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How old is too old to START modeling?
I know a girl with an amazing look, who meets every modeling requirement. Very photogenic, moves well, and is plenty tall enough. The thing is, she's 24, and thinks she's too old to start. I know she could get the odd gig through MM, but if she went to an agency, would they have an issue with her age? The only other obstacle I see is that she has really cute, but stylized haircut. She has bangs, which REALLY suit her and frame her face nicely, but I could see this cutting down her options with some clients. Any thoughts? Oct 25 13 09:27 pm Link How old does she look? Oct 25 13 09:30 pm Link Paul Ferris wrote: Early 20's. Oct 25 13 09:35 pm Link I laughed when you said she was 24. I thought you were about to say she was in her fifties. An agency will represent anyone they think they can make them money. Money is all that matters for the agencies, nothing else. Oct 25 13 09:38 pm Link 255 West wrote: That's what I told her! Oct 25 13 09:43 pm Link This woman was 45, (almost twice the age of the woman you are talking about). She was exquisite. As far as I know, this was the first time she posed for the camera. Is THAT too old to start ? The point is, if she is as amazing as this one was, pretty nearly any age is fine. https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/1005854 -Don Oct 25 13 10:01 pm Link Don Garrett wrote: She is amazing,, well done to her, and yourself the photographer,, great to see not all models are 16!!! Oct 25 13 10:12 pm Link It completely depends upon what market you're after. Oct 25 13 10:21 pm Link Look....blah blah. Make money from....blah blah. Anything's possible... But hold your breath even longer than if she was 15-17. Oct 25 13 10:27 pm Link elementfoto wrote: It depends what you mean by 'get into modelling'. Most of the models I know are just locals, photographic models mostly and not interested in what an agency might think. Oct 25 13 11:16 pm Link Too old, well in NYC, for fashion, probably yes. You know how many teens they have to compete with? Oct 25 13 11:54 pm Link I started at 27. Done a wide variety of modelling across several genres and never had a problem filling my diary with paid work. So I think age is not an issue for journeyman freelancing. Don't think anyone has said I am too old. 32 now and pick and choose; had a nice 4 page fashion editorial published this month and one commissioned for Feb shooting end of this month. Spoke to a model in her early 60s a few weeks back who does mother of the bride fashion and catalogue stuff. She does boutique fashion shows too. She didn't begin until late 30s. So age needn't be a barrier at the journeyman end anyway. Oct 26 13 01:59 am Link 20 if you're female and white. Bit older if you're female and black. Bit older if you're male and white. Bit older still if you're male and black. Oct 26 13 02:06 am Link elementfoto wrote: Depends on her target market. Oct 26 13 02:22 am Link 24??? damn I am way to old then  Oct 26 13 04:21 am Link Is she planning on trying to make a living at it, or just wants to be out there for whatever offers come along? I never wanted to be a professional model although if I had started when I was young I probably could have got more work back in those days since that's what the market wants. I didn't start till age 35 and am currently 61. I think 24 is not late at all unless she wants to be a professional model in which case it is probably really pushing the limits. Oct 26 13 04:42 am Link I'm 42 and model all the time, most of it paid. I had an interview with an agency that contacted me last week about signing with them. There is a lot of commercial modeling available out there, way more than fashion modeling. It doesn't matter how old you are for commercial modeling. Oct 26 13 04:50 am Link elementfoto wrote: A commercial agency might well be OK with her age if she meets all their other requirements. Oct 26 13 04:59 am Link Can you identify the two models over fifty in my MM portfolio by just looking at the images? There is also one delightfully photogenic forty year old. No cheating and looking up models' ages. Oct 26 13 06:36 am Link It's not how old you are. It's how old you look. You don't hire a 16 year old fashion model to be in a magazine ad for Depends diapers. You don't hire a 60 year old grandma to promote a hip hop or techno dance club. Can she be successful through an agency? Yes. If they like her look and age range and have clients that will hire her and... and.... and..... and.............. Oct 26 13 06:57 am Link There is a need for models of all ages, however the commercial agencies who represent these models are not in the business of developing them. They expect them to come to the table already knowing how to model. So there are opportunities for models over 21 but not so much for starting/learning. Oct 26 13 07:01 am Link Don Garrett wrote: Gorgeous!! But then she's oriental so, 50=25! :-)))) Oct 26 13 07:06 am Link Christopher Lewis wrote: https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/31760577 Oct 26 13 07:12 am Link  I get asked this frequently: "am I too old to get started?" The answer is complicated. First, here in Miami we are a commercial location for fashion models. Huh? (I said this is complicated.) Here is how it works, during our "season" (which started this weekend if the weather is any indication) clients from all over the world come to Miami (South Beach, Miami Beach, not really Miami) to shoot their advertising, catalog, look books, etc. There is some limited editorial work (because of the weather), but the work is really for fashion models doing commercial work. Tall, thin, beautiful, and not necessarily fifteen. In fact, the better part of the better paying commercial work for fashion models in South Beach is for models in their mid twenties-early thirties.  But here is where it gets more complicated, it's the whole "getting started" thing. A beautiful twenty four year old wants to gets with a major agency here and the problem she (and the agent) face is castings and go-sees. She will be standing in line with models that look like her but have been in the business five or six years, and have books that are fully developed. So what does that mean? That the pictures are "better" than the ones our new girl has? Maybe, but that's not the real issue. Those other girls have tear sheets, lots of them. This shows they have done the work before, showed up on a specific day and produced published images. When you are spending serious bucks as an advertiser, this is a big deal.  