Nathine wrote:
A lot of agencies are fronts for photographers and schools, who promote expensive shoots, and how to be a model classes. Your really great hon, but you are a class b model and in order to get those big jobs, you need to ABC...XYZ at a price of $$$$$.

A good agency will hire and pay you, not you hire them. They will promote, spend the money and get you the shoots.

Nathine

Thank you, I understand. Appreciate you being helpful

Nathine wrote:
A lot of agencies are fronts for photographers and schools, who promote expensive shoots, and how to be a model classes. Your really great hon, but you are a class b model and in order to get those big jobs, you need to ABC...XYZ at a price of $$$$$.

A good agency will hire and pay you, not you hire them. They will promote, spend the money and get you the shoots.

Nathine

Models in major agencies pay their own expenses often.  The difference is the legitimate agencies take the money out of their checks.  The models don't pay upfront.

Buggin Out Photography wrote:

Models in major agencies pay their own expenses often.  The difference is the legitimate agencies take the money out of their checks.  The models don't pay upfront.

Will, you have to stop with misinformation.   Many if not most agencies do NOT pay any model expenses and later deduct from a models money.   Agencies have no ideal if a model will her work in their market or not.   Sometimes signed models don't get hired.   A mid size or larger agency has hundreds if not thousands of hopefuls trying too be signed every year.   Paying for their tests and comp cards and other expenses would be a problem.   However when they do it is considered a loan.   There is interest attached.   You owe even if you don't work.   Part of why some fashion agency models net very little even when they work a lot.

Tony Lawrence wrote:
Will, you have to stop with misinformation.   Many if not most agencies do NOT pay any model expenses and later deduct from a models money.   Agencies have no ideal if a model will her work in their market or not.   Sometimes signed models don't get hired.   A mid size or larger agency has hundreds if not thousands of hopefuls trying too be signed every year.   Paying for their tests and comp cards and other expenses would be a problem.   However when they do it is considered a loan.   There is interest attached.   You owe even if you don't work.   Part of why some fashion agency models net very little even when they work a lot.[/

Tony Lawrence wrote:

Will, you have to stop with misinformation.   Many if not most agencies do NOT pay any model expenses and later deduct from a models money.   Agencies have no ideal if a model will her work in their market or not.   Sometimes signed models don't get hired.   A mid size or larger agency has hundreds if not thousands of hopefuls trying too be signed every year.   Paying for their tests and comp cards and other expenses would be a problem.   However when they do it is considered a loan.   There is interest attached.   You owe even if you don't work.   Part of why some fashion agency models net very little even when they work a lot.

+1 the level of misinformation on MM is amazing even when people who actually have industry expierence constantly correct it

TaylorHaze wrote:
Just looking for information on agencies. Such as how they generally function, any warning signs to look for, how to connect, how the casting for agencies on this site work, etc.



Please and Thank You!

Info on what type of agency..  Acting. talent or modelling?

TaylorHaze wrote:
Just looking for information on agencies. Such as how they generally function, any warning signs to look for, how to connect, how the casting for agencies on this site work, etc.



Please and Thank You!

I'm from central Wisconsin, so my info may not be as applicable as in Texas (BTW I have a son in Texas and might be quite interested in doing a paid shoot with you  sometime) sorry for the commercial.  But the llamas I've shot that are under contract with legitimate agencies, permit llamas to use photos from any photographer they choose as long as the photo has no watermarks or logos on them.  Recommend photographers if the llama has no "professional" images.  They do not guarantee them work, do not grade them and require them to take classes to improve their standing and do not require them to have their portfolio taken by "their" preferred photographer.

Their are many more fraudulent agencies than real ones.  And a legitimate agency will tell you what areas they might be able to find you work.  If you're 5'7" your not doing high fashion, but you might be catalog work, etc.

TaylorHaze wrote:
Just looking for information on agencies. Such as how they generally function, any warning signs to look for, how to connect, how the casting for agencies on this site work, etc.

As a side note:

Up until fairly recently, TX had special licensing requirements for model and talent agencies.  Without going through the list of details, it's pretty safe to say that the licensing law did weed out many of the fakers and frauds. 

Many people felt that when the law was laid to rest, the fakers and scammers would come out of the woodwork to set up shop.  This may or may not have happened.

For that reason, if you're in TX it's probably best to work with agents that were established and licensed BEFORE the licensing requirement was eliminated.  That's not to say any particular NEW agency is bad, but if the established agency was legitimate enough to be licensed before, they probably will still be working in a legitimate way now.

TaylorHaze wrote:
Just looking for information on agencies. Such as how they generally function

read, for some info
www.newmodels.com

TaylorHaze wrote:
any warning signs to look for

signing up under 5' 7" people for school or want you to pay their photographer for "portfolio" images.

