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Afternoon Q&A

Lesson 11 from: Modeling 101

Yoanna House, Matthew Jordan Smith

Afternoon Q&A

Lesson 11 from: Modeling 101

Yoanna House, Matthew Jordan Smith

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Lesson Info

11. Afternoon Q&A

Next Lesson: Casting Calls

Lesson Info

Afternoon Q&A

This is a question from zones. Who said you wanna went over one thing very fast and that was how did she move? £65. I lost 58. 58 Okay. And I also want to say it was incredibly brave of you to put that four picture up. Yeah, you doing that? So a lot of real women watching who aspire to be moms as well. So zones asked during her early career days, if you could just talk about your story and happen story of inspiration to show people at home that it is possible to do this sharing that story. Actually, you know it is. And I think that's kind of why Tyra, I will say that was a real connection I had with people because I do feel that I'm pretty authentic in the sense that I am an everyday girl. I mean, I might be a little taller and, look, you know, a little more exotic. My parents are foreign or whatever, but, you know, I wasn't born stick Then. I didn't get plucked from a village in the middle of Brazil and found in a shopping mall and come along with us I mean, my career was a process, a...

nd, you know, I have evolved, but I thank God have never had an issue with eating nothing like that. And there were times where I would get too thin, and I think it was overworked. I was too fixated on what other people were thinking of me, but now is a woman. I'm very secure with who I am. So I kind of feel like if they think I'm too big for that job a well, books someone else. I as a mom don't have time for that much opinion. I know how I have to look already. I've been doing this now for 10 years. I know what the expectations are. I know when I need a break, and that's a great way to stay healthy. If I've got a vacation coming up, I let them know it. I'm not gonna be working for the next weeks. I'm gone. I need a break of my son's sick or something like that. I let them know because at the same time, that expectation they have on me, I can release that pressure that I'm not gonna be working out six times a week for the next three weeks. I'm not going to be putting a gloss on my hair. I'm not gonna be, uh, you know doing that because it can be exhausting to have toe, you know, be someone else's expectations, especially they want you to make money for them. So I will say that I had to learn how to eat. I had no idea about nutrition. Okay, I thought everything back then fat free was awesome and would keep me Ben wrong. A lot of that stuff has fillers and sugars and weird sort of ingredients. And I didn't know about food combinations. I learned now that if I am going to be healthy, I try, you know, have more efficient vegetables versus rice and things like that I stay away from except for this week. Like, you know, I'm working in a production. I'm gonna eat what I want to eat it. I'm not gonna eat very often. And I'm gonna just need that fuel. But day today, I don't do dairy okay with women, and I find that puts on a lot of extra weight around certain areas. I don't know if it's the hormones that they're putting into the, You know, the products. Now I have a feeling that's probably it. I drink lots of water. I work out twice a day and in the sense that I do cardio at one time of day and I do apologize a yoga or strength training another time of the day, it's imperative that I do the both because without them, my body wouldn't be long and lean. It might. It might lead, but it might be gummy, or it might be too muscular and not lean. So I've had to learn the combination for my body type. And I've learned over the years I can stay very slim if I kind of eat, you know, within reason. But I won't be toned and I won't have my waste as small. So I've also worked out a workout routine, like I said with runny, and then I switched from running. If I'm doing running too much, that I'm gonna do the elliptical or I'm gonna do this or that, Um, and lots of vegetables light on the fruit. Tyra taught me that even though you think it's delicious, it's great. It has a lot of sugar And if you're gonna eat that, try not to combine it with other foods. I stay away from nuts. Um, you know, I might have a few here and there, but I feel like models get really excited about almonds being on a set. And they're like, constantly digging in and, you know, you know, it might be too much. They don't need that much nuts, I think. And, um, yeah, so I think it's just learning how to work out and give up all of the refined food that really wasn't doing anything for me. It's a good lesson for all of us under what you're Yeah, Objectivism. Yeah, but it's taking care of your vessel. Yeah, definitely. Self care number one. So another question is from a mature holistic in India. India just passed a new law saying that no model can have a B m. I under 18. What is your take on this? Do you? What do you feel is a good demonic? I don't really read into that because I will say it's put out there to promote being healthy, and I think that's the most important underlying thing. I don't really feel that a modeling agency are going to sit there and measure your B M I or measure your fat look atyou that I don't time for that. They're basically saying to you, Hey, we're trying to book healthy girls. You need to be healthy and it's also not fair. I see a lot of on social media, my plus size model friends bashing the thin girls because they're naturally thin and vice versa. You know, it's if you're a certain way, use that to your advantage. You know, don't bash the thin girl because you know that's not what you're doing all that. But I think what the b m I It's just important that the girls learned to be healthy, like David was saying from the agency. It reads, When you're not eating, it reads, when you're tired, it reads, If you're a Billy MC, they know they've been doing this for years right away, and they're gonna see it, you know, And there was a time when I was working out too much and an agent said to me, she's working out too much, and it wasn't that I was too thin, but I looked tired and I didn't have vitality and the energy and the enthusiasm on it kind of was starting to show. That's why kind of I let go, because I think when you're healthy and you're happy, it definitely