llama emily  wrote:
What agency?

The line about retouching is cute.

I'd love to add a sheet of make-up-free, unedited polaroid shots to my profile taken in natural light.

It's one of my goals to do this soon.   Just have to find a photographer.  Photos I take from my phone are too blurry.

Let us know when you do. I'd love to see what real beauty looks like without PS.

You can come to MS anytime you feel the urge!

PR Zone wrote:
A friend of mine, who's a model, recently registered with a new agency

They asked for an A4 sheet full of 'Polaroids'

The shots didn't actually have to be shot on a Polaroid camera - just 5 or 6 general shots of the model in a swimsuit with no make-up or retouching

Underneath it said "Feel free to retouch your 'Polaroid' shots if you want to pay for all the retouching done on any work we do with you in the future" ...

Thoughts?

i suspect their suggestion about retouching is a way of telling hopefuls that it doesn't pay to hide the reality of who they are...and if they make the attempt it will be costly.

there's a pretty big difference in how (better) agencies view photos as opposed to probably most here on mayhem.  they suggest the blank slate of polaroids specifically to see features such as facial structure and body proportion that falls in line with presentation to their client base.

they use that visual in a conceptual way of how the model's features can be presented after the transformation and full treatment of hair and make-up, components used on virtually every shoot.

from the standpoint of polaroids on mayhem, it's not a bad thing for models to present them, but it would likely only be beneficial for those seeking the agency route along with the approach of using a qualified mua for each shoot to accentuate features just as is done at the agency level.

the drawback (of polaroids) on mayhem is there are many photographers unable or have no need to conceptualize the transformation.  as well, showcasing oneself in such a manner doesn't fall into the criteria for selection of models equal to the agency selection process.

PR Zone wrote:
Thoughts?

I think the current term is "Facebook pics"

CDP Photo wrote:
Every models port should have two completely natural shots, no make-up, no retouch. I want to see your face and figure type, period. Nothing else matters.

A traveling model sent me an offer to shoot message, she has a lot of slick looking shots in her port. Every image is extensively computer manipulated and I had no idea what she actually looks like.

In cases like this models are displaying the computer graphic abilities of whom ever created the graphic image and not presenting who THEY are. This to me is truly misrepresenting yourself.

I chose to ignore the message since I found her port presentation of herself completely ridiculous. If someone really has what it takes to be a model they don't need to hide behind computer generated graphic images.

I have encountered the same problem.  I have models contact me and tell me they want to shoot and when I look at their portfolio they have plastic skin and I have no idea how they really look.  I don't expect anyone to have perfect looks but when photos have been over Photoshopped so the model looks like a plastic doll I get very suspicious and I just move on to the next model.

rp_photo wrote:

I think the current term is "Facebook pics"

actually, facebookpics are often  instagram-ish pics where they look all glowy and serene and perfect and duckfaced and you just know they spend 2 hours taking webcampictures of themselves just to get that shot, more often than not accompanied by some sort of sentence like "just sitting here in my PJ's without make up haha - bored"...

Anna Adrielle wrote:
they spend 2 hours taking webcampictures of themselves just to get that shot, more often than not accompanied by some sort of sentence like "just sitting here in my PJ's without make up haha - bored"...

LOL!  So true!

PR Zone wrote:
A friend of mine, who's a model, recently registered with a new agency

They asked for an A4 sheet full of 'Polaroids'

The shots didn't actually have to be shot on a Polaroid camera - just 5 or 6 general shots of the model in a swimsuit with no make-up or retouching

Underneath it said "Feel free to retouch your 'Polaroid' shots if you want to pay for all the retouching done on any work we do with you in the future"

My friend's skin has blemishes and she'd normally insist on airbrushing before submission, but - on this occasion - she got into the whole 'Dove real world beauty look' of the agency's request and 'went with 100% au natural'

The agency accepted her - she was happy with the shots and...

...I have to say that I LOVE the concept

Any models think about including something like this in their MM portfolio?

It would certainly make me more comfortable selecting a model if I knew what the 'raw ingredients' were

Thoughts?

Awesome...asking most MM models for a set of Polaroids is a real drag. You would think we were asking them to strip and stand on the street corner.

Marc Damon wrote:
Let us know when you do. I'd love to see what real beauty looks like without PS.

You can come to MS anytime you feel the urge!

I took this on as a personal project for the day and posted the results on my page & portfolio! ... 

model emily  wrote:

I took this on as a personal project for the day and posted the results on my page & portfolio! ... 

Yep, looks exactly like you: gorgeous.

Creative Image wrote:

Yep, looks exactly like you: gorgeous.

Hi Ron!!!! Happy New Year!

PR Zone wrote:
Thoughts?