What the new model needs is some work, any published work regardless of pay that says: "I've done this before". Smaller agencies can help, they are more interested in the beginning model, particularly the girls with that fashion look because the models coming into the market first go to the "usual suspects" (Ford, Elite, Wilhelmina, Next, etc.), so they don't get a look at the premiere models until others have seen them and passed. Photographers can help as well, they may have smaller clients who want the fashion look, but don't want to pay the fashion price. Clients like this may be willing to use a model with limited experience if they have the look the client wants. And once the model has a few of these jobs under their belt, the bigger agencies will be more receptive.  Now I am talking about traditional commercial work that fashion models do (advertising, catalog, look books, etc.), and not the big "campaign" work that a fashion model might do for Guess, Bebe, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana et al. This work is reserved for fashion models that started early, built a substantial editorial career, walked the big shows, and there is no way an older girl getting started can have that opportunity. (Every thousand years there is an exception, Isabella Rossellini comes to mind, but this is normally based on special access to the market based on who you know. No surprise there.) Is it possible for an older (over twenty) model to get started? Yes. Is it easy? No. Understand the problem, evaluate your commitment to taking the necessary steps, select an appropriate market (New York, Miami, Chicago, maybe LA) and you have a chance. Oct 26 13 07:58 am Link John Fisher wrote: Well you said you weren't talking about Versace etc so no point in talking about Rossellini etc. As I said I started at 27 and thrown on a runway for a top fashion house at 29 alongside Premier models. I'd done a few catalogue and look book shoots, a half dozen small lifestyle mag tears. But I was a fit model. So it depends on the route. I doubt I'd have got anywhere at castings for things like that were it not for that so your point is taken at 27 otherwise as I'd have been lacking in the tears and experience to do anything remotely like that. But even if that opportunity hadn't come my way I'd still have been able to make a living as a model. Would have had to do more at Art institutions, showroom, promo etc but I don't think that inferior to fashion stuff anyway. It's regular and all paid for a start. So it's not all about fashion modelling. Depends on what the expectations are. Miami was never on my agenda. But London is not so bad for journeyman models year round. Agencies will take models with the experience if they are older granted. But freelance I think 24 is not too old if the op thinks her good enough she will likely get more than the odd MM gig if she us prepared to do varied modelling, and can build up a reasonable port/tears in a couple of years. I know a few models who have signed with small agencies after that in their late twenties. Oct 26 13 08:58 am Link elementfoto wrote: It's up to her, not you, and it's up to your market. The first step is that she needs to want to be a model, the next step is her talking to local agencies and seeing if there is any interest. Submitting to agencies is free, they are always looking for new models, and they know the local market. Oct 26 13 12:37 pm Link elementfoto wrote: There is no "too old". Oct 26 13 02:25 pm Link JoJo wrote: I disagree...that is way too old! Oct 26 13 02:29 pm Link John Houseman actor from "The Paper Chase" and many other movies and commercials also didn't start until he was 70. Oct 26 13 02:37 pm Link Depends on the market AND depends on the girl. I have a friend who keeps getting signed to international FASHION agencies (major ones) and she's 27. She looks great-- great skin, no wrinkles-- but she definitely looks 27. Your face shape at 20 is just rarely the same 7 years later. It's not the same game as it used to be, but again, it really depends on the look. There are more fashion jobs now or older girls than there used to be, but many times they'll use the girls who are still modeling that have been signed since they were 15-17. I say she should go for it-- because why not. But she should go in in person-- if she fills out an online form that shows her age, then she'll probably be filtered out immediately. Oct 26 13 02:49 pm Link Mid-20s is not too old for commercial modeling, and there may be more possibilities depending on looks, height, build, etc. As others have said, a legit agency will sign anyone they can sell. (Some agencies will sign anyone who can pay a sign-up fee, but she wants to avoid those.) So depends mostly on your location and market. Oct 26 13 02:55 pm Link How old is too old? Tomorrow. Oct 26 13 09:49 pm Link IMHO it is more dependent upon ability to pose and express emotion. I have photographed women from 18 to 40+ Oct 27 13 04:19 pm Link elementfoto wrote: The best thing for her to do would be to go to an agency casting call in person.I think Wihelmenia has as a division that represents "older" models.They mostly do print ads for beauty products and catalogs though. Oct 28 13 06:55 pm Link I started modeling professionally at the age of 24 yrs old. It can be done. Oct 28 13 07:00 pm Link He's absolutely right Pacific NW Photography wrote: Oct 28 13 07:00 pm Link JoJo wrote: She's not really a model. Oct 29 13 01:26 am Link elementfoto wrote: Is she in or close to a major market? She's too old for a career in fashion but as an agency lifestyle or commercial model she is not too old. The only way to tell is for her to go to an agency. Oct 29 13 01:32 am Link Every age group has a market, you just need to have a portfolio for that market. Oct 29 13 01:44 am Link The age to which a person is to old to start modeling is the day they die. Oct 29 13 06:59 am Link |
