MickCetera wrote:
.... What doors do being unrepresented open for me?

Can you act? If not and you are limited to stills I'd guess you will be doing the same thing 99% of the other models here on MM do..nudes, glamour or just for fun and creativity without regards to making money. As a photographer I mostly fall into the last category myself and I have no regrets over that.

MickCetera wrote:
I  want to make powerful inspireing images more than I want to make commercials and money.

if this is true then just network with amazing photographers as trade work to make art.
maybe you and the photog can sell the resulting images?

MickCetera wrote:
Of course being represnted by an amazing agency would be a grand lifestyle as well.

depends on your definition of "grand". of course unless you mean you'll make a grand ($1000) or two a year. just because you get represented doesnt mean it's going to result in huge super model sized pay checks.

you're not a bad looking guy, i'd shoot with you.
if you are in fact 6'0 tall like your profile says then you should be able to find work. You just wont be walking a runway next to a female model in heels, but theres plenty out there for you.

you dont need to be represented, and you can potentially make more money if you can market yourself.

AJScalzitti wrote:
Well it's nice that you don't think it will hold you back.

Does anyone have a link to the self made model, I am on my phone..

This looks very interesting. I will get a copy of the book to check out, thanks

R Michael Walker wrote:
Can you act? If not and you are limited to stills I'd guess you will be doing the same thing 99% of the other llamas here on MM do..nudes, glamour or just for fun and creativity without regards to making money. As a photographer I mostly fall into the last category myself and I have no regrets over that.

I've been thinking a lot about acting lately I really want to give it a try! llamaing has been something I picked up, I'm a musician. I love llamaing. But I want to get into acting too, and there's no height restrictions lol. Tonight I'm going to research where I can start doing this. Is school necessary? I have friends who are film majors I can start working with to practice...

Paolo Diavolo wrote:

MickCetera wrote:
I  want to make powerful inspireing images more than I want to make commercials and money.

if this is true then just network with amazing photographers as trade work to make art.
maybe you and the photog can sell the resulting images?


depends on your definition of "grand". of course unless you mean you'll make a grand ($1000) or two a year. just because you get represented doesnt mean it's going to result in huge super model sized pay checks.

you're not a bad looking guy, i'd shoot with you.
if you are in fact 6'0 tall like your profile says then you should be able to find work. You just wont be walking a runway next to a female model in heels, but theres plenty out there for you.

you dont need to be represented, and you can potentially make more money if you can market yourself.

*Bashfulness. My profile bounced from 5'11'' to 6'0'' a few days ago when I was talking to this agency and in the end I decided I couldn't even do it. I'm like 5'11 and a quarter lol. I was thinking "welllll I have big hair and I'll be wearing shoes..."

And thanks I really like your port! Listed one. Hopefully I'll be able to market myself. I'm 100% committed to this and my music.

Escalante wrote:
without going into a critique , but it isnt your height .
some people have 'the look ' some don't .


Best of Luck .

Maybe so. But "the look" is a personal opinion. I am relatively new to modeling and I am understanding that in some cases you HAVE to be a certain height or look a specific way. But there are exceptions. YOU certainly don't have to shoot with me if you don't want to.

Best of luck.

MickCetera wrote:
I am in the process of speaking to multiple agencies and a few have told me I'm too short for them. I don't think this will hold me back from moving up as a model though. I want modeling to be an art form. I  want to make powerful inspireing images more than I want to make commercials and money.

What do you guys think about this? Of course being represnted by an amazing agency would be a grand lifestyle as well. But I want to hear some thoughts about why being unrepresented can be strategic! What are some things agency models are held back from working on. What doors do being unrepresented open for me?

Lots of people make a decent living free lance, and plenty of models with "legit" agencies make very little.  It's not simply hobby vs "a grand lifestyle."

Escalante wrote:
without going into a critique , but it isnt your height .
some people have 'the look ' some don't .


Best of Luck .

And some people have the ability to capture 'the look'... some don't... luck is rarely a factor...

MickCetera wrote:
Of course being represnted by an amazing agency would be a grand lifestyle as well.

Either your definition of "grand" is different from most or you're not familiar with the income/lives of all but a choice few at the very top echelon of modeling.

The reality for the vast majority of agency models is anything but grand. It's long hours, continuous rejection and low pay.

I'd be willing to bet a great deal of independent MM models make more than most agency models - even the ones at the known agencies.

Michael Pandolfo wrote:

Either your definition of "grand" is different from most or you're not familiar with the income/lives of all but a choice few at the very top echelon of modeling.

The reality for the vast majority of agency models is anything but grand. It's long hours, continuous rejection and low pay.

I'd be willing to bet a great deal of independent MM models make more than most agency models - even the ones at the known agencies.

*I should have said they COULD have a grand lifestyle. I am uneducated in the matter, I just wanted to specify I wasn't trying to put down anybody's career choice because it didn't work out the same for me. And I hope that I have a good chance of making money unrepresented. I'm going to have to work hard.

Michael Pandolfo wrote:
Either your definition of "grand" is different from most or you're not familiar with the income/lives of all but a choice few at the very top echelon of llamaing.

The reality for the vast majority of agency llamas is anything but grand. It's long hours, continuous rejection and low pay.

I'd be willing to bet a great deal of independent MM llamas make more than most agency llamas - even the ones at the known agencies.

I would take you up on this bet.  And its mainly women posing nude that get $.