Modeling Q's & A's

The Palmero Modeling Workbook

A series of questions and answers to help you get started on your path to being a successful model.

Question

Q- I want to be a model, where do I start? What is the very first thing I should do? Testing? Find a photographer?  Hire one? Where do I begin? Talk to me about the importance of desire and visualization in the process.

Answer

A - Where you start is in your mind. If you can see yourself in the magazines doing the things that other models do then you are on the right path your mind and your body really give you clues as to where and what you should do. I always say follow your dream. When I was starting out I would cut the picture of the model on the cover of GQ and I would paste mine and look at it all the time, determination and visualization are omnipotent, I did that later as well when I transitioned into acting by putting my head shot on the television screen….I would watch the movies with my face on the screen. You need an honest appraisal of yourself and parental approval and support since women these days are as young as 12 and of course tall at least 5’9. You need to be realistic as well just like a ballerina or a football player needs to have certain attributes, well so does modeling.  You are to be an example (a model) so your weight ,skin (No tattoos or piercing) your hair has to be natural no dying or streaking.  Guys have to have a great physique not overly muscular but be able to fit the clothes if starting out over 18 if younger then it’s a different set of circumstances.  I would say luck (being in the right place at the right time).  Of course be photogenic!!  Realizing that modeling is a career and that you are in business for yourself (an independent contractor) which means you are the business.  It's just like if you were to start a business making cakes or fixing cars.  Modeling agencies act as the broker to the model they take their commission from the job and you have to take care of taxes and deductions just like you would if you owned any other business.

 The first thing you should do is try to contact a local modeling agency and ask them when they have open call. They will usually ask you to email some snapshots of your face and one of your body with your stats including your age, height and measurements.  You must find an agency that is licensed and is affiliated with one of the major agencies.  View their website most agencies have a place to send your pictures on their sites. Remember that they get lots of submissions and they are busy so may not hear back right away.  If they don’t respond is either that you don’t meet their needs or that they didn’t get it. Never give up until you speak with the New Faces agent. If no luck then call again and ask when they have open calls. That is specific days that they see new faces and time.  Patience and humility area a must. If the reception area is full sign in and wait bring a book to read and wait your turn. Sometimes the receptionist will hand you over a registration form, if you are a minor a parent needs to be with you.  They will ask you if you have any pictures to show them, since a lot of times they will just take your info and pictures to the back and if the agent wants to meet you they will come out and take you to their office for an interview.  Some models have gone to conventions or joined websites that all they do is take your money and a lot of it.

I don’t’ believe in those methods since maybe out of hundreds one may be seen.  There are some exceptions one or two that are really connected with major agencies and they scout for them.  Unfortunately a lot of these services are scams and since there is no regulation for the industry YET you could be taken advantage of.   I have some many new faces come to me at my agency after they have been scammed for thousands of dollars for terrible pictures.

The testing for pictures has turned into a business of itself and a lot of people are aware of the need for pictures so they use a school or some other way to get you to come in and tell you what you want to hear and then they take advantage!

If you have that something that the business is looking for there will be no need for any of that until you meet with the reputable agency and then they might give you a sheet with names of photographers that they work with. Remember you are in business for yourself so make sure that you keep all receipts and know that you will have to at some point pay for a good test!! (How much should I expect to pay?

 Agencies will not advance anyone for anything until the model is signed by contract and then they might advance you another test.

Be aware of photographers that say they will shoot for free and give you pictures instead, one they might be terrible photographers,2) they will make you sign a release form and then you never know where those pictures may turn up.  Once you signed that release they can do with the pictures whatever they like and you do not want to be used like that.  Someday I hope to have some sort of regulations where you could call a number and they will help you with all these needs at the moment that does not exist except for me. Since I love modeling and it was great for me but at the same time I have seen terrible things happen to new models!

Still the best way is to get some names from agencies, but trust me if you are model material either by submitting snapshots or going to open calls you will be found.  Make sure that your snapshots are against a white wall a full length bathing suit shot and a close up of your face, smiling and a serious as well as profiles.  Agencies are looking for fresh faces, no makeup hair pulled back in pony tail and guys no extreme haircuts a normal cut or one length hair if hair is longer, never touch your eyebrows until the agencies recommend someone reputable.  Agencies are trained to see behind the faults you might have and when you get signed then they will direct you to the next step.

Question

Q - After I have completed that step what do I do next?

Answer

A - Well if you have gotten through the audition process then its time to start to work on your book, your look, and your best attributes and what to do in front of the camera.

I will give you some tips that I learned along the way about what to do in front of the camera.

