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Ways to Get Discovered

I want to talk about ways to get discovered. Okay? And I know everyone is wanting to know how. Um, I'm going to tell you that it's can be very simple. And what Matthew had said, Don't let one opinion control. What? You what your fate could be as a photographer or as a model. Um, make your presence known in various markets too much. If, like you're in Seattle, you really focused on this Seattle market. That might be great, but you need to understand the various markets, what they're looking for and how to kind of make that connection with the agency or even with magazines, a lot of time. Small scale magazines. I wouldn't say small scale, but maybe local magazines are looking for local girls. They're not going to reach out to New York, fly someone in, spend all this money hiring a New York model when they could probably find some girl that's local. Okay, so how do you make your presence known to them is important. Um, Polaroids Super, Super, Super important to this day. Okay, I probably ...

get asked to send my Polaroid to an agency every other week, and it's like, Wait a minute. They had two weeks ago. What I look like. Why do they want one now? It's important because they want to see. Did you cut your hair? Did you color your hair? Is your hair highlighted? Um, have you gone tanning? I've made that mistake. I did a little spray tan. I was feeling pale. I was feeling gloomy. I need a little lift. And then the clients like you know what really tells the truth? Yeah. We want to see that. Can't retouch it or any other types of manipulation. We want to see that Polaroid tells us the full story. I just want to touch up quickly on the pole, right situation, And then we'll go to all the questions. And this is important because you're going to get a phone call to once you're with an agency or you're getting casted with the photographer or an art director. You need to show up to the agency. A lot of times agency will do that. Say, oh, poppin We want to see what you're looking like calm and we're gonna take your picture and forward it over to a client. So I'm gonna show you samples when we come back of what I did for certain clients and what they wanted and how that got me booked for great gigs on DSA. Sometimes they didn't. And the reason was because my hair was too highlighted and I went to the salon or it was too stripey or whatever and things that you're not even thinking of, that they would notice the client would notice. But Matthew, what do you get from a Polaroid when you're on when they're looking at deployed, looking at not just the Polaroid but all the other things as well? And that's could be the final piece that could get you job or lose the job. And when I'm looking at that Polaroid I want to see with a girl looks like today because her book could be, you know, I'm a shower. Old pictures are I want to see how she looks today. Her hair color, her skin, her, her weight, all that the polar tells me the truth. I could probably love her book and everything. But what the final point of booking this model that Polaroids Very important. Yeah, and a lot of times some models will not be very, let's say stunning in person. They might just look tall and thin and just cute. But in photographs, I mean, it's mind blowing the way they transform. So it's important for you. See, girls who are so pretty in person and they're not photogenic at all. That happens all the time. Okay, So any questions, that is just a question. Not Yes, but the photogenic part That is something that you could learn you could be totters at. That's natural. You can learn how to work your best like traits. Okay, if I've got big lips, I'm not gonna be opening up like I have to learn how to close my mouth. How toe? Open it for certain posing. You can learn, but it time and time again, you're finding that you're working with people. Maybe the whole portfolio things not for you. And you might just be casted for local runway shows or uh, promoting or whatever. So it's important to see how you photo and don't go by what one photographer does because it's the photographers job to make the model look her best. Okay, a lot of times these photographers make it about themselves, but they need to make you look your best. I don't want to hear from photographers testing girls. I'm not going to retouch her up to make her look even better. I don't have time for that. That's compromising my work. Well, we're not asking you to shave off five inches from her waist. We're asking you to make her look the best form of herself. So for me, it's just a very interesting field because it's one of the very few fields that. So Roberto Valenzuela, who's watching? Actually, he was here last week. Roberto is watching, and he was talking about practice versus talent. But with modeling, it is your physical, physical looks. So it's really one of the very few things that you either. You can't really don't you kind of have it or you don't know could enhance it can enhance it. I think you have to learn how to work. Your assets are, you know, as tire sometimes says No, you're seven o'clock would just have to figure out how to work your best assets about what's a positive with a negative, really negative, but not as powerful. And just show your best side show your best you. Can we go back to my story? I wanna show pictures of when I was a teenager and how I've evolved because I learned I feel like it. All right, kind of. If we go back to my story, I'm gonna show you pictures of that was me. Okay. When I was like, an eighth grade, that was when I was, like, hooked on the Ritz crackers and cream cheese, you know? And then that was me. And then that was me. This was my first trip to New York at, like, years old, and I went to go look at the agency's outside, was too afraid to go in on. And I thought, one day, maybe maybe I'll be there. And then from my winning shot to America's next top model, Teoh, you know, being, you know, cutting my hair and doing what they wanted growing out my eyebrows and just following direction, Um, to that, you know, doing runway is my first fashion week. Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Um, you know, So my look evolved. I definitely think you can learn. I'm not talking about doing anything that strasse stick, but I molded myself into what they were looking for, and it took time to understand. But it can be doable. I do think so, Yeah. Okay, So a question from a feel like a model in the chat room is what types of models are being looked for in the industry today. Wow, I'm going to say, unfortunately, it's a lot of international girls that are working a lot of an international audience, so that's so that's great. But I'm saying for girls here, that's why it's important to bring something different. You guys look ethnic, too, so that's great. I think the typical girl next door look is kind of boring for fashion. It might be great for a men's market for Max magazine if that's kind of the way that you're going. If you can be both amazing. Like Kate Upton, she is voluptuous, curvy, gorgeous. She does vogue. She does Sports Illustrated. She does men's magazines. G. Q. So I think you need to be multi dimensional. It's great to be different and youth for fashion. High fashion is definitely what sells. I feel well, you will always sell, But fashion also is all about. Change is always changing and evolving and I always will. Fashion is changed, right? Okay. I'm just gonna ask the difficult questions, right? First day. So thistles from a studio UK Who asked, what are your thoughts on plastic surgery? And Bo talks for face and body part argumentation for a fashion model. Okay. Well, I I have not ever injected anything in my face. I went to a party once. I had my son. I was tired, and there was something written that I did stop. No, they don't want you to do that. Breast augmentation. Fine. If it's natural, I was with the top agency. Um, I will say that I, you know, took a decision to enhance a little bit of myself there because I was so skinny and I didn't want to look like a boy anymore. It's really hard for someone expect you to be a size two and then fill a C and D cup bra. Unless you're genetically blessed. Sorry it just as there are hundreds of top models and we're talking about published girls who had breast implants. They look so natural now when you're starting to get over a C and a D cup, you're trying to start getting into a different kind of market. Um, so it's important. Teoh, you know, look natural is what it iss Um but yeah, I think when you start, I will say there's some models have had a little bit of their nose taken off. I've heard, I don't know for fact, no one's gonna admit that. But I think when you start doing the boat talks and this and that, it's kind of kind of people will know she's done something to her face and I accept that I'm not. I'm not 18. I'm not 22. I'm not trying to be that. I don't want to be photographed like that. I'm not asking to be sent on our castings like that. I know how old I am. I accept it, and I'm going out on those jobs that are looking for girls that age. Also, you're seeing behind the room with clients, say she to speak to her mouth. Looks weird. Valley is very L A is very much like that. And even in Florida Miami, I have my friends who, at 28 were getting injected with biotoxin like, Are you kidding me? And it's from insecurity of thinking like I'm looking old. Unlike screw them. 28 is not old. I'm sorry. You can Still my friend said, Hey, with photo shop, you can look 24. So are 18. Yeah. When you start messing with the face and doing all of that, yeah, especially when you do it really young because you have to keep that up. And I'm sure that's a daunting process with the older you start getting yeah. So a question from Maali in Japan says, What is the plus size market like? And is there a plus size market? And what industry can they work it? Yeah, plus size marketing. Whitney Thompson, a friend of mine, was winner from America's next Top model. She's Onley plus size winner came from that, and I've talked with her about this a lot. You have to be healthy. You have to look really healthy plus size, meaning like I think she was saying something like an 8 10 12 is really lucrative. But being proportioned and that's the same thing to you know, if you are wanting to get into that field, if you're Kirby, you've got to be proportioned. You can't be like heavyset at the bottom on. Then you know, slim it top. It's got, it's got a work, It's gotta be sellable, and I will tell you. Plus size girls make a ton of money because it's an It's a market that so approachable for everyday women because it's the reality of how real women look. And companies like Lane Bryants and now Forever 21 all these huge department stores cater to those lines for those women. So it's not about being stick then or being a certain frame and thinking that you're not workable. Whitney just did a huge spread for Vogue Italia. They did a curvy thing. I think it was like late summer editorial. It was gorgeous. She looked like Marilyn Monroe. And, you know, if Vogue Italia's endorsing that and now a lot of these indie high fashion magazines love girls with the boobies. And that's one thing I heard. And fashion men love boobies. So and, you know, in these the chubby girls, not not chubby girls. But I say, like more fuller figured girls have boobs, and that's great because that's sellable. Yeah, so just to clarify and from hoodie in the chat room is size eight a plus size. What? What determines Plus eight America starting to break into. Plus, I hate to say that, um, even me when after I had my son, I was like a comfortable in a six. That might look great. Normal. Everyday people think you're slim but doesn't vote a rapid photographs in between. So it's good to kind of stay under a four or a healthy four. I'm also, like, almost six feet tall. So for me, going to a two, it's kind of like I don't like to be that tiny anymore. I like my curves. I don't want to lose my bust. I don't And if someone doesn't want to work with me because I'm a little thicker than fine book another girl. But I try to bring something else that may be the really skinny girl won't bring, you know, maybe I work my face more something like that. Yeah, I actually just saw in a magazine that plus model had gotten landed the campaign for Rough Lauren or yeah, the big time names, you know. And so it is. It's starting to become more and more mainstream, very cool fashions about change yes, wondering when would you? How How would someone go about knowing whether or not making like a slight change or an alteration would be a good idea for their career chose, like shaving a little bit off her nose or enhancing your bus size are I think it's important to be honest with yourself is how far you want to take it. Um, I've never had anyone say Do something, Inject here, put that there. But I've had my own insecurities. You know, are I think that you need to talk to your agency and if they say something that subtle or something that's manageable and you feel comfortable doing it, if you could be the best form of yourself, I'm not against plastic surgery. And I think when people are dissing other women for doing it and making them out to be, you know, I don't know, just making them feel less of a woman. I think if that you feel great and something you want to dio and you're happy with it, then you know that's a personal decision