Damiens Blog from Whereverland

When preparing for your first professional photo shoot, there are a million and one things that will be running through your head. Every model has their own rituals, but here are a few quick tips that will serve you well when getting prepped for your next shoot.

1. Keep to a strict (but smart) health and fitness regime. You want your body to not only be in shape, but also to look healthy for your shoot. I don't what you see on TV, thinner doesn't always mean sexier. There is nothing sexy about a sickly, frail looking model with sunken eyes. So instead of starving yourself before a shoot, start a healthy eating program in the two or three weeks before. Eat a balanced combination of sugars and carbs and try to do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. Also, try to regulate your alcohol and caffeine as they can affect your skin and energy levels. Keeping a good routine will energize you and make you feel great and look hot!
2. Try to keep your schedule as free as possible in the 2-3 days leading up to the shoot. Give yourself time to relax and work through any issues you may have (Yeah, I know- models don't have issues right?). It is very important to go into a professional photo shoot with a clear mind, because if you are stressed or upset over external issues, it will show and your photos will not end up as good as you wanted them to.
3. Try to get everything ready with as much time to spare as possible. That way, if there is anything that you have overlooked or forgotten you will have time to get it together. For instance, you might need to take a few outfits to get cleaned. If you take them the day before, and there is a delay for any reason, then you won't be able to use that outfit. Take it in the week before and you will be able to leave it there until they can do it. The last thing you want is to go in to a shoot unorganized.
4. On the night before the shoot, get as much sleep as possible. It can be hard to wind down on the night before a shoot, as you will be excited and probably nervous about what the day will hold. It may not seem glamorous to go to bed at 9.30pm, but it is necessary if you want to look your best. And please, don't go to a pro photo shoot hung-over; the party can wait until the shoot is over.
5. To release any stresses you should use the afternoon before a shoot to pamper yourself. Get a massage or a facial and maybe treat yourself to a new outfit. By doing this you will not only feel good, you will also look good.

If you follow these tips and don't push yourself too hard, you should wake up on the morning of the shoot feeling full of energy, alive and oh so gorgeous!

Damien O'Riley 

If you ask any aspiring high fashion model what their goals are in their career, 99 times out of a 100 her answer will be that they want to be a successful runway model. Although a model can have hundreds of jobs for magazines and advertisements, they haven't truly reached the top of her game until she is a regular face on the catwalks of New York, Paris or Milan.

So what does it take to be a knockout runway model?

The first thing that you must do is look at the facts. Unfortunately, even though you may have the most beautiful face in the world, if you don't have the body type to be on the runway, there is little to no chance of success. Runway models aren't made, they're born.

The minimum height requirement for female catwalk models is 5'9, and for males it‘s 5'11. Also, models are generally expected to fit into sample size clothes, which are typically made a size 2 or even a size 0. Although there are occasionally exceptions to the rules, these usually only apply if a model already has an exceptional print career.

If you tick all of these boxes, you may have a chance at runway modelling. There are, however, many different things that you have to realize before you get out there on the runway. The most important of which is that that you are essentially a clothes-horse for the designer. Remember that, and make your performance about the clothes, not about you.

Make sure you hold your body in a way that flatters the clothes. The easiest way to do this is to stand as straight as possible. If wearing a dress, it sometimes helps if you lean back slightly in order to let the material flow behind you. Let your arms hang naturally and let them swing only as much as your body naturally makes them. Keep your hands relaxed and no curled fingers as this will look strange from the viewpoint of the people watching the show.

Runway Models Don't Clomp or Prance

The most important point refers back to the clothes-horse example. Concentrate on the clothes part, not the horse part. In other words, clomping or prancing up and down the runway are a definite no. You should take slightly longer strides than you would if walking normally, but do not lift the knees too much.

Finally, remember to practice. It might feel silly walking up and down your hallway, but there's no such thing as too much practice. It is also a smart decision to find some recordings of fashion shows, and watch how the models hold themselves. If you want to do something well, you might as well learn from the best.

