Hello fellow MMer's. My name is Nia and I have been on this site for a while however I had to take a leave of absence from my career. I am back in action for good and am looking to stregnthen my portfolio. I had an issue in the past where I was connecting with less then prodessional photograpehers or scams. I am worried as I do not want to waste my time or others and I would love imput on how to spot the good from the not so good. What to expect and any pointers abiout what is needed in my port to help me stand out and start booking more lucrative gigs. Thank You very much!!

Easiest answer to almost all your questions is to go through all (and yes I do mean all) the yellow stickies at the tops of each forum, especially Newbie, General Industry, Critique, Model Colloquy and understand what each forum is for. And glance through the postings in each forum at least once or twice a week.  That will keep you abreast of the experiences, mistakes and discoveries made by your colleagues--You'll get all the learning with none of the mistakes.  It's a good bet to just look, listen and learn for a while before making your first posts--you'll save yourself a lot of effort and maybe even some embarrassment.   And don't forget the EDU articles in the tool bar at the top of the page.

As for specific advice on your portfolio, we can't do that here.  You'll need to go to either the Critique Forum or the 3rd List (https://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=927266) in the Model Colloquy for that.  Lots of people happy to help you there, but you gotta ask for it.

Welcome back!  Enjoy and stay safe!

Welcome to the Mayhem

Good ways to network are:

Post an availability notice letting people know that you are available (under the casting/travel tab). This is for when you want to charge money. You can offer trade as well.

Search for Casting Calls in your area based on criteria you select. Post a Casting Call letting people know about an idea you have and want to put into a work of art. This is for when you are willing to pay other people. You can offer trade as well.

Search or Post Casting Calls and Travel/Availability Notices
Official Casting Call Rules - Read
Find the talent and resources you need on Model Mayhem

Browse for photographers in your area and leave comments on images you like, send a friend request or message. Start a list of photographer's photos that you think are top notch for photographers in your area. This can become something of a Rolodex. Make sure that you select the Advanced Options and select an appropriate Logged in within:. I typically use 30 days, but you may want people who respond faster. Otherwise you will get photographers who haven't logged in in over a year. There are a lot of inactive accounts.

Make an announcemnet. Look on the front page for members offering comments for comments, and comment on their photos. Also make an announcement yourself.

Post a bulletin by going to My stuff > bulletins. Friends can see the bulletins you post.

Be active in the forums, but avoid trolls who start threads just to watch the ensuing flame war. Avoid threads that beat the over GWC's, flakes, escorts, ..., etc. Make positive constructive comments. Whenever you get published, add some new photos, or accomplish anything in general, post an announcement in the Accomplishments, Achievements and High Fives forum. When people see your forum post the first thing they see is your avatar. It has to be interesting enough for them to want to click on it and look at your portfolio.

Share your other accounts on the Social Media User Name Sharing Thread.

Rinse and repeat.

Good luck in your search!

Avoiding Scams: The Basics

Modeling Scams

Thoughts for newer models seeking to go full-time:

A lot of useful information is at New Models.

The Self-Made Model: Success Without Agencies

Model Safety

3rd list Mentor in Modeling

New theLIST & Top Drawer help Newbie Models

How to use the Model Mayhem forums

MM FAQ

And of course you must memorize this entire list MM Smiley List