shows it does in your hair in your eyes. Skin. Yeah, definitely. This kind of applies to wait but takes us off into a different direction. This is from D. C. Who asked, Have you ever turned on a gig because you think the changes they're asking you to make your look might limit the jobs you will be able to do after that gig? Um, I'm beginning. I had a lot of people, wanted me to stick with short hair, and I did for a while. But then I started getting into hosting and it was limited. I want to do my hair longer or people want me to do radical like I've had a lot of male photographers kind of hit that they might have wanted me to lose a little weight for something. And I'm like, Screw them. I don't make enough from you toe like, you know, like waste my time. You know, I feel I know what my trademark is as you wanna. And if you're a photographer, your client and you're seeking me out, then then I know that's who I am. I'm not gonna try and morph into, you know, Like I said, I want to be the best of me and I don't really pay too much attention to that. I think it's much more important. Listen to an agent or an agency versus a stylist or or ah, photographer. Don't you agree? Well, photographers, for sure, Definitely. Yeah, but they know what they're getting when they book a girl. Do you know so cool? So I have a couple questions going back to the beginning of the day. One from an API Who's in Panama. What photos do clients generally prefer for your book outsider in a studio? Or doesn't matter. Do you want a variety I saw in your book? You read number. Alright, right for sure. Hands down and markets to I know Miami did not want studio images I've brought in from New York. L A loves outdoor loves out for they also love in studio, but it's got to be pretty and not weird are and every markets different from l. A. To new York to Miami to Chicago. The very different markets may be great pictures that you get in New York. We may change. We need to L A. They went on a different feeling. Different Look. Question from a guest in the chat room. What is the size you should be for an agency to say? I'm 5 without shoes, and I'm always wondering what size I should be wearing, like a farce. Cause are are you always a six? Is that like a standard or six is kind of in between? I would think that be more cursed by fashion. You've gotta be, you know, no bigger than a four. And I mean more in the sense that not women's for, but also more towards a European fitting up before because when you go to the gap and you put on a size for it's not the same as adults. Change of on a size four. It's not, and it's depressing because then you're like, Wait a minute. But, um, agency will tell you it's important that you look proportion, I think more so than the number on the back of your dress do you want when you're writing down your You want them in European sizes versus American sizes? No, I'm just saying that be prepared as a model over that You really are a true a lot of girls lie about their size is just be no yeah, true, Be true so that when you're booked and your agency knows that she is a true for she is a four borderline six because she's got a tiny waist But her hips are a little bigger But you know they'll know how to sell You okay? Yeah. Girls lie about her age. I don't know this whole, like obsession with age. I mean, I don't Most women lie about men lie about their ages. I've got a date with Mitt in New York and they tell me their life before they're 38. You find out there 45 you're like, Wait a minute. So you know, I mean, you're a lie about your age. They're gonna find out Anyway, You could tell it sometimes look so young and they're 30. And that's one thing David was saying we have. You wanna because she looks like a woman, but she looks like a young woman, and it's still sellable. But if I were to start drinking and going out and if I was, you know, messing around and not taking care of myself, I'm gonna look 38 you know? Or if I start doing the boat talks in the face, I'm gonna look 36 I'm not gonna look true to what you know. My age is and so I wouldn't be bookable still. So just so interesting. But you take what beauty is telling you. Think you're supposed to be doing for Bebo talks and all this? Yeah, that's making it even worse. It makes it worse. Yeah, so interesting. I have a question from Kim Photo, which goes back to talking about the finances. And that is she's from Norway to clarify a statement about the agency. And when you talked about the reality of what? Oh, what you have to pay out, Do you have? Is there a deadline on paying back the bill to an agency when they invest all that money for you? Like so, is it basically that you're gonna be potentially in debt for the 1st years or so? How does that work? Well, it being great ideally, if you could pay them back right away and work out something with them, Um I mean, they're gonna want you to also have money. They're not gonna be like snatch. We're gonna take it out. But sometimes it Let's say you owe the agency like $10,000 you've been with them now for like a year. Okay? And you've done testing's. You've made 100 bucks here and there. You're getting your books started. It's taking some time, and David said sometimes it's okay to be that way. It's not right away fast. Instant, because you know that sometimes this girls don't last, I feel like they will. Probably most likely when you got your first big gig. Let's say you book a commercial and you got paid $15,000. They're gonna pull that $10,000 out of that $15,000 check. And they're also possibly which this has happened. Gonna pull another percentage out of your check, which is called a retainer. Okay, that meaning that on that rainy day you haven't been booked for six months. This agency's been pushing you in selling you. They don't want to lose money. They're not gonna invest any more money. They're gonna put aside $2000 just in case for that. And it's important. So then you've got to subtract the retainer, be they might not do it every check, but they might do it every, like, three checks before checks. Then you have to subtract what you owe the agency, okay? And then if you pay them back, you still have to pay your 20%. So it's really good to be smart about understanding that this retainer No, it's like super fine print. Andi, they're not even mention it. It just happens. And you're like when you get a statement and you're like, Oh, my gosh, say I booked $30,000 