i will be helping a model next week get started on her portfolio.  she is a very attractive african american woman, and she is 5'3", very shapely.  of course she is not right for runway work, but still... maybe she has a shot at other things.  what kind of look should be the first thing she adds to her portfolio?

any advice greatly appreciated.

~Slim~

well that depends some casula would be good, headshots,maybe some swim wear. dont ask for nudes unless she asks first if she is new she may not feel comfortable with the suggestion. just make shure she feels comfortable. if a model is uncomfortable then it may show in photos. also have her do poses thatwill show off her body.

Headshots and bodyshots are necessary for any starting model, but see which direction she wants to go into. I for one would never, and have never, put a bathing suit pic in my port. I am not a bathing suit model. So, she needs basic headshots and some classy/casual, but I would actually minimize the amount of skin shown until she decides which direction she should go into.

Because she is 5'3" she may want to lean more towards commercial type work. I always recommend acting classes as they help any model with expressions and emotions. Have her bring items she might "sell" on camera and definitely good headshots for her port. I recently did a shoot with an agency and they just had me do different actions to the camera. I went "shhh" with my finger to my mouth, I had my hand to the camera like "back off", etc...things that can be used in advertising later on. I hope that made sense LOL
xoxoxo
Tiffany

thank you all, these are very intelligent sounding pieces of advice.  more are welcome as well...

If she is very shapely in a good way, use a bikini, but if not there are great one piece suits out there, that are very flattering. Also, do a business look, and a casual or sporty look. It will definitely be your job as the photographer to get the angles that are most flattering. Heels help to define a leg, and watch out for arms, I'm pregnant right now and large arms caught at the wrong angle can look like an elephant trunk in the photo. Good luck, I've been modeling for 15 years and have done it all, e-mail me directly if you'd like other ideas or have other questions.

Lingere & Swimsuit, you wanna see how flexible see is first.

I agree with Tiffany B.

Commercial sounds like your best bet for someone who is 5'3".
Lifestyle shots of her laughing, smiling, your basic commercial stuff.

Lingerie depends on her proportions and how comfortable she is (if she's never done this before I wouldn't recommend starting off with lingerie). Your best bet is to start off with the easy stuff and see how she does with that.

Not a model but I'd look into part modeling as well.

shoot the butt

I'm 5'3" too. What I was told was that I can do commercial work, casual,TV.