So if you posses the genetics, and you think you have the nerve, hold your head high and see if you have what it takes to strut your stuff on the catwalk.

Copyright 2008 Damien O'Riley

When a new model sets out to create a portfolio, there are a few 'key ingredients' that, even if you get everything else right, failing to nail these down could cost you many lost jobs - and possibly your dream job. So if you're serious about making an eye-popping portfolio for your modeling pursuits - one that stuns the agents, leaves the clients drooling, and drowns your competition - here's what you need to know and put into practice right now:

Great Modeling Portfolio Secret 1:
Know What Market You Want to Model In

So many new models, after making the decision to give modeling a shot, just start throwing their 'best' photos together and call this a portfolio. STOP and repeat this mantra:

"Get good at one thing first!"

"Get good at one thing first!"

I'll say it one more time (in case you didn't catch it) - "Get good at one thing first!"

Sounds like apple pie & ice cream advice, I know. But whether apple pie or American Pie; it's advice that's been repeatedly proven and put to work every day by world-class models and supermodels.

Really think about what market you most want to work in. Do you dream of gracing the covers of Vogue and Cosmo? Seventeen or YM? Are you into commercials? Catalog modeling? Wish you were a Victoria's Secret Angel next to Giselle and Adriana? Is your goal to be published in a chic coffee table book or have your own web site? Do you watch America's Next Top Model or Make Me A Supermodel and think to yourself, "Why is SHE there?! I could do SO much better!"?

Not sure yet?

When you are staring up at the ceiling at night and your mind starts to paint those exciting images of you in front of the camera, take it a step further. Imagine the photo shoot is over and now you are opening the envelope with your proofs and tear sheets. What do you see? How do your photos look in your mind's eye?

What gets your blood pumping?

Do you see yourself strutting down the cat walk, cameras flashing, people in $2000 suits and dresses clapping and nodding approval? Or would you be thrilled to land some nice commercial shoots promoting the latest health trend with you as the center piece? Do the fingertips of electricity dance across your skin at the idea of stretching sensuously in artistically nude photos, bathed in warm light with your toes drawing circles in the crystal waters of a hidden Tahitian Lagoon?

The choice is yours - and ONLY yours. Knowing what you really want is the first major step to getting it.

Great Modeling Portfolio Secret 2:
Blow them away...RIGHT AWAY!

A friend and model who was notorious for landing big paying jobs right from the start of her career once told me a great piece of advice: "Damien, when you are standing in the checkout counter at the grocery store, do you ever watch people while they scan the magazine rack? They scan fast! Either a cover grabs them instantly and gets picked-up, or it's ignored and forgotten within seconds. The magazine cover has to almost literally reach out and grab them by the eye balls or risk being tossed aside!"

The modeling industry is built on the "first impression" probably more than any other industry in the world. Every potential client, photographer and art director you give your portfolio to pulls the old 'Cover Scan' routine. They have to. They have a thousand other portfolios to look at that day other than yours. You get that first shot at 'grabbing them by the eye balls'. And don't play nice, don't worry about being 'over the top'; do your thing and do it hard. Be the fish hook they can't get out of their eyes.

Demand high standards from yourself and whoever is helping you build your first modeling portfolio. Use a very critical and intelligent eye when deciding which photos make the cut and will grace the pages of your portfolio. Always...always strive to WOW agencies and potential clients. You are only as good as your worst image. I know that's tough to swallow, but if you're going to eat your competition and see your dreams become reality - then swallow it; choke on it if you have to. Photographers and agencies WILL remember the worst image. Unfortunately it's human nature.

Your modeling portfolio pages should be crafted with only the Stunning, the Daring, the Unforgettable, and the WOW photos. Burn the Bad and trash the mediocre. Be remembered for your very best portfolio images - ones that burn a lasting impression into the retinas and the minds of all who dare to look upon them.

Be patient and pursue what makes your happy...always.

Damien O'Riley
http://www.digitalsistere.com

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