Jean-Mathieu Van Der Haegen wrote:
Hey Eleanor, I really would like to know what you think about mine !
+ my website if you want to :http://jmvanderhaegen.portfoliobox.net/

Thank you, kisses from Paris.

Hi there!

Your portfolio was a welcome surprise, actually. Your bio text didn't tell me much and I assumed you're new and/or a hobbyist. But your work is incredible. You have a wonderful androgynous look that you're fully utilizing for conceptual work bordering on fashion. It's fascinating and beautiful.

I would love to see you pare your portfolio back just a little bit - you have some redundancy with multiple images of the same look and your portfolio would be stronger without. I'd also really like to see you improve your bio text. If you read back through this thread you'll see plenty of input on that topic.

Amy DeBellis wrote:
I'm interested to hear your thoughts. Thank you!

Hi Amy!

Right now you look like a hobbyist. Your bio text manages short and sweet - kudos! - but does hint that you're an amateur. The 'looking to expand my resume' bit indicates to me that you're trading right now, and "I like all sorts of looks" tells me you're still experimenting and finding genres to pursue. That could be replaced with "genres I shoot include" or something similar. Whether you want to trade or get paid, I recommend looking at what information successful models you look up to include in their bio text (you can also read through this thread to see what else I've recommended) and editing to include a bit more relevant info, as well as taking out the bit inviting people to tag you if they'd like to shoot - shoot planning is better done through messages.

Your portfolio shows a versatile range of looks but also indicates that you're still new(ish). You could improve it a lot by narrowing it down to 8 for now. I really look forward to seeing what you add in the future - you have a good look, and you connect with the camera very well.

Tierra Jordan wrote:
I would know how to better market myself as a model.

Hi Tierra!

I'm really glad you posted in this thread, becuase you have a lot of potential but you're throwing out some conflicting messages that are most likely really affecting how many offers and gigs you get.

To start - your avatar is gorgeous and I love it, but I was expecting to see that you primarily do nudes and glamour. Looking at your bio I saw that your focus is commercial, fashion, and magazine work. The avatar is kind of fashiony, so I could see that working if your portfolio had a strong fashion/commercial element, but then when I opened it up it's all glamours and nudes. So right now you're going to lose all the glamour guys at your bio, then all the fashion guys at your portfolio.

Bio:
This section makes me think you're looking for trade work:

Looking to participate in any great projects as a commercial / fashion / magazine model.
What I want from this site is to gain more experience and be noticed for my work.I am looking forward to working with serious and professional photographers who have creative ideas and concepts.
I am very serious about my modeling career and I am willing to take advantage of any opportunity that is beneficial for me.

It never straight up says trade, but it heavily indicates it.

But then there's this section immediately after indicating that you expect to get paid:

I am an experienced model and have done a lot of photo-shoots. Some good qualities about me are, I am fun to work with and have many photo-shoot ideas.
I do travel as long as ALL EXPENSES is covered!! If your interested in working with me contact me for my rates and availability. [...]
Only paid shoots, but i do  TFP shoots with only very experienced photographers i will be checking your port to see if you are very experienced.

If you want to be considered for paid work you need to condense that into one smaller section that is cohesive. In addition, a few things in your bio look a bit diva-ish. Taking out the caps (all expenses), the bit about checking photographer's ports for experience (that's a given), and this "If you leave me a message with small talk I will NEVER reply. Like I said im only here for business nothing else so its better to get right to it." will fix that.

You also have a number of grammar and spelling errors. As much as I know that has no reflection on someone's professionalism, your potential clients will judge you for it. Cleaning those up will be simple and make a big difference. But don't do that until after you've revised everything else, otherwise you may clean up sections that end up getting trashed.

Portfolio:
This is a bit harder. You have some really lovely images, but they seem to be hidden among every image you've ever added to your portfolio. This is where it's time to really stress quality over quantity. I honestly think you should cut back to your best 8 images and rebuild. Most of your images do not do you justice and were I a potential client there is no way I would want to hire you based on the majority of your portfolio. A few images, however, are good enough that if you pick the right 8 that would completely change. I still wouldn't say you should only take paid work, but you would be at a point where I would say that you could reasonably expect to be paid for some shoots while still improving your portfolio with selective trade. However, I would still change your bio text to reflect that your experience is nude and glamour work. If you want to focus on fashion and commercial work exclusively it might be best to make another profile. If you just want to add them to your existing portfolio I recommend saying that you're looking for opportunities to work in those genres.