TaylorHaze wrote:
how to connect, how the casting for agencies on this site work, etc.

Generally major agencies have not been applying on here. There are a few minor agencies from secondary markets or lower...

Not everyone that wants to model (in mainstream work) can model. Doing for fun is another thing altogether.

TaylorHaze wrote:
That is what I am taking it as of right now a hobby where I'm learning some new skills. From what I've heard most of the Dallas area is revolved around just editorial or fashion, apparently I do better for Pinup or Athletic.

Where exactly is a better location for the type of photography I'd be good for?

I just feel if I do this for a while maybe I could receive payment start a rate but I figured I would need an agency to start that. Don't worry about payment rate... Build your portfolio up first...

Hold your horses...
Get experience first... Practice and yes if you have to, hire a photographer not just take pictures but help direct you..
Don't start charging until your in demand (when you get over whelm with offers to shoot)
Then you can say, I'm getting busy so I'll be taking paid work over TFP..
Other than that its just "hey, model for hire"
Which is just about every model here on  Model Mayhem..
You have distinguish your self from others and have something that other girls don't .. But with other girls offering nude modeling, its kinda tough...
I wish you good  luck here......

Images by MR wrote:

Info on what type of agency..  Acting. talent or modelling?

sorry, MODELING!

Philipe wrote:

Hold your horses...
Get experience first... Practice and yes if you have to, hire a photographer not just take pictures but help direct you..
Don't start charging until your in demand (when you get over whelm with offers to shoot)
Then you can say, I'm getting busy so I'll be taking paid work over TFP..
Other than that its just "hey, model for hire"
Which is just about every model here on  Model Mayhem..
You have distinguish your self from others and have something that other girls don't .. But with other girls offering nude modeling, its kinda tough...
I wish you good  luck here......

Thank you for your advice. I'm not trying to rush into anything Like I said im just using it for fun. learning skills doing something I've always wanted to. I didn't know whether or not I should try to get signed to an agency just wasn't that informed on them. I intend on using MM to better myself and network. I might not be super skinny and tall but I don't care. I want to keep taking pictures, the only problem Ive come across is Im getting mediocre work done. I know that I have to expand to be better with posing and so on but I keep being told the photographer did the editing wrong etc. So Im wondering did I have to join an agency to find someone to teach me to be better and produce better work....because even if it's not my goal profession I want to do it as good as I possibly can.. If that is understandable

Rays Fine Art wrote:
My best first suggestion would be that you carefully read www.newmodels.com and then click on the edu link above.  That will give you a lot of info about internet modeling in general and reading through the General Industry and Models Colloquy forums will give you a lot more. (But be careful of misinformation there)

You won't get in the door of most (read any) legitimate modeling agency---You're simply too short.  But you might find some work with a talent agency.  They find work for background actors and fairly frequently have jobs in the smaller (read cheaper and often local) print ads and TV/Internet commercials and they generally don't require exclusivity.  I'm not sure about Texas, but in most states they are licensed, which will help you to avoid the complete sleazebags.  Before I joined SAG I got a fair amount of background, acting and modeling work that way. 

If your main goal is to have fun, meet a lot of truly awsome people, and collect a scrapbook that when you're my age you can look at and say, "Damn!  I was hot shit!" you've already made your best move by signing up here.  Those of us who are not doing it for a living are pretty well free to do whatever we want, whenever we want, with whomever we want, a freedom that you wouldn't have if you were with an agency.  Their sole purpose is to turn their models into cash cows, and it's not really as glamorous and exciting as newbies tend to think it will be.

And if you don't mind an unsolicited suggestion, whether you're modeling for pay or for play, you might want to rethink your insistence on a "professional" escort.  Many, probably most, photographers simply won't work with you if you insist on an escort, and the term "professional escort" will mark you as a naive newbie, ripe for the plucking, for some of the very guys you're trying to scare off with that phrase.

Whatever else you do, have fun and remember that like all the advice you receive here, this is all very much IMHO, of course.

Talent agency is a good thought. No I understand I am too short for many areas of modeling but yes using it to network and for fun is a start but I want to see if possible I could grow from here. As far as the escort I have changed how Ive said it several times and even taken it off still got about the same approaches for shoots but then had to explain how my escort gives me rides, helps read contracts if there are any, he has even helped photographers with their equipment pretty much lends a helping hand. I am no longer scared of whom I am working with I have typical processes for weaving out who seems legitimate and who is not.

Rays Fine Art wrote:
You won't get in the door of most (read any) legitimate modeling agency---You're simply too short.