Very few testing photographers have this information unless they have been models and then it’s rare since being obsessed and visualizing yourself being there is quite a task.  THE CAMERA PHOTOGRAPHS YOUR THOUGHTS…so whatever you are thinking the camera picks up and the allowing of you being transparent to the camera comes through and attracts people to look at you!  See you and then they look at the clothes and buy them.

 You are basically a salesman selling the product you are wearing whether its makeup lingerie or bathing suits or for men the great suits and designer clothes.  You must feel like you own the world, that the clothes you are wearing are the most beautiful creations you have ever worn( even if you hate the clothes) ..a positive thought, grateful thoughts, appreciation for the fact that you in the front of this great artist taking your pictures; the honor of being chosen…thoughts come through and by being in the NOW you transform yourself into  the character like a great actor or dancer or singer.

Modeling is an art form and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, you must get into character.  Where would you wear the clothes you have on…Imagination is key when being photographed…and attitude only when on the set..it is your job to transfer your happiness to the camera and then to the millions of people who will see the shot.  It isn’t easy and that is why there are so few top models. If you learn to do that and look at models in the magazines and ask yourself what are they thinking? You will see what I mean.  So when testing make sure you get in touch with your thoughts positive thoughts will attract positive results…no matter how you may feel you must leave your life behind in the dressing room and become and the person that the photographer is asking you to be and the editor and the rest of the people around you.  It usually starts in the makeup and hair as the artist starts to do their magic your job is not to be on the phone with your boyfriend or girlfriend your job is to start to breathe in the energy in the room since at the end of the day it is you that has to give that energy back….

So as you learn this and see yourself in pictures and study the other models and do research on the top photographers and what there style is you can then start to form yourself into a model and the young testing photographers will call your agency and say great things about you.  It was one of my secrets but now I am sharing them with you.  Practice in the mirror ...work work work….only those that know what they have to do achieve success!

This should get you great new shots for your book and start getting you noticed by other makeup artists, hair artists and photographers. Remember when you are modeling everyone is hoping you are the next big model and if you pull your first tests well, they all begin to talk about you..to others in the business and that way word of mouth about how great you are starts to get around so the agent gets the confidence to then send you to meet the people that can make you a star, working photographers!

Question

Q - Once I have a decent book, how do I go about getting or finding "go sees"?

Answer

A - Well you should be signed with an agency that will get calls from clients from all over the world asking for the types of models they are looking for. But this casting process takes time unless like I said earlier you get a good test book. Decide to be responsible and committed to your agency and allow them to do what they do best.  If you are in a hurry you can mess up the whole planning, remember the story of the hare and the turtle?  There are other models that have been in the different stages of the cycle.  Some are behind you some are in front of you and some jump to the front and some fall to the back.  For reasons unknown things happen when they are suppose to and by you being in the NOW dealing with what is in front of you , the modeling experience will unroll itself if that is what you are suppose to be doing.  I always tell the models who knows why you are on this path, maybe you will meet your soul mate or decide to be a photographer a designer or makeup artist…just keep following your heart and study the magazines and search the photographer and know their names great artists like Liebowitz and Meisel or Testino , Weber , Steven Klein and so on and so forth. 

If you walk in to your agent and say I just love the work of Steven Klein and if you really do then you will attract a gosee one day and meet him and have the opportunity to share your thoughts on his work and that works for all.  You’ve got to have the ammunition and the gosees will appear by themselves, your job is to be ready with your body face and book and the discipline of a ballet dancer. 

I remember hearing a story about Cindy Crawford, in Milan like in any city in the world they need pretty people to come to the clubs and they give models free liquor and food etc in order to bring the regular clientele in…someone told me that she would always be in the park running in the morning very early before her go sees.  The temptations to party are huge but the commitment to what you want is even bigger.  I'm not saying never go out pick your battles since those places are always filled with clients and photographers and people from the industry.

Another story I heard about the great Antonio Lopez one of the best illustrators of out time…he drew me for the first Valentino campaign along with others but he and Jerry Hall were friends and she wasn’t quite getting the attention she needed so he told her "...tonight wear this gold dress go to the 7, a great little club in Paris, go to the middle of the floor under the light pull your hair up and see what happens. 

Well Jerry hall became one of the great beauties of the 70’s and still is today.  So go and see is the wording really….it means that your agency has set up a GO AND SEE a certain photographer or magazine on a day where they are not shooting although sometimes they will want to meet you when they are shooting and that is a lot of fun. Too walk into these great studios with all the energy and loud music and models jumping in the air or whatever.  There is nothing like this business, it is a daily experience and it’s a good experience that taught me to be in the moment and to meet so many great people along the way.  May your adventure be as fruitful and mine was and still is. Does that answer you questions? Great, let’s move on to:

The Model’s Journey to Success

Question

Q-Once I have a "Mother agency" what should I expect from them and what am I expected to do?

