Doe Deere Blogazine

I am 13 years old and I live… down south in nowhere land, frankly. Your blogazine is truly inspirational, and I find myself yearning to go downtown and window shop; look for hidden treasures and develop my own style.

Recently I was given the opportunity to model for a local up-scale boutique; I was stoked! The manager visited us one day, took one look at me, and asked if I modeled. We talked and she said that she would try to get me into a fashion show three weeks later, and that she would come by that weekend to show me a dress. I honestly thought that it would work out, but… she never contacted us again. The day of the fashion show passed without a word.

Something inside compels me to model. After reading your blogazine I felt the urge to go downtown, to the little dusty shops and ice-cream parlors, with my best friend. I wore something taking your words in my mind, looking for a hook, trying to think about the details. Towards the end of the day a man passed, camera hanging from his hands as he chatted on his cell phone. I almost fell off of the bench, leaning over to see if, in fact, he was a photographer. Something inside of me wanted to reach out, ask if he needed a model; I wanted to chase my dream. He looked at me briefly and for a moment, I thought he would turn, but he passed by.

What should I do now? I want to model; no, I need to model, and I have no idea who to contact to do so. Do you have any advice for a fish out of water?

♥ Kristina

After receiving this letter, I checked out Kristina’s MySpace and saw that she had the model Mosh listed as one of her heroes. And what better person to answer this question than the fetishista extraordinaire herself? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mosh! :)

Dear Kristina,

This is Mosh. First off, I’d like to say I think you have a great look, judging from the images I’ve seen. Before I tell you anything though, remember this: modeling is hard work and dedication. It will have its ups and downs, but like anything else that requires as much attention and dedication as modeling, stick with it.

There’s a lot I could tell you regarding modeling but I’ll give you what I feel are the most important points. You need to determine from the start what kind of model you would like to become, (i.e. glamour, beauty, commercial, alternative, etc). Think about where you would like to head in modeling. Do your goals lie in getting print work? Catalog shoots? Paying work? Figuring out which direction you want to head will give you a better idea on what you need to do to achieve your goals as a model.

Next thing you need to figure out is if you would like to try to sign with an agency or become a freelance model. Now agencies generally have a strong stand on signing models based on their height. Most I’ve seen have a cut-off at 5’7-5’8. Even though you’re at 5’5, it may be hard to get locked in with an agency and therefore you may need to think more about freelance modeling. I’m not saying it wont happen, there are definitely agencies out there that sign models who are under the standard height, just don’t weigh your modeling options too heavily on whether or not an agency will pick you.

That being said, you will need to learn to rely solely on yourself if you want to model. Being a freelance model has its advantages, and also its disadvantages. You will need to find bookings for shoots on your own, since there will be no one there to do it for you. You will need to check references because there wont be an agency to assure you if this is a professional shoot going on. Most freelance models who start out had to learn how to do their own styling, makeup, and hair. Unless of course you’d be willing to shell out hundreds of dollars a shoot to have that done for you. Personally, my recommendation is to experiment and learn it yourself, it will always be handy. The awesome part about this? You are your own boss and you will have full creative control over your shoots. At your current height most likely you will be put into either a print, glamour, or alternative category where I feel that most models get hired work due to their originality or look. Personally I concentrated on having a unique look/style and marketed that out to photographer, designers, etc. That has led to some prints, some paid work, and growth in fans.

Here’s how I started and maybe it will help you start out as well.

• Join ModelMayhem.com

This is a site a networking site that allows you to build a portfolio and meet new people. I joined it when I had just turned 17. I answered my first shoot request and booked my first shoot about 2 weeks after I joined. Now it wasn’t the greatest shoot but the photographer was nice and the images were ok. My next shoot was better, and the next was even better.

• Be your own stylist

With every shoot I played around with my styling and makeup, tried to make the styling fit the concept so that not only would the images look good from the lighting and post processing, but the initial look of the model would make the viewer go “wow, I like the makeup she did, it suited the look” or “her outfit is well put together”. Its your job to make the model part of a shoot look great so do it the best you can!

• Build a portfolio

I shot as much as I could in my first year of modeling to work on getting a portfolio as diverse and creative as possible. I still shoot as often as I can however I’m a little pickier now with my shoots and only take on those that I truly feel will enrich my portfolio even more. That said, shoot when you feel like and don’t overdo it. The last thing you want to do is kill yourself over hours of shooting that you didn’t want to do in the first place. Pick projects and ideas that you truly think will move your portfolio in the direction you want. Time is one of your biggest investments here and oh is it precious, so spend it wisely and in things you know you will enjoy.

• Network

As my trade-for-portfolio shoots kept booking, I was busy using ModelMayhem as a networking tool. There are so many people a part of MM that it’s a great place to network in with all types of people including photographers, designers, makeup artists, and more.

• Become a part of an art community

I joined DeviantArt.com to share my work with artists of different mediums. DA has been kind to me in that its given me a lot of great feedback and people who enjoy the work I put out. I’m truly flattered and thankful for all of those who show their support in me on there!

• Transition into paid shoots

Currently I’m concentrating a variety of projects and I’m still shooting stuff for my portfolio. I shoot less of it however; I’m lucky that my other projects can generally be placed under my portfolio as well so I’m constantly updating it. I’m also working more on paid work to do modeling full time. It took me two years to get to that point but it was well worth the time and energy I put into my modeling.

Remember, in order to move somewhere with modeling, or anything for that matter, you need to put in a lot of work and dedication. The way I worked my modeling career may not be that same way it will work for you – everyone starts out differently so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work out the same exact way. You may find another way to get started and it may be even better for you. I think if you work hard and stick with it you can carry your look far. So go for it!

I wish you all the best and look forward to seeing your future work.
xo,
Mosh
www.themoshroom.com

“Determination is born out of purpose… knowing that you are gifted for something and this something must be attained. It is never enough to rely on luck or natural talent. You must, above all, believe in yourself, face your goals, and then fight as if your life depended on it.” – author unknown

If you have a question for Mosh, post it here – I’m sure she’ll be happy to check in and answer. :)

Would like to submit your own question to Doe Deere Blogazine? Send it to doedeere @ gmail. com