Just a Reminder

You can check out my modeling portfolio here:

http://www.modelmayhem.com/Berry18

Standards

~ Just to point out/clarify ~

Types of Models:
Editorial - High Fashion (ie. serious face, established designers, runway, themed artsy shoots)
Commercial - not high fashion =p (ie. smiling, catalog)

Most agencies work with editorial models and the height requirement is 5'9 minimum (for females) ! I'm 5'8 .... so close! .... but never fear because there are models in the bizz with my height; if a chick's look is strong enough the agency will make an exception.

Being tall doesn't apply to the commercial division.

I think with a lot of make-up and the right clothes I can pass for highfashion but in general & obviously I have a commercial look (youthful, sweet, etc)

I just want to model; doesn't matter the category.

I Try

I was invited to a casting on Tuesday 4/7 for a beauty/fashion shoot titled Crimes (via responding to a craigslist post). It's a two day shoot scheduled for the 14th & 15th, paying $200, and the photos will be published. The casting was held at Empire Models.

As all typical castings go, you show up, present your port, & sometimes get a headshot taken; this was the process for my brief meeting at the agency. They asked me my age twice; I don't look 19, more like 16. =p The young look is good for a modeling career but a disadvantage in this situation. I haven't heard back from the casting so I'm assuming I didn't get chosen. Bummer = /

I saw Claire from cycle 10 of America's Next Top Model, that was cool.

In The Now

RECENT

I did a jewlery shoot for Cristina Taranu ---Reinerland Jewlery --- sold in EdgeNY on Bleeker St

(gig found via craigslist) When I went to the casting Cristina had me try on some jewlery (rings & a pair of earrings) and they fit perfectly. She said I have huge eyes & nice hands. =D I was excited to hear back from her for the shoot.

Friday April 3rd -- shoot date (2pm-6pm)

It was pouring outside! but a lil water can't stop a model haha

The shoot took place in the basement of the store.

The make-up artist, Nickee, was a pleasure to work with - comforting & highly skilled.

We all give her much credit for dealing with my bang fiasco.

[I got some long bangs cut in late March, they looked great fresh out of the salon; they wouldn't cooperate when I had to manage them on my own. The lady who cut my hair left a bit of the bangs longer than the rest so I stupidly decided to "fix" that by hurridly snipping away; I ended up making the once longer piece shorter than all the others. Besides the uneveness, the issue with the bangs were they were much too long, & covering my eyes is a crime.] Nickee, who happens to be a hairstylist in addition to mua, had scissors handy and trimmed my bangs. I adore them now.

Cristina wanted a "timeless look." The hair style for the shoot was straight slicked back pony & straight fringey bangs. I wore 3 different dresses borrowed from another designer in the store (the pics are only shot from chest up). My task, besides showing off the jewlery of course, was to look straight ahead with a "happy dreamy look." I definitely gazed off into the distance and hope my face lived up to Cristina's expectations. =p It was such a relief not to have to look into the camera. Cristina's husband (who makes jewlery as well, he's an artist) took the photos. I felt very comfortable with the couple -- they are nice, appreciative, & definitely know how to direct.

I was rewarded for my efforts with a ring & necklace (I LOVE jewlery so I was hype). I should be getting copies of the pics soon and onto MM they will go ; )

More importantly, the photos are going to be posted on their jewlery website (yay, exposure!)

I'll be sure to update & provide the link for that asap.

make-up/hair station in the basement

back room in the basement, shooting area

the store

conceited at the shoot

I wear my new jewlery on a daily basis.

Success.

A Small Look Back

There's so much to say about the Modern Alice in Wonderland shoot - twas a fabulous day.

I'll just note that the clothes are for a soon to be brand called Charitaville by a chick named Aurea (she is super cool!) She has been busy to the point that her focus has been taken off of developing her line, but when she's back on track I am supposed to be the main model for the website (we shall see!). The shoot involved a great deal of people (including friends, fam, n pets of the designer) and we were stationed in Aurea's boyfriend's studio (its normal function: band practices). Different "characters" took turns shooting scenes out and about. The shoot spanned from early morning to early evening, long day for sure. I met great people (I swear the personalities I come across during shoots make them even more worth the while) & had a lovely time. I feel the urge to post some behind the scenes/random pics.

Exclusives! hehe

The first pic is from someone on set taking candid shots & I find it quite amusing.

--- the rest are from my cell (from a time before the acquistion of my nikon coolpix)

Outside the laundry mat (one shoot location) Me, Aurea, Alanna(model smoking).

We look like a bunch of hoes, it cracks me up.

Emma! adorable, hilarious,

entertaining,

& a handful

Prop ~> Real fishy up in the cup, check ittt

Aurea's paintings hanging in the studio.

Her pets were chillen around.

Mmmm diggin the outfit? ; )

Late Update

Adding to the shoots list: January, Woodside Queens, theme Couple Shoot, outfits provided (my shoes/coat), make-up/hair done by me - 3 looks

*Fun Facts: We met up at the photographer's home (she's very hospitable), I was freezing during the swing scene, & we did one of the outfit changes in the bathroom of a cafe.

So the photog, Helen, contacted me on MM for a shoot & I liked her concept & accepted. Her former roomate, Sarah, is a stylist and hooked me up with the outfits (I went over for a fitting shortly before the shoot). I thoroughly wish I could have kept the pink dress! & hmm that black lace shirt. My partner for the shoot, Chris, is from Michigan & trying to be an actor here in NYC. No he isn't that cute, no he is not my type, no there was no chemistry or sense of friendship, sure he's chill, perhaps the close proximity was a lil akward, yes he is short for a guy. I was the focus of the shoot anyway ; ) [it's true haha] The make-up artist bailed so I got out my eyeliner & blush. Every scene location for the shoot is a nearby common place in the photog's neighborhood. Helen is a sweety --- great for conversation, young in spirit, bought me a sandwich prior to shooting, made me & Chris party-mix cds, and put the shoot pics on a dvd for me asap. The shoot was laid back & casual (as per usual).