BULLSHIT!
I've proven this MANY times in the past!
I know SEVERAL smaller size models that CONSISTENTLY  get work, and a few do modeling via agencies on a full time basis.

Rays Fine Art wrote:
But you might find some work with a talent agency.  They find work for background actors and fairly frequently have jobs in the smaller (read cheaper and often local) print ads and TV/Internet commercials and they generally don't require exclusivity.  I'm not sure about Texas, but in most states they are licensed, which will help you to avoid the complete sleazebags.  Before I joined SAG I got a fair amount of background, acting and modeling work that way.

True, but she can also find the same type of print work with legitimate modeling agencies if all she wants to do is model.

----------------------------------------

note:

newmodels.com is written by a guy that owned a small agency for about 4 years, and has been out of the business for much, much longer than that.

The agents that I know have been in the business for no less than 10 years.  One of them is going on 35 years as an established, licensed agency, and still going strong! 

By comparison, they guy from newmodels.com is an apprentice.   The same guy more or less endorsed a GWC "agent" here in Las Vegas that NEVER held the proper licenses for modeling or talent agencies in NV.

I prefer to get my information from REAL, LICENSED, ESTABLISHED agents, especially when they're still in business.

Images by MR wrote:
Info on what type of agency..  Acting. talent or modelling?

Seeing how this is MODELmayhem....

TaylorHaze wrote:
That is what I am taking it as of right now a hobby where I'm learning some new skills. From what I've heard most of the Dallas area is revolved around just editorial or fashion, apparently I do better for Pinup or Athletic.

Where exactly is a better location for the type of photography I'd be good for?

I just feel if I do this for a while maybe I could receive payment start a rate but I figured I would need an agency to start that

That's the photographer's job. It doesn't matter the location is, even in your area. Just have a photographer to do some scouting and take it from there.

But I agree with some of others that you will need to do TF first for a while, it could take a year but it's all matters of how much you have built your portfolio, you'll know when to start charging is if you are in demand such as few amounts of photographers comes to you and is hiring. When it's come to YOU going to them then do TF (cds or prints) to build your portfolio, when it's come to THEM going to you then that's when you can decide to do TF or paid. Hope that make sense.

And as goes for height requirement. Don't listen to that, because whoever required that height is only for himself/herself. All photographers and agencies has their own requirements in heights.

Philipe wrote:
Model Mayhem, if used the right way can help you and yes if you start getting real good, you can book some work through model mayhem..

The other alternative is commercial modeling. But with that, many do acting, because it goes hand in hand.. Because some may get booked to do a commercial and must know how to act and speak..
But in your area it would be hard...

i've been stalking forums for a while, and rarely post... i found this particularly intriguing because personally, I would like to use modeling more as a break out to other media fields rather than just photographs.

I've also heard a lot of mixed reviews about agencies what stats you have to have as a person, ages, sizes, heights ... according to glamour agency standards ... my bust is too big, I'm too short,too old , and i'd have to lose 15 lbs... but I've met legitimate agency models who are shorter and older than me but weigh the same... did they just get into it at the right age? and I'm behind the curve?

I've also heard a lot of model stories where they aren't even signed to agencies and yet they still make a decent living modeling.

How I see it, is: It's a lot like being in a band, you have to be talented, but agency or not you can do exactly what you want to do if you can find/ meet supporters, constantly put out well produced work... and network your butt off..

From my understanding ... this site is perfect for that kind of networking... but you still have to know/ meet the right people at the right time, stay positive and always work your hardest to do whatever it is you want to do... educate yourself as much as you can but it really seems to come down to who you know more than anything....


(i'm still kind of new to this, so I may be wrong... but that's what i've put together)

Tony Lawrence wrote:
I don't know anything about Las Vegas but I don't see any 5'4" models at Factor or Ford or BMG here in Chicago on their web sites:   http://factorwomen.com/talents.aspx?dep … 68913b0c0f    Factor's lifestyle division..

http://models.fordmodels.com/models/71   and http://www.bmgmodels.com/wp/chicago-bam/   who books commercial but take note of their requirements.   I'm sure there are 5'4" models working but so few as print models it doesn't bear mentioning.   Height, weight, age and location all play a part in this.   NY is one of the largest markets in the world yet how many models under 5'7" consistently work.   However I don't own a modeling agency nor do I shoot commercial or fashion work.   OP, rather then listen to me or others find out for
yourself.   Submit to agencies in your city and see what happens.   Good luck.

+1

Oh and no I would not say Dallas modeling has much if anything to do with fashion or editorial, it's a commercial market with a strong glamour side.  Fashion is shot in the city's referred to as fashion capitals, but I am sure many markets have some level of fashion work; it's just not the same