Finding models for fashion work??

[mprediger]

Hi there everyone. I am a budding photographer trying to build up my

portfolio. My primary interests are in fashion and commercial

photography. I've been scouring the internet on modeling sites hoping

to find some models willing to work with me and am getting truly

frustrated. While I have many photogenic friends I can shoot, I was

hoping to work with some folks who have some actual modeling

experience that don't require so much coaching. But from what I've

seen, most of these boards are riddled with pervs and wary models.

The photographs are substandard, for the most part, and there are

very few models willing to work on a TFP basis...more than likely as

a result of the aforementioned pervs. My question is:

<br>

<br>

Are these boards worth visiting and how have you guys gone about

finding photogenic models willing to work for TFP or travel expenses?

<br><br>

Thanks for all your help and opinions!<br>

Michael

[mike dixon]

The only board I know of that is devoted to editorial fashion is the <a href="http://www.duroi.com/fashionforum/index.html">Fashion Only Forum</a>. Because virtually no fashion work gets booked through the web, it's not a very effective means of reaching those models. Girls who fit the requirements of fashion modeling are quite rare to begin with. Your best bet will be to check with local agencies, but if you don't have a strong book showing the kind of images they need, the only girls you'll have a chance of getting access to will be the new faces.<P>

You're stuck with a bit of a catch-22: unless you have evidence that you can produce images that will be valuable to the models, you're unlikely to find strong, experienced models who will test with you; and if you don't have the models, you won't get the pictures. [One alternate way of getting models is having work that the models really like whether it's marketable or not--then they'll shoot with you just to get the images.]<P>

Another consideration is that strong fashion images have as much to do with excellent makeup and styling as they do with good models, so you need to be looking for makeup artists and clothing stylists to work with if that the direction you want to go.

[kevin_hundsnurscher]

I don't know if you've checked it out yet, but a very useful site that I've come across is <a href="http://onemodelplace.com">onemodelplace.com</a><br>

I've found quite a few models that have posed for me by contacting them from it.

[jkantor]

My first advice would be spend money and hire a good model. If that's not possible, keep looking. I found a very good experienced model on the internet by posting on a model board (after wasting my time with a number of others, though).

 

But it's the look that's important. If you find someone with a look you want, coach them.

[igord]

Hi Michael,

 

Call any model agency and ask for Free Test (which means that you will not get any money for your work), ask if they know make-up artist and hair dresser that want to work on their portfolio. They are for sure in touch with such people. That is a usual way to build up a photographer's portfolio and this is also a usual way for model agencies to find good photographers.

 

Try in several agencies. Make your models looking fresh, natural, young and trendy! If your pictures are good they can hire you after few months of free shooting but for sure they are not going to tell you that you are good just to use you and save some money.

 

I advise you to buy French Vogue, Italian Marie Claire and Elle and see what is on top at the moment. I think there is no place in this business for any fine art or too individual approach.

 

I recently talked to a guy from the best model agency in Milano looking for a job of test photographer and I heard that 'my pictures are good but my approach is too individual and I need a better stylist (in fact I do not have a stylist)'. He also told me that his clients have to see on the pictures mainly the same things that they see in mentioned fashion magazines.

 

Wish you good luck!

[kristian_s_oslash_rensen]

Use your current portfolio of non-fashion photograps to make models, makeup artists and others beleive that you master the basic craft of photography and has the creative skills to make interesting images. This will set you apart from the "I have a camera therefore I am a photographer" crowd and the "pervs" as you call them.

<p>

If you do not have enough strong images from another photographic genre to pull this off, then the models etc. have a very good reason to expect that you will waste their time ;-)

<p>

Be onest and strait forward about your situation and expectations. Tell prospective models, makeup artists etc. that you have been working in other photographic genres before, that you would like to try your hand at fashion photography and therefore need someone to practise on and to help you get started.