Shooting on location is more like hanging out than business. If you were to look through the dvd from the shoot you'll find a bunch of ridic photos, especially for the swing scene; I had to fake laughter with some difficulty and a good shot resulted through pure chance. We shot that scene twice which was torture because I had to sit bare in the cold. In the end, Helen picked a photo from the first round (it was more sunny when we returned resulting in overexposed photos)(rawr!). For the whisper scene, she originally wanted to shoot in front of a big painted wave in the park but the spot didn't work out. Also, the wind kept attacking my hair. Lastly, the final scene from the shoot was supposed to be in photobooth but it didn't have any artistic flare; the snowball scene was the replacement & was thought of on a whim.

The photos from the couple shoot add a new element to my port because they are natural & fun. Helen based the shoot on the cutesy style of spreads in Teen Vogue (she met an editor from the mag & hopes to work with the mag in the future).

Realize & Remember: Shoots are not all glam. = )

Below are basic location pics [I believe in documentation ; ) ] :

The Park.

The Cafe.

The Photobooth. (fail haha)

Helen's Hood. (my first time taking the 7 train)

Go Freelance !

I'm hired as a fashion photography model (as opposed to nude & drawing) for the School of Visual Arts. (I auditioned via a craiglist post, muah ha ha - oh and you don't have to look like a "model" to get hired)

The employees at the model registry email a form every Friday asking each model's availability and call them with bookings accordingly (classes are booked 2 weeks in advance). I've only been called in a total of 4 times (the people at the registry give all the jobs to models they are familiar with --- usually former SVA students who have held the model position for months+).

Each class is 3 hours, pay is $18 an hour (nice!). Models are asked to bring a few outfit changes & accessories but hardly anyone does seeing as these props are more often than not unnecessary. Us models sit in a tiny dressing room, get our makeup done (by a makeup artist of course), and relax until further notice. Most of the time, the students are messing around with cameras and aren't ready to test techniques on models. In the event that a student does need a model, they walk by the dressing room, scope out the options, and ask whoever they desire to come with them. Usually, the modeling (which is really simple, the students don't have many requests) last about 5 minutes or so, perhaps 10 max (well from what I've experienced). Hence, us models get paid for basically doing nothing--- for sitting in a room chatting, reading, or staring into space ~ it's awesome.

To get paid we fill out an invoice with the class info & teacher signatures and hand it in to the registry before/on the deadline date ~> we get mailed a check in a week or two. I always encounter a chill atmosphere at SVA and have met several interesting (super talented & friendly) people; the modeling gigs offer great company.


Hopefully SVA will start calling me in again (I'm comforted to know I will eternally stay on their roster).


SVA has various buildings in different locations. The photography classes are held in the buidling on 21st & 3rd. The model registry office is located on the west side.

A glimpse at our modest dressing room: lights out & cleared out (before the models/mua arrive)

What's Really Important

Aim: Getting signed with an agency.

[Why it's a must: If you want to make it as a model, you need to be signed with an agency. -plain & simple- It's easy to obtain some small paying gigs here and there, but only agencies know the info about major castings (as in extreme pay & exposure, ie: ads, catalogues, designer lookbooks) --that is what the business of an agency is about after all, model bookings = profit-- ]

You don't need professional pics to approach an agency but I felt the need to create a portfolio to plead my case; in my opinion, snapshots won't do me justice. I don't care how agents say that a few simple pics are all they need to spot potential; photos from shoots show versatility that they might not be able to imagine otherwise. Additionally, the fact of the matter is, a great deal of agency-hopefuls stroll in with portfolios --> might as well be on their level =p

After compiling my pics, I looked up agencies online and attended a few open calls. (did so sparsely a couple of months ago)

FYI
Open Call - time you can visit the agency
Only some agencies offer open calls and usually indicate when they are held on their website; if the website doesn't list open call info, call the agency and ask.
If the agency doesn't hold open calls you can mail in pics (I'm too impatient for that because if they aren't interested you never hear back & wonder & wonder... I sent my port to some agency I heard about called CESD...no response =p )

I have been denied by Ford, Elite, Wilhelmina, & Ikon thus far. (well known/big agencies, few out of the many!)
No biggy, I expected the rejection but needed it to be confirmed.
{On a sidenote, rejection isn't personal. The industry is always looking for different things; I just need to find a place where I'll meet their criteria. There's definitely hope.}
I'm always oh so curious & sometimes like to think "dream big."
I think I might revisit them when I have more photos for my book, who knows -shrugs-

The open call process: You fill out a form with your info and hand it over with your pics to someone at the agency, they take them to the back for review, & then return your stuff and say thanx for coming. It's so frustrating not to get any feedback but that's how it is.

btw if you plan to hit up Ford, go there early, they get packed !

There are plenty of other agencies I plan to visit; I haven't had a chance to go to them yet because their open call times clash with my class schedule. The semester is coming to an end soon and then agencies galore! I'm on spring break now but I want to update my port just a bit before I venture out.

I have a post-it listing open calls I shall attend, I will update in due time.

Always in the Meantime

I keep things casually productive.

Craiglist all day, everyday.
I scavenge the talent section for gigs & send emails if I'm interested (I just pass along my MM link, how convenient!) ; if they're interested I hear back, if not oh well. Most of my time on the site is used weeding out the sketchy but something cool always comes along every once in a while.

I check the castings on Model Mayhem every now and then as well (they have less frequent updates).

I keep active by continually searching.