I’m no model granted. But I’ve worked with over 150 models in my 5 year lifetime of being a photographer. You may still question my credentials as why a photographer. Plain and simple, you as the model need to ensure the shots are taken to the photographer’s needs or art director (on personal projects where it is a photographer in charge they’re essentially the art director), either as a model working on a trade shoot or paid by an agency to work with a big client like Target. Now in cases where you as the model are a client for the photographer then it is the job of the photographer to find out what is best for you in a consult.
Step 1: Knowing and having absolute comfort in your own skin.
Let’s be honest. The least desired models hate themselves and hate their bodies. Why you may ask? Simple, you will question yourself and show the lack of confidence and disgust in your images, especially working with a photographer who cannot bring the confidence inside you. You bring confidence real or acted, you will look great and deliver to the art director’s needs.
Step 2: Communication & Listening Skills.
The art director and model(s) communication/listening skills are vital to achieving the goals of the art director. If one cannot or has any hiccup in this the entire production could or would fall apart entirely. The best thing to do is ask questions constantly, ask for visual samples, etc. anything to ensure there is a very clear picture to achieve the goals of the art director for you as a model. Generally if all communication and listening is perfectly done well you achieve endless results in a very quick matter too with tons of practice and preparation like in step 3.
Step 3: Acting and Dancing Skills.
These skills I rarely see but that is because I generally worked with mostly inspiring models and rarely with experienced models. But if you’re an inspiring model yourself or even experienced model that did not know about these vital skills, do some research and look into getting classes into either acting or/and dancing. If you cant choose both I’d choose dancing by far. But generally as a model working for art directors/photographers who are looking for X, Y and Z in poses from you, that can be achieved from your dancing skills, but the emotional part is from the acting skills which are also vital. Being able to switch your emotion in a blink of an eye is a skill that can make you valuable over other models.
Here’s the PERFECT example by Supermodel Coco Rocha.
Conclusion…
I’ve had a few muse models in my time, not many as I started to have them in 2015. Teaching inspiring models from ground up to hopefully become the level of Coco Rocha someday. Sadly I lost 2 muse models that were slowly raising to teach them these skills but they do have some foundations. If you’re local to me I can help you as a model, but I’m not a model. I can teach as a photographer for you to learn to deliver to a photographer and/or art director and be more prepared if you ever go to an agency. No guarantee they will choose you over another model but having these skills over another will be a huge ingredient to being selected to working with a great agency. Hit me up an email or message on social media.