Answer

A - The mother agency is the first agency that sees that potential in you they will give you a contract explaining your duties to them and theirs to you.  It’s good to have one Mother agency that eventually takes care of you and placing you with agencies in the world.  A lot of agencies abroad have time develop models since most European countries have many more access to magazines young photographers etc.  In America most artists already know who they want tow wok with and its rare that they will move someone out for a shoot. in a recent shoot I had a kid who had never worked with Mario Testino and because I assured him he was ready to work ended flying to Los Angeles and shooting with him and has another model sent home.  I had prepared this guy for all possible situations he may face and explained the limits and the reasons to push the limits in certain situations.  Well the limits were pushed the story where naked men holding fabric around their private zone and working with one of the top women in the business…now you just don’t do that unless you know that who you are working with is a great artist respected and so on.

The agency has the job depending on your potential and your interests to make money and to develop you in the right direction. Money makers want to be editorial models and editorial models want to be money makers eventually if they are great at what they will end up at the same place , that is unless the Mother agency has no idea how to develop you and you end up stuck as a cash cow,,,  for them , and hating the business I have recently worked with a gorgeous girl from Sweden who was sent to Thailand and Hong Kong to work at 15 she is now 22 and has nothing but bitter memories and no great work to show for it.  The agencies that I am trying to send her to, they see this in her work and wont work with her.  Miss management on the part of the Mother Agency just so they get their % is criminal…

Be careful to whom you give your self to. And explain to them what you want and why.  Let them know you are intelligent and know something about this business, research photographers stylists hair and makeup models read their stories be obsessed to whom you give your self to ask the questions…Where do you see me in a year?  

Diplomacy is of upmost importance…

Question

Q - Talk to me about the importance of making the people I work with and for feel good about their experience in dealing with me, in front of the camera and off.   Is it true that there is a better chance that they will chose me for the next shoot and for shoot if they enjoy my company, especially ones that involve traveling and spending lots

Answer

A - We all have our attributes and our pitfalls. Honesty and sincerity are key to working from the beginning the team is usually so busy trying to make sure that everything that they need is in order that they don’t need any obstructions from the model.  Your personal life is none of their business and they don’t want to hear what is going on in it.  Your job is not only to be a model but an ambassador of peace, the calmer you are the calmer the whole is.  I usually went around introducing myself to those that I had never met and made some compliments along the way and disappeared until I was needed. I would try to make some effort to meet the other models that I had never worked before, that way it wouldn’t be awkward when we where on the set.  I guess I was like the court jester on the sets I would make sure that everyone around me was comfortable in their skin, I would go out of my way to tell the girls I was working with how fabulous they looked and how much I loved their last shoot with abc.  I always gave the most attention to the photographer, and showed great respect for them since they were great artists and in a discreet way I would let them know the honor I felt working with them, they would in turn tell me the same and a level of respect and creativity would then open up for us models to try different things on the set.  I think I worked not because I was so handsome or such a great model I think I made everyone laugh, maybe to mask my own insecurity.  It’s not the easiest thing to walk unto a set with people you have never met and to quickly access the situation and create a positive ambiance. A lot of my friends would say to me that I was the consummate diplomat.  What they didn't know was the insecurity that I had that I was in the wrong place; most models have the same insecurity no matter what each time you work it’s a challenge.  I wasn't the tallest of the men, and I could feel some clients thinking, “I thought he was taller “but after a while of my charm they would forget it and if phone books had to be brought out for me to stand on to get closer to the women then they would come out I should of carried my own set of phone books with me.  Sometimes when you don’t fit the mold of the model one does rise to the top…it’s a quality to be photogenic I suppose or to let go and let whatever happens happen and I did, I gave my trust to the photographer and took direction .  Once when I was being photographed for an issue of GQ the best of the best , where the best male models were being interviewed  and were being photographed in great outfits, the editor came to me with  a pair of black leather shorts and a red silk shirt and red socks up to my knees.

At first I joked about it everyone else had such great normal outfits, the editor came to me and said Paul we saved this one for you since we thought you were the only one that could pull it off.  After countless times of jumping in the air and clicking my heels …they had the shot and in the end it became a double page!!.  So you see sometimes you will be faced with things that at the time seem ridiculous but in the end if you do your best could end up being the great shot of the day.

Once you have proven to the clients that you have what it takes and are not a model with attitude they will use you over and over again since they know that you will deliver the goods no matter what they ask of you. 

I once spent a good many days in Africa ,with a catalogue and the work was not only in front of the camera ,but all the time it is exhausting to have dinners and find something to speak about on a long trip, but if you genuinely care about those around you they will open up and hopefully make friends by taken chances and showing them that you a re human after all!!