Yours was a more difficult critique for me, and I tried really hard to be honest without discouraging you. You have a lot of cleanup to do, but you also have a lot of potential, and I really hope that you stick with this. If you need some help figuring things out send me a private message, ok?

LenaFox wrote:
Thank you for this offer, Eleanor, I definitely need some help!

Hi Lena,

I'm going to be honest here: If your post above had not seemed so enthusiastic and nice, I probably would have skipped you. Your bio text is just so hostile. I don't even feel like I want to deconstruct it and show you how, because the words I would need to use to describe it seem so mean.

You state that you don't want to be hired for sexual images but have many yourself - not all the lingerie shots are super glamour, but some are. If you keep getting requests for that work that may be why.

You have some good images and you have many that drag the good ones down. A lot of your composites have one or two good images and at least one that detracts from all the rest. You probably want to cut your portfolio down to just the best - it will improve it a lot.

That's as much as I feel capable helping you with for now. If you want to improve your bio let me know and I'll do what I can to help you.

Annie_Lee wrote:
Hi! I would love to hear what you think.

oops nvm!

RisaDelAngele wrote:
Would love to get some thoughts on my portfolio. Thank you!

Hi there! Overall you show as a hobbyist whose various talents lend beautifully to your modeling.

You bio starts strong as you mention your dance and acting experience, confuses me when you bring in your other interests, and leaves me wondering if you're seeking trade or paid bookings. Based on what you show, I'm leaning towards trade.

Your portfolio shows you as very strong for commercial and beauty work, yet has a few photos that hold you back and again make me suspect that you're here as a hobbyist looking for trade. You could improve your portfolio quite a bit by removing some of the weaker images, this one in particular:


I sense that you'd like to bring in more conceptual imagery. Right now you're branded mostly for the clean beauty and commercial work and I would stick with that branding if you are seeking paid work, but you should be able to bring in some conceptual work that won't jar with that brand if you find the right photographers. These are a step in that direction and my favorites from your portfolio:

tulpa wrote:
Hi Eleanor! I would appreciate your thoughts. Take care!

Hi Tulpa. Right now I read you as a model with acute body awareness but very new to photographic modeling.

Your bio is simple and strong. It shares more about you personally than I typically recommend and yet I wouldn't change it much, if at all. I was, however, left thinking you are seeking trade work until the very bottom. As most people won't read the whole thing I would consider moving that line closer to the top. I might also include some basics about your availability and look (piercings, etc.).

Your portfolio is an anomaly - I can very clearly see that you have prior experience in live posing, as you have an exquisite grasp of your body and movement. However, the quality of the images leaves me once again pegging you for trade rather than paid work. While I can clearly see that your skill level is worthy of paid work, I would like to also see the images in your portfolio reflect that better. I recommend seeking out trade work to continue improving your portfolio and increase your familiarity with the camera (photographic posing often does require different styles of posing, as the purposes and angles are often different). I'd also like to see you change your avatar to something that represents you better - perhaps a cropped version of the image I commented on?

Beyond the dichotomies I've already covered, you don't have much of a brand yet, but I'm picking up on a sensual, earthy vibe.

I could see you becoming an extremely successful traveling model if that were a goal for you, and I look forward to seeing more!

sarabe3 wrote:
I would love to have you look at my profile!

Thanks!

Hi Sara!

You're coming across as knowledgeable, professional, and looking for trade work - which confuses me. You've clearly had experience, and while your portfolio could use a bit of an upgrade it shows you and your skillset splendidly. Right now you seem branded for commercial and fashion work, but I'd love to see some beauty in there as well.

Overall, I'm mostly just confused by the fact that you seem to be seeking trades. (As represented by your first sentence - not all collaborations are trade but in bio text it's usually code for it.) That's not to say that you shouldn't be trading, but that I wouldn't peg it as your main focus right now. That makes me assume this is a hobby, though you seem professional and skilled enough to be making money off of it regardless. (Please keep in mind that I am not familiar with fashion and commercial work, especially in Canada. I do know though that there are photographers seeking that type of work in their portfolios and they could use models who pull it off as well as you do.)

Andie08 wrote:
Please let me know, looking to start doing some shoots in a couple months.

Hi Andie!

Right now you read as a new model with some experience, still green, and looking for trade.

Your bio text is very short - if you want to do this professionally, or even as a serious hobby, I would consider expanding it some with relevant info regarding genres, appearance, and availability. You'll find more on what I look for in a bio by reading other responses I've given on this thread. I would also change your name to something more professional if that's your goal - the numbers mark you as a new or less serious model.

As for your portfolio - you appear very new because your portfolio is very mixed. You have some good work mixed with images that bring down the quality of your portfolio and don't show you as well as the rest. You could improve your portfolio significantly by cutting it in half.

I hope this helps!

Rachel A Murray wrote:
Hi, I'm curious to hear your thoughts

Hi Rachel,

Your bio confuses me a bit. It's mostly professional and well worded, but there are a few bits that trigger my diva sensors. I don't think you actually are a diva though, so I'd love to see you make some changes to your bio to change that.

Bio:
Your bio makes me peg you as experienced, looking for paid work. It's very professional and hits most of what I look for in a bio, which is great! This line "What I expect from my shoots is excellence in lighting, editing, etc." does come across somewhat demanding and diva-esque. I would change it slightly. Additionally, if you're wanting paid work, I would clarify that as being for trade, since often new photographers hire models for practice but would be scared away by that requirement.

Portfolio:
Your portfolio is not as good as your bio led me to expect. It shows some experience and skill, but it certainly does not showcase excellence in lighting or editing, making that sentence in your bio even more out of place. You also have the same image twice? I would like to see you book some trade and improve and expand your portfolio before focusing on paid work.

You seem to have some experience and conduct yourself well and professionally. I think with a few tweaks you'll be looking good.

H E F F wrote:
Hi. I would love to hear your thoughts.

How have I not already found you and your work? Damn!

Bio:
A+++ - Your bio is everything I teach and look for. You cover all the needed details and keep it brief and on topic. Super professional while also showing great personality. Your second to last sentence has an extra r at the end of inquire, however.

Portfolio:
When I first opened your portfolio I was disappointed - it didn't look as kickass as I expected from your bio and avatar. That was quickly changed as I scrolled down, but I would love to see you reorganize your bio. You have a lot of shots right next to images from the same shoot/set, and mixing those up will help your portfolio a lot. I also always try to keep my 8 strongest images at the top of my portfolio to make a strong first impression, and I think playing around with that would help you a lot. This is nitpicking though - you obviously have a great skillset and experience level, and anyone who doens't scroll down to the rest of your portfolio is missing out!

Branding:
You're actually developed enough as a model for me to get into the finer details of branding! Whoohoo! Here are the main 3 things I get from your profile overall:
-Friendly and energetic
-Sensuality and expression: there's something wonderful about your facial expressions and body language that you use to great effect in your images
-Versatility: you make figure work, classical nudes, glamour, erotic, fetish, and more all shine
I would like to see you bringing in a little more to the branding, however. I feel like there's something more to what you offer that I'm just missing. Hit me up if you want t talk about that or have questions.

Overall, I love your work and I'm excited to know you exist!

NicoleNudes wrote:
I don't know if I can play since we know each other pretty well

Of course you can! I may be (more than) a wee bit biased but I did my best not to be. <3

Bio:
Well, first I was sad that you're not traveling to the US. Then I saw pretty much everything I wanted to. You open with good general info and a great introduction to your personality, an you cover all the necessary info with clear headings and concise information. People should be able to find any info they need quite easily, and your limits are stated professionally and firmly in one of the best manners I've seen on here.

Portfolio:
I mean, swoon? I remember you sharing your first nude shoot in SF2 and being floored, and you've been an inspiration to me ever since. You show range, versatility, skill, everything. My only nitpick is that the last image of the first row was jarring to me. It seems a bit out of place and out of alignment with your brand. Which takes us to....

