7 Reasons You Weren’t Hired for the Model Casting.

Why wasn’t I picked for the casting? We all know how disappointing it is to not get picked for a job you were hoping to book! Rest assured, “it’s not you.” Or it probably wasn’t you.

7 reasons you weren’t hired for the model casting.

  1.  You just don’t have the right look. It’s simply that. The client has a veryy specific look they are hiring for, and you didn’t fit. Even if you’re blonde and they’re looking for blondes… Are you really the closest model to the vision they had in mind? Maybe. Probably not. This is the case more often than not.
  2. Your hair is just an inch too short. If you’re at a hair casting: first of all, they are very hard to book unless you are open to complete transformations. I’m a professional hair model, among other things. I almost booked a really great hair job once, but my hair was slightly too short. I had the right look, but they needed very specific hair.
  3. They found their model before you even came to the casting. I know this is especially common with hair castings. They found the perfect model already, but the client is still pretty much obligated to execute the rest of the casting. This is why it’s usually a great idea to come at the start of a casting, rather than the middle or at the end, if you can help it.
  4. They SOUNDED like they wanted to hire you, why didn’t you get the callback? I know this is disappointing, and it could be any number of reasons. Most commonly, they just found another model that for better. Maybe it was budget, maybe it was personality. Regardless, you can’t stress yourself over it. Nothing is ever a “YES” until you are actually ON SET.
  5. Your agency. Yes, sometimes your agency really doesn’t have your best interests in mind. They have models to take care of other than you! I’ve had screw-ups with jobs in fashion week before, where I’ve booked one job and was put on hold for another and ended up not doing either one because of something that happened on the back end of things.
  6. Personality. Sometimes you might not have booked a job, because it was you. Maybe you were tired and didn’t have energy and they were looking for bubbly personalities. Either way, just be you and this probably won’t be a problem. Unless “you” means being unprofessional and rubbing off on people wrong.
  7. Not wearing the right clothes, or looking too “fresh” to the industry. If are, or you look, inexperienced, it may be a turn off to the client. The only way to not look new is to get out there, build your portfolio, build your wardrobe, and gain experience.

There are a million reasons why you weren’t picked for a job. The only thing that matters is: you weren’t picked. That’s it. No need to overthink it. It rarely has anything to do with something you did or didn’t do.

As a rule, I personally say: expect the worst, but always hope for the best. It takes a lot of tries to get hired for a modeling job. Just keep at it, and the right one(s) will come along!

Be Fierce!!

Briauna Mariah (:

Do Modeling Agencies like Natural Photos?

Do Modeling Agencies like Natural Photos?

Someone asked this question, and, though the question yields similar answers that are contained in my model polaroid post, it can be approached in a slightly different manner.

This question can be answered in two parts. Polaroids, and portfolio. If you’re looking to be signed, these are some good things to keep in mind whether you have a portfolio or not.


Polaroids. 

Polaroids are solely for showing off what you look like without all the smoke and mirrors (aka photoshop and makeup). Clients and agents want to know what you look like and how you photograph. My Polaroid post goes into more specific depth. However, one thing that can be added to the conversation is the definition of “natural” in the fashion world these days.

When taking and submitting Polaroids to an agency, keep in mind that there is a such thing as too natural. You want good polaroids. If you’ve ever heard that your submissions don’t need to be professional, that would be wrong. There’s a clause to that statement. They don’t need to be taken by a professional, but they should look clean and somewhat professional. Because bad lighting, blemishes, and bad photos in general will not look good. I definitely went through this phase myself, early on in my modeling career. To the left is an example of a poor Polaroid on my part. It should be obvious but to someone new to the industry, as I was at the time, I thought that all the agencies wanted was to see a picture of me. This is incorrect, they wanted to see me looking fresh, in a quality photo that enhanced my assets. Poor (especially indoor, like my example) lighting and low quality images are definitely a no! Compare the lighting of the two photos in this post (see above). See the difference in quality?

For examples of a good Polaroid, visit the Polaroid post.


Portfolio.
In regards to your portfolio, natural, raw photos in should usually be the main component, unless you have very high quality images that are more styled/editorial/avante garde/etc. Things you would see in a magazine with the photography quality of a tear sheet. If it doesn’t attain that impeccable high quality, you could probably do without.

The photos in your portfolio should showcase your modeling and your look, if they’re not showcasing an advertisement or clothing. Consider them Polaroids 2.0. A little more makeup, a specific clothing style style, and high quality photography are great to have. Your photos should show emotion, mood, and your raw beauty. Naturally.

