly submitted application takes longer to read and will more than likely be ignored.

As a scout for Sapphires I can tell you from first hand experience what makes a good application. If you follow these top ten tips for applying you'll save agencies a lot of time and hassle and improve your chances of being considered:

1. Know Your Industry Before you even think about attempting to become a model you should have at least some idea of what modeling is, and what will be expected of you should you be successful. Modeling is a tough job that requires a lot of hard work, commitment and a thick skin, so think about why you want to become a model, and if you have what it takes to succeed.

2. Keep It Simple The only information an agency needs to know about you is your age, your height and stats, how to contact you, any relevant experience you may have and of course what you look like. We don’t need to know your GCSE results, hobbies, or what part you played in your primary school nativity. Agencies receive so many applications every day that the information has to be right there for us to see when we scan through, not hidden within irrelevant information.
 3. Include contact information This may sound obvious, but make sure you provide the agency with contact details they will be able to contact you on, or leave a message that you will actually receive. There’s no point giving out a mobile number to a phone that stays switched off for most of the day, or an e-mail address you check once a fortnight. If an agency can’t get through to you, they’ll just stop trying.

4. Send an SAE if you want your photos back. The general rule is, don’t send any photos to an agency if you aren’t prepared to risk losing them. If you do send photos you want returned then make sure you also include a self addressed envelope with sufficient postage for the agency to post back your photos.

5. Send Clear Photos When sending photos into an agency, they need to be clear enough so that they can actually see what you look like. They don’t need to be professional photos, but agencies do need to be able to see your facial features and figure.

Camera shaken photos taken with a camera phone are useless, as are soft focus high street portrait shots. Men, please don’t just send in a photo of just your torso alone taken in the mirror, no matter how cool you think you are, and girls, don’t send photos poking your tongue out or holding a bottle of Jack Daniels! Worst of all, PLEASE don’t send in a photo of you and ten of your mates on holiday with a note saying “I’m third from the left” stapled to it.

6. Be Original When applying to an agency, the best thing you can do is be yourself. If you try and make yourself look like David Beckham, Brad Pitt or whichever star seems to be on TV most this week, you won’t get anywhere. Modeling agencies want original models with their own unique look, not a clone of a celebrity. If you are determined to make yourself look like a famous person then try a look-a-like agency, not a modeling agency.

7. Research Your Agency Before you approach the agency find a little bit more about them. Visit their website or phone them and find out how they prefer models to apply. Some agencies see applicants off the street; some require you to send in photos first.

Find the correct person in the agency to apply to. If you can get your application to the right person in the right way you stand a much better chance of being successful. Think about whether your measurements meet the minimum requirements of those set out by the agency.

8. Be prepared to travel Before approaching an agency, make sure that you are prepared to travel. This applies to both modeling work, and visiting agencies for interviews. Modeling jobs don't take place in your living room, so traveling is an integral part of being a model.

9. First Impressions Count Your application is the first thing that an agency will ever see about you. If you put no effort into your application, the first impression the agency will get is that you are lazy and not worth taking on. Similarly, if you get called for an interview then take it seriously. Arrive on time, be polite and show the agency that you’re serious. If you make a great first impression, it will stick in the agency’s mind.

10. Don’t harass the agency Modeling Agencies receive hundreds of applications a week, and only very few of the applicants are suitable. If your application is successful rest assured that they will contact you.