O.C. model on cover of magazine
To be or not to be….a model in O.C.
With so many hopeful models showing up with portfolios by top model photographers at auditions all over Orange County with tons of West coast national brands and agencies, you must be wondering whether to jump in the game or not. On the one hand you think the field is crowded, but then you wonder it must be crowded for a good reason, right?
And the modeling age in O.C. keeps getting lower and lower, so time is not on your side either. Its now or never if you are 17 and your chance is inversely proportional to your age. Starting with your height, the taller you are the better odds of landing that modeling contract in Orange County.
Although for print model photography assignments proportion is the key, Divide your height (70″) by your hips (35″) and you have the 2.0 factor, and you can always look “tall-er” Photoshop does wonders for height. In a two page spread I saw a national ad model look completely two different heights, right next to herself!
Having the right photo portfolio is a big plus, for the purpose of getting you through the door and “short listed” because once you are in then its all up to your chemistry with the principals who recommend you up the authority chain and your final stop is with the brand photographer in O.C. and that is your dream shoot right? So you start with the first photographer in Orange County and you end with the second photographer in Orange County, you better learn how to handle those photographers in Orange County!
Here is advice, make your modeling photo shoot with the first O.C. photographer your dream shoot, project the image you know that is the brand Why? simply because a lot of times the lower IQ people who are the gate keepers do not see your potential with a “general” photo shoot portfolio. The difference between a typical “whatever look” modeling photo shoot with one of the photographers in Orange County and a focused look “landing the contract” photo shoot is exactly that.
And guess what, they pick you because you are “it”, money no object. Once the agency or brand finds you they want to keep you because you are “paying them” not the other way around. They are making money off you and that is why you get a contract (for them) so they can keep you under contract and nobody else can steal you.
Finding the right model photographers in Orange County that you pay for your portfolio then is key to ending up in front of the right photographers in O.C who gets you paid, again chemistry is important and so you can do test shoots with many photographers especially if you have the looks they need for their portfolio too…yes they want to do the same thing as you. The first model photographers in OC wants to be that second model photographers in O.C.
Now here is what you do once you have all the shoots you can squeeze out of the model photographers in Orange County:
No matter how in love you are with each shot of a session/look do not include more than one photo in your portfolio, change photos to suit the audition but never put more than one, do not compete with yourself.
Remember: casting directors and humans in general judge you by your worst, not your best…where have we heard that before. So make your worst your best, Always. Plus include only shots which have the look they are after, even if you only keep five shots in your book. When you audition for a shoe brand don’t show your latest car shoot. Get a shoe session done and walk in with those prints.
I hear you, but sometimes there is not enough time to shoot for the audition. You have to focus, even if you don’t make it for this time get it done for the next audition. But be focused, just like a Google search. You don’t type whatever in the G, you are specific. What is it in the modeling world that you are best at? make sure you have those photo shoots in O.C. done and can choose the right look for that audition and land a national contract.
More to come.
Ok then, to be or not to be?
