I’ve written about modeling scams before, but the questions about dubious modeling services, agencies, and scouts keep coming. As long as there are modeling scams (which there will be for as long as there are aspiring models), I’ll keep issuing warnings!

How to Spot a Modeling Scam

Often you can tell a legit website with photos of successful models from one with sub-par models featured on the home page.

IMG London: A Legit Model Agency Site

That’s one tip that could help this reader, as well as a reminder that alarm bells should go off if a company asks for money up front (in this case, even before meeting the aspiring model).

Her Question:

“I recently put up a pic and applied to a website in London (I am from Ireland); I received a text message saying they saw my application and would like me to ring them on a number he had sent me in the text. I did and he said they would like to see me in three weeks as my pic shows modeling potential. They sent me an email and would like to see me to assess me. They need 50 pounds deposit and I will get it back if I show up.”

My Answer:

Stay tuned for a blog post on model agency open call times, coming next week.

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Joan Smalls, the first Latina face of Estee Lauder

I don’t think all this rejection is a bad thing. In the real world, everyone is not the Most Valuable Player on the team and feelings are not protected by a fabricated culture of ultra fairness, as is the case often in school these days. What a model must recognize is that the rejection is not personal. By and large modeling is about superficial characteristics: your figure, your hair color, your petite nose, your symmetrical face. Aside from taking care of yourