The other day I was approached by a mother, asking if her daughter was pretty enough to be a model. I asked to see a picture of her daughter, along with a few questions and gave her, her answer. I then asked if I could share her photo with a close friend of mine, who has done some former modeling herself and she thought the girl was beautiful. The mom wanted to get some headshots done, as well as some modeling shots, but was short on funds. Normally, I shy away from doing shoots for free, but I felt it was for a good cause; under the condition, that her mom would write a review and post it to my social media sites.
Her mom and I talked in length, about the dos and don’ts about photographing children and what actually happens on location. I also expressed my feelings about having her daughter left alone with any photographer, male or female. I am not saying that you can’t trust photographers, just that it is better to be safe than sorry and I would hate to see anything happen to anyone or their children. Here are a few more tips:
Share sample poses ahead of time with your future model and have him or her try them. Tell them that, that is their homework.
Be patient, remember this is probably his or her first time and they need guidance.
Book another model to shoot with, to build your new models confidence, if the parent is ok with it.
Always have sample poses handy, during the shoot.
Have mom or dad lend a hand if the model is not too embarrassed. (**Note: Some children wish their parents would not be there; don’t!**)
If the child could stand to lose a few pounds, tread lightly. (**Note: This could go wrong rather quickly. **)
One of my major tips for young future models, don’t get any ink. (** Note: Unless you’re planning on modeling strictly for a certain group, just say no. **)
All in all we had a good shoot. I think the future model walked away with a good experience and a little more knowledge about modeling other than looking through magazines and dreaming! Which was the main point. And of course, I’m still waiting for that review.
I had a lot of fun writing this one like all of my blogs. I trust I have given you some valuable tips to think about, before planning your next shoot. It’s not all bad, just be clear and informative, it will save you a lot of headaches. Remember nothing is set in stone and there is not a perfect formula, so go out and have some fun.
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