Brand:
I'm really trying here to give you this as if I just saw your portfolio for the first time. Here's what I would get as your brand from that:
-Fun to work with
-Classical
-Intense
-Versatile: I mean, you've got everything from commercial to classic to glamour to fetish to humor.
Typically I try to pick the main 3 selling points a model seems to have as a brand, but all four of these really stuck out.

Overall: I still love you and your work. I hope this gushing helped in some way. <3

eirras wrote:
Hi Eleanor, Love your youtube videos to help new models. Can you give me some critics on my portfolio? Thanks!

Hi Eirras. Thank you so much for the love on my videos! <3

Bio:
You come across as experienced and professional, and I found myself just from reading your bio text leaning heavily towards wanting to see you getting paid work. However, the wording and the link to your mood board left me thinking that you do more, if not exclusively, trade work.

Portfolio:
You show versatility leaning towards all over the place - some of the images clash with others and/or are lower quality and appear to be remnants of an older portfolio. Those should be removed. I think if you narrow down your images you'll show a much stronger portfolio. As for genre, you seem quite capable of a wide range. I think primarily I could see you casted for commercial, beauty, and lingerie.

Onora  Nox  wrote:
Curious also 🙃

Hi Onora!

Your bio is one sentence, which makes me wonder if you're taking this seriously. It doesn't give any information on your availability, appearance, expectations... I don't know if you're looking to trade or land paid work. I am also confused as to whether you're here as a model or a makeup artist - do you have another profile as a makeup artist? Is it just mentioned because you do your own makeup? I'd really love more info.

Given the one sentence, i would guess that you are a hobbyist seeking trade work.

Your portfolio is clearly branded to horror/fantasy conceptual work and shows that you have a fair bit of experience and skill in those genres. (I particularly love the Wednesday Addams look!) Your portfolio makes me reconsider that one line bio indicating that you aren't serious about this, but the brevity does still concern me. Overall, based on both your portfolio and your bio, I would still guess that you're a hobbyist looking for trade.

If you are looking for paid work I highly recommend reading some of the advice I've given other models in this thread regarding writing bios and fleshing yours out.

Mishelle portfolio wrote:
I'd love to hear from you.

Hi Mishelle!

You appear to be exactly what your bio leads me to believe - a lovely woman shooting trade work for fun. You have a lovely look and your dance and yoga experience will make many people eager to shoot with you.

That said, your portfolio is split between current images and images 6+ years old. I'd like to see you add one more new image to reach the required four and remove the older images completely - you don't look the same and as such they no longer benefit your portfolio.

These two in particular hurt your portfolio:



With an updated portfolio I could see you booking some great shoots to expand your portfolio even further, potentially even moving towards paid work if you decided to do so. I'd definitely like to see some current full body shots of you, however.

JTModels wrote:
Let's do it! Great idea.

Your portfolio is significantly better than your bio led me to believe!

The bio started off great, but had a line that started lower case, like there was supposed to be an "I" in front of it - "love elegant shoots that play with lines and light."

Other than that, I'm not sure why the last half of your bio is striking me wrong. Each line individually is fine and professional, but overall it really shouts hobbyist at me. Which may be fine - I don't know if you're a hobbyist or not. But your portfolio, despite a few images that could be removed to improve the quality and overall feel, screams pro commercial model. And that disconnect is startling.

Even if you're a hobbyist, I might review and refresh your bio text a bit. Also, it's worth noting that your avatar led me to assume you're a nude model. That image is stunning and worth having your portfolio, but may not be the best choice of avatar unless you're looking to shoot more nude/implied work.

TiffanyLesley wrote:
I've updated a bit and would love to see what you think

Hi Tiffany! Glad to have you back!

First off, your bio text indicates that your account has been downgraded - you have a lot of code showing. I would go take that out immediately if you don't plan on upgrading again. Other than that, your bio looks good - much better than last time.

That said, the "rates depend on assignment" part made me expect your portfolio to have improved significantly more. While it shows some progress, you definitely need to still be trading.

Your portfolio is all over the place, and I'm really not at all sure what type of shoots you're looking to book. Most of your images are fun and "cutesy" concepts, nice images but somewhat a marker of a new model. And I have no idea what length or color your hair is.

This image is your weakest:

You look nice but the angle is awkward and the other image from the same set is much stronger.

I'd remove this one too:


Overall, I still see you as a promising model capable of much more depth than currently portrayed in your portfolio. And that's not a bad thing! It took me several years to build a portfolio that accurately showed off my look and skillset, and it's a never ending process.

Last time I recommended you change your wording so that people wouldn't take advantage of you and only ever offer trade. This time I recommend changing the wording to reflect that you still do need trade, you're just pickier. Phrases like "limited/selective trade" often work - review some other models and see what they use.

HannahChristina wrote:
I'd love to hear what you think of my profile/port/branding. Thanks so much for doing this!

Hi Hannah! Your portfolio is better than your bio led me to expect. I love it when that happens!

Bio:
Reads as if you're branching from hobbyist to pro. Mainly what pulls it down is the list of other interests. I would at least move it to the bottom of your profile and preferably pare it down to only things that really reflect on your modeling. That way people see all the professional info first, rather than making an assumption about your skill level based on unnecessary and irrelevant information.

Portfolio:
I'd mostly like to see more! I do hate to see images with social media censoring in a professional portfolio, so if you can switch this out I would:
https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/39866125
(Otherwise that would be one of my favorites from your portfolio!)

And I would remove this image since it really jumps out as your weakest:
https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/39866125 (18+)

Overall, you show versatility, an ability to do both commercial and nude work extremely well, and an intense, almost ethereal connection with the camera. Your portfolio would be a bit stronger if you pare down to 3 rows (remove the 3 weakest images) and then start adding more as you shoot more, but my first look at your portfolio had me literally holding my breath, and I want to see more. I hope you come off hiatus soon! <3

Eleanor Rose wrote:

Of course you can! I may be (more than) a wee bit biased but I did my best not to be. <3

Bio:
Well, first I was sad that you're not traveling to the US. Then I saw pretty much everything I wanted to. You open with good general info and a great introduction to your personality, an you cover all the necessary info with clear headings and concise information. People should be able to find any info they need quite easily, and your limits are stated professionally and firmly in one of the best manners I've seen on here.

Portfolio:
I mean, swoon? I remember you sharing your first nude shoot in SF2 and being floored, and you've been an inspiration to me ever since. You show range, versatility, skill, everything. My only nitpick is that the last image of the first row was jarring to me. It seems a bit out of place and out of alignment with your brand. Which takes us to....

Brand:
I'm really trying here to give you this as if I just saw your portfolio for the first time. Here's what I would get as your brand from that:
-Fun to work with
-Classical
-Intense
-Versatile: I mean, you've got everything from commercial to classic to glamour to fetish to humor.
Typically I try to pick the main 3 selling points a model seems to have as a brand, but all four of these really stuck out.

Overall: I still love you and your work. I hope this gushing helped in some way. <3

Thank you pretty lady! <3

It did help
It's hard to figure out what other people think about your brand unless you ask them (and I'm bad at asking people lol). It's also interesting to know what stands out to other people too.

Annie_Lee wrote:
I'm definitely curious

Hi Annie! I hope you find this helpful once you're back from your hiatus!

Bio: You definitely appear to be a hobbyist from your bio text - I would expect to be shooting trade with you. However, this line: "It would be my dream to model professionally as my career" tells me that you don't want to come across as a hobbyist, even if you are still at a point where you're focusing on trade. A good first step is to remove that line, and instead create a bio that comes across as if you're already on your way there. Setting yourself up with a good, professional bio will move you way further towards that goal! I recommend reading the first page of this thread and seeing the advice I gave other models on how to set up their bios.

Portfolio: You are WAY younger than your avatar made me think! I expected you to be in your early 30s, actually. It's a great photo but apparently the angle ages you - not in a bad way, but it is somewhat misleading, so I would consider changing your avatar.

Your top row of images is significantly weaker than the rest of your portfolio, so I would remove those and continue trading up - you always want to focus on quality over quantity and keep continually improving your portfolio.

What your portfolio does show me, however, is that you have a beautiful face and figure and could do quite well at lifestyle work as well as cosplay. I look forward to seeing more once you're back from your hiatus!

Garlic Bread wrote:
me please, thank you so much

Hi Julia. Your profile confused me!