Now, consider a different definition of natural. Natural movement, and a sense of ease. Agencies look at this as well. Though, if you don’t have this, but you have the right look, agencies could still take you in for polishing.

Having high quality “natural” photos in your repertoire of images will help brand you and attract clients who are interested in your look. I think it’s safe to say that the more natural your professional images look, the cleaner the slate you become, and the easier it is for a client to see you  in their project.


What about conceptual photos?

Lastly, if you need to decide what to do with your edgy, cool pictures, that don’t really have the word “natural” attached to them, don’t fret! Supplement your portfolio with only the best of the best and aim to get really good tear sheets. While natural photos showcase you, tear sheets showcase your experience and look insanely good in your portfolio.

When in doubt, read up on Polaroids or on how to put a portfolio together.

Be Fierce!!

Briauna Mariah (:

First Fashion Shoot Raw Film

When you’re a new model and you’ve been shown–for some reason or another–the whole film of a first shoot for the first time, don’t freak out!

Yeah, you’ll have some decent shots in your first shoot, but chances are, you’re not exactly going to look like Coco Rocha in every frame. Photographers don’t generally show the model the whole film. In fact this happens very rarely; the photographers will usually choose and edit which photos to send. There are always bad photos to filter through. Maybe you’ve blinked in one photo, or you have your hands at an awkward angle that looks unattractive. A photographer will shoot until s/he has “the shot” (one amazing shot, or a selection of shots) for each main look. Continue reading “First Fashion Shoot Raw Film”

Staying Composed on the Fashion Runway: Seattle Fashion Week 2010

Staying Composed on the Runway; & Seattle Fashion Week 2010!

I was at Seattle Fashion Week at the WAMU Theater in Seattle yesterday, May 15th, 2010. Some of the designers included House of Versatile, Vera Wang, and Richard Blayne.

Many modeling events and fashion shows are all day productions. I arrived promptly at 8:45am and left the Seattle Fashion Week event at 10:30pm. It was an amazing opportunity for fashion models, fashion designers, MUA’s (makeup artists), hair stylists, and much more. There was press from all over, including Seattle Pi. There was amazing hair, makeup, dresses and crazy outfits. There were people, lots and lots of people.

Fashion modeling is all about the people, the networking. This fashion event was definitely worth the 14 hours of practice, changing, waiting, hair and makeup, and walking (the whole day was just one big, fun adventure!). I met so many great people there and reconnected with others. It was also pretty cool that I got to see Florin, from Go Periscope there. Also Apolo Ohno, the Olympic skater was there for the show, which was a pretty big deal for everyone. It was simply amazing day with amazing people with a whole lot going on. I had a blast and I was completely in my element. Continue reading “Staying Composed on the Fashion Runway: Seattle Fashion Week 2010”

Promotional Modeling Experience

So today was the in-store promotional modeling event for the FACE charity fashion show (Fashion, Auction, Compassion, Event). *hurray and much applauding!* I arrived five minutes early and headed up to the second floor as I had been told and then promptly had to wait to get my designer Barney’s New York wardrobe on. Unfortunately I forgot to get pictures of the outfits I got to wear today, but I did get a picture of the awesome shoes (and many compliments on my cute summer hat and dress)! The shoes were very fun to walk in and walking up and down stairs in them became progressively easier. I think they were maybe five or six inch heels.

Before I was dressed up, I was given the rundown: the FACE event is on April 29th, 2010 at 6:30pm and there will be a fashion show for Barney’s NY clothing. It is in SODO park, Seattle. There will be wine tasting and an auction and of course the fashion show and its for charity. A great event to attend and support. Tickets are available for purchase online at http://www.faceseattle.com. Be there or be square! Continue reading “Promotional Modeling Experience”

5 Facial Tips for Fashion Modeling (REVISITED)

If I had to choose the most important aspect of a great modeling photo shoot–within the model’s control–, it would be the face and the confidence that can be found there. This applies especially for any shoot that is from a shoot waist up to beauty shots, which is only of your face.

Facial Tips

  1. LEARN YOUR ANGLES. Each model has her own obstacles.  You have probably heard this one before, but you have to learn your angles! Some angles are just more flattering on you and some are not. With experience, you will learn to automatically position your head in the right angles combined with the right amount of emotion.
  2. BREATHE. Probably one of the simplest tips I could give you. You’re probably thinking, ‘well, of course I breathe!’ However, not only do new models forget to breathe, they also don’t know that their is power to their breathing. Try exhaling and even inhaling powerfully on your next shoot. It can literally bring life to your shot, both in different ways. Leave your lips a-gape as well as closed. See what happens. Which looks better? Continue reading “5 Facial Tips for Fashion Modeling (REVISITED)”