Energy is a commodity and that I had in abundance, especially doing the shows I loved being on the runway and tried to exude happiness even though sometimes my insides were not so willing to cooperate.  Most people sitting at the shows have been to dozens of other shows and frankly are bored..that to me as always a challenge to wake everyone up…even if they had to make the clothes fit me they knew that I would give my all on the runway.  The process starts at the castings for the shows, today I have been with some of the models that I represent and see the other models waiting to meet the designers bore and tired and with no light inside them.  The designer is looking for some that will sell the clothes on the runway not some one that thinks that their looks alone will do it.  I always would compliment the outfit they put on me I would find something about it that I really liked and in that truth shared will resonate with the designers and they felt it and hired me.  I hope that you understand the work involved behind the scenes of a model.  First with your agents, then on go sees, then on castings and finally on the job!!

 The greatest trait you can develop as a model is humility no matter how famous you may get. If you buy the hype and think you are any different than anyone else then you are headed in to a disastrous place.  I have seen many models including myself that made that mistake.  In front of the camera on a job or test you can be anyone you want as a matter of fact is important for you to get in touch with your true feelings. Once of the set you are just a person with a job called modeling.  If the universe chooses you to be successful then you must give it away to those that you come across other models struggling for instance.  Help your family, invest pay yourself a salary and make sure you incorporate, and save all receipts. Manners, studio etiquette, Ill speak about those subjects later.  At your agency remember that your agents make  in a week what you might make in an hour, so make sure to surprise them with flowers, lunches whatever you can do to show your gratitude.  The last photo I was privileged to be in was last year for French Vogue and I made sure that I let everyone know how grateful I was to be in that shoot.  They in turn said the same thing to me and the climate was a team effort even the Supermodel was most grateful and did not complain a bit, although it was hot and she was wearing very warm clothes.  People in this industry work very hard to be where they are and they do not appreciate any attitude, again other than when working, you must use all the frustration feelings you might have about the awful noise in the room next door when you couldn't sleep after being on a plane for hours.  This is a business and organizational skills must be learned, and never create a dependency with your agents.  They can make mistakes so it’s up to you to make sure you know what you are doing and when and what the rate is so there aren’t any miss communications   It is your responsibility to call everyday and check in everyday.  Your agents really appreciate when at Christmas time you slip them an envelope with cash.  They usually have kids and travel far every morning to be there and work for you, even though it may seem that they are not, trust me they are, they are under constant pressure from the owners to meet a bottom line, so when they speak your name to the client you want to make sure their tone is a positive one.  Models have nothing to complain about if they don’t appreciate the journey then they should quit and do something else.  For me and many successful models we breathed the business it was a part of our lives that if we weren't working we would die.  Today models have no clue of the work that goes in and when you’re break will come…Patience is another trait that without you drown also boundaries and priorities.  A great model is comfortable in their skin. Communication is another. Speak up if you do not feel comfortable in a situation that you might be put in, but always do it discreetly. I could go on and on but the Modeling Experience is a worldly one full of unexpected places and people.  Enjoy!!

Action Exercise #1

Name your top 5 favorite Photographers:

1-

2-

3-

4-

5-

Explain one characteristic that you like about each one of them and why you would love to work with them as a model.

1-

2-

3-

4-

5-

Name your top 5 favorite Hairstylist:

1-

2-

3-

4-

5-

Name your top 5 favorite Makeup Artist:

1-

2-

3-

4-

5-

Action Exercise #2

Take your favorite cover shot of the magazine you would most like to see yourself on. 

Remove the models picture and paste yours on.  Expect that you might feel silly at first but understand what you are doing is a form of visualization.

Your subconscious mind must be able to see you on that cover.  Put the cover somewhere you will see it every day when you first wake up and just before you go to bed.  Feel the feelings as if its already real, if its working you should feel grateful, you should feel wonder and joy, close your eyes.  You will know when this begins to work

because you will find yourself smiling.

Action Exercise #3

Pick the top three places you would like to travel to during your career.

Cut pictures out of shoots that are taking place in these locations and begin pasting them in a location book.

Look at them often. Once again practice getting in touch with the feelings as if you were already there.  You are invoking the Law of Attraction so understand you can not skip this step and if you do, you may not want it bad enough.  Test your resolve and your "burning desire" to be who you want to be, doing what you desire to be doing most and traveling to those places you most want to see.

The Law of Attraction and Modeling

Q - Why is it so important that I visualize and use positive affirmations?  Does this really work? Can you tell me stories that illustrate this actually working?  What does it have to do with modeling?