Bio: Your bio breaks all of my rules. Your bio text combined with your user name make me suspect you aren't very serious about modeling. However, your bio also establishes you as very experienced and makes it clear what you trade for and when you expect to be paid, so you can probably get away with it. I would still, personally, clean it up a bit: It leans a bit towards diva-ish in places and I suspect you could get more paid work as a model by tweaking a few things.  However, I'm not sure that's your goal and I suspect you may be doing just fine with using your profile for it's intended purpose.

Portfolio: You have some really good photos and some that are much weaker. I would narrow down to 12 at the most, possibly 8 - your portfolio will be a lot stronger that way. As always, I'd love to then see it expanded with some great new work. Again, this advice is assuming that you want more paid modeling work.

Overall, you confuse me. You're not showing up as professional, yet you seem to be a successful model and you clearly have a brand established as a bubbly Youtube presence. Typically I would look at your bio text and assume you're not getting any work, but little bits here and there make me think that you are - though I'm convinced you could get more with just a few tweaks.  If you want to book more paid photoshoots, let me know and I can give you more advice based on that. Otherwise, keep doing you!

TatianaL wrote:
Hi Eleanor I'd love you to do me as well please, once you have the time for it. The things you're giving advice on, are probably some of the ones that has confused me the most, so I'd be really grateful xD

Hi Tatiana!

Bio: Your bio reads to me as if you're a newer model and a hobbyist. I'm definitely pegging you for trade work based on, really, almost every sentence in your bio, especially these:
-"Eager to learn"
-"if you have a fun, quirky idea or you shoot a style I have yet to try, please don't hesitate to ask"

Portfolio: Your portfolio shows that you don't yet know which direction you're going with your modeling, which correlates with the impression I got from your bio. You also don't look like what I expected from your avatar.

You have some very nice images, some that bring down the quality of your portfolio, and some that appear outdated. I have no idea what color your hair is. To strengthen your portfolio definitely pair it down - like I've recommended to others, cut down to 12 images at most, preferably your 8 strongest, and then build it back up with new material.

I hope this helps!

LilyIce wrote:
I would like to know your thoughts please, (just to see if I'm heading in the right direction with my MM portfolio).
Thanks in advance

Hi Lily! You seem pretty new so this is going to be somewhat short. The thing is, all you seem to be right now is pretty new. You have a nice look but I have no idea what color your hair is or what to expect if I were to book a shoot with you. Half your images are grainy, and many show that you aren't yet comfortable posing. I recommend booking a bunch of trade shoots to get yourself comfortable with moving around in front of a camera and grow your portfolio.

Please feel free to come back and request another critique once you're a little further along!

Elena Antonia Pappas wrote:
Hi Me please.

Hi Elena! This critique was a ride for me - your avatar made me expect you to be super experienced and professional, then your bio made me think I was wrong, then your portfolio blew me away. With a portfolio of that quality you're probably doing fairly well, but I'd love to see you edit your bio - I think a lot of people may leave without viewing your portfolio because your bio is so confusing and hard to read. (The caps lock hurts people's eyes, often.)

I was sure from your photos that you must be agency signed, and yet I had a hard time finding that info in your bio. Finally did at the bottom. You also have an embedded image that isn't working and is just a block of code right now.

Overall, I'd really really like to see you edit your bio - unless your agency is booking all your work now it will really help you get more jobs on here. I think the fastest way for me to give you advice on your bio is to direct you to the recording of the speech I gave you at the Model Mayhem live event in November:
http://bit.ly/2hHGQNe (the bit about bios starts at 9:33)

If you do decide to revise your bio, please feel free to come back and post again for my input on the revision!

Joannee wrote:
I would love your thoughts .

Hi Joannee.

Bio: Your bio sets you up as very green. It doesn't have the words aspiring or hopeful in it, but it has that feel. I'd love to see you set it up to share a bit more of your experience and availability and establish yourself as a model, not a hopeful. As it is, I would expect you to be a hobbyist seeking TF.

Portfolio: Your avatar disputed your profile and I was hoping to see a stronger portfolio than you actually have. I would love to see you cut back to maybe 20 images or so - take out the selfies an the work that no longer represents you, and only share the best image from each look. You'll end up with a MUCH stronger portfolio - the best images in there really show you as an excellent commercial/lifestyle model.