a month minus all my expenses minus the cars minus flights. You know, sometimes a client won't pay for you to come out there. They'll pay you a great gig, and they might say, Oh, don't reimburse you later and you have to pay it out of your pocket there, which happens a lot. That'll come right out. You're huge check and the retainer fee. You don't even know when you'll get it back. If you have an emergency or you have a slow month and you need money. They'll give it to you. But ideally, they want to hold onto it. Yeah, we'll take a fun question. Yes, that a break. So this is from the least, Henry, who asked as a top model, Do you give the opportunity to a new photographer about a talented photographer was trying to make his Here's a her career into the pros. And then SC Studios also asked what would be the best way for a relatively new photographer to approach a more experienced model to help them with a personal style shoot for their book or not? And would that make it okay, I'm gonna be really political with this because I would like Well, here's the thing. I have gotten requests and I've done just this year to new photographers. They like their style. It that they're called the agency in the market that I was at said, Try it and something in my gut said, I hope this guy really knows what he's doing because if you've been doing this now for 10 years and you've got someone tinkering with the light for two hours or asking someone to catch the Reflector. And I'm been doing this now forever. And I'm sitting there thinking like, Okay, when are they going to get their stuff together and already is a model I'm like, decompressing? I'm losing my energy. I'm losing my enthusiasm. I'm kind of like how launch longer is this going to take this guy, Get it together? I think that if you're trying to shoot an experience model and should have a stronger book so that you could impress that model and maybe even show them that Hey, I shot these girls and they there my images have made their books or I've started doing some smaller publications or blog's and it's getting featured. Now. Would you work with me? But more likely for me now, having had an experience like that and then the young photographer saying to me later, Oh, my lighting was off and I can't really get you the pictures I like. Screw that. I'm not doing that again. That was a learning experience. I would Then if I get something like handed to the agency, talk to the agency. My concerns, the agency would say, Look, you're getting an experience model. You have to least cover you want is gas to get there, OK? Or make sure that you style her age appropriately, and then she'll work with you. But there's got to be some sort of communication when you're working with an experienced girl because we don't want as a model where it's not time, not even time wasted, but the backlash of not getting awesome, expensive looking images like what David was saying because then, on my news feed on Facebook, I'm going to get or, you know, and then I have to hide that comment because it's hurtful. And here I was trying to give a town, you know, up and coming artists a chance to work with me, and it ended up not being to my benefit at all. There was no mutual benefit, so going back to that also were photographers who were starting out. If you're testing all those new girls and you get really good at that as you get better, the agency will give you better girls as you get better. That's how it happens. That's how it started. First shooting like you know, Heidi Klum was entire banks from testing all the time And as you get better, they give you the better girls takes as we has been a theme last week on creativelive. It just takes that practice and doing the hard work. Absolutely. And it is part of not just getting a great picture, but that process of this shoot are you spinning like, five hours to get that one great shot or you're getting it fast because we have a great girl in front of you. You can't take all that time of looking at my back. My camera and oh, is this right? Is this like means chases? Like I don't have the time and the best thing Teoh. And this happened, I guess don't bring equipment you've never tried that you just ordered. And you want to try out on that experience model because that is a whole can turn a whole nother, you know, works. Yeah, totally. So I just had some horrible visuals. Don't do that. Ever. Box camera lens maker out? Yeah. Good idea. Has a question Question on the opposite. And what about for models who are not as experienced? Who are trying to work with photographers to test? Do you have any advice toe on how to approach them. I mean, you would approach them in the sense that you like their work and you want their images in your book. You have to be careful, too, because once you're seeking them out, they can charge you. And there needs to be understanding of what you're expecting from this photographer. So if you're seeking them out and you want to work with them and you're not paying them, they have the right to mold and do whatever they want with you. Now if you're paying them and you have a right to tell them what you expect from them, so and really you know, it's to point to a point. This year, a girl called me actually emailed me. I get a lot of this all the time, wanted me to shoot her, and I'll say 90% of time, I won't shoot those girls. I see the pictures, but every now and then I'll find a girl who I think has potential, and this year a girl sitting an email and I looked OK. We look at the pictures and like, Oh wow, and she wanted me to shoot her so the first time we shot. I charged her and we have great images. But the entire team my hair, makeup styles who all like this girl has potential. I kept. Should I still shooting now? I don't charge anymore, but I should have all the time. And I love shooting this girl. But she approached me. Yeah.

Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

Tbh, this course should be mandatory viewing for all new models. A very insightful review of how it is to be a model, what is expected, what you can expect, how the industry works, what kind of modelling there is, how to deal with different types of photographers, catwalk, etc. Everything they should know but often need to learn the hard way. All masterfully presented by Yoanna House and Matthew Jordan Smith. Henrik "Imaginara" Bengtsson Sweden

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