My thoughts are for unretouched work more than Pola.

When I photograph a woman, she wears no makeup, hair shit, etc. and I don't retouch anything.

Guess they're just gorgeous as they are...

NYC fine art nudes wrote:
I'd LOVE if all models posted an image of themselves that was not retouched. They could post it in their profile (via Photobucket etc) and it wouldn't take away any alloted image allowances from their portfolio.
I'm all too familiar with what can be done in Photoshop.

Free profiles can't post images. I suppose they could post a link to the image, though.

PR Zone wrote:
An 'Emily style' shot in the portfolio would be really cool/useful!

https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/31185837

Hey, thanks. 

I've received some helpful critique on things I can do better next time (smiling shot, close up profile, color correction, etc) -- these were just shot quickly in the apartment hallway yesterday with a point-and-shoot, with the mindset "something is better than nothing".

I used this as a reference/inspiration, which is a polaroid sheet from an Elite model: http://allaboutmodels.net/files/Grace-H … 50x721.jpg

Obviously, at 27 years old I'm not using this to gain fashion agency representation -- but I think the style is classic.

PR Zone wrote:
I hate to be this picky...

...but a 'straight to camera' shot with a FULL TEETH smile would also be useful

I had a model before Xmas whose teeth were far from perfect - and it was a pain to edit them (the client wanted a 'perfect' shot)

I hadn't though to specify :-(

Check!

dave phoenix wrote:
unretouched snapshots are always good.

front smiling, front not smiling, profile, full length.
just like kelleth's.

they don't have to be actual polaroids though.

yep most professional models have unedited snaps ready to send, whether polaroids or not.  in fact i pprefer not as those arn't as high res as i need to really get a feel for skin quality and not just overall shape

MelissaAnn  wrote:


I have this one (unedited digital), and a couple of unedited film shots that show my whole body in my port. 

I'd really like to put together a 4 picture collage though, similar to Kelleth's.

That wouldn't count in terms of the OP, which is talking about unedited AND no makeup shots.

Yeah, but EVERYTHING about Kelleth is awesome.

Kelleth wrote:
These are the unretouched shots my agency uses (that I also keep posted on my MM profile page):

It's say that this is close to 'spot on', with one small exception...

...if I don't see a pic of you 'straight to camera, not leaning etc', then it's harder to see if your features are symmetrical

Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, but sometimes you want 'super reality', with a highly 'processed' look...  And that works better with symmetry

But I would still find the 'Polaroid-style' examples posted here would work for me :-)

Isis22 wrote:
If you want unretouched or no makeup photos from a model why not just ask them? I have a shot in my port with no makeup on and the majority have no retouching. You can also ask to meet the model before hiring them.

I think the whole point of this is that some photographers would rather not have to do this step, and that it would just be easier for them if more models had unretouched/no makeup/polaroid style images in their port.

K I C K H A M wrote:

That wouldn't count in terms of the OP, which is talking about unedited AND no makeup shots.

Yeah, but EVERYTHING about Kelleth is awesome.

That's the truth!!

Basic membership includes 15 picture slots. Use one of them to display a single JPG that has four shots like Kelleth's and update it every 2-3 months to reflect current hair style, color etc.  In my opinion that one slot will be responsible for plenty of bookings and far more valuable than many of the highly made up shots newer models seem to covet.  If I don't see a natural shot somewhere I have to wonder how much time the model will be in makeup and how much retouching is required.

Jordan L Duncan wrote:
From what I understand, you can't even get Polaroid film anymore. I thought they stopped making it? If anyone knows where I can find some I'd love to hear it because I have two vintage Polaroid cameras that haven't been used since I stopped being able to find the film.

As for keeping a snapshot in my port, I have one photo of myself that has not been retouched in my MM port, to show that my skin is clear with no makeup. I am wearing some eyeshadow and mascara in the photo but most people don't get acne on their eyelids so I don't think that matters. I do have some 100% makeupless head and shoulder and full body shots, but I don't have them on my MM port. I rarely ever get asked for them, usually just when shooting in studio, and most of the time they only want the head and shoulders one to see what color my hair really is.

Polaroid doesn't actually mean the film anymore. Just quick snapshots that show general dimensions of a models without hair and makeup done.

I don't set up a shoot until I get this and a full-on headshot. Forget the old excuse "I don't have a camera"...everyone has one on their cell phone now..and iPad and iPod etc.

MelissaAnn  wrote:
I think the whole point of this is that some photographers would rather not have to do this step, and that it would just be easier for them if more llamas had unretouched/no makeup/polaroid style images in their port.

This.

Why can't professional/serious llamas reserve a slot in their MM portfolio for a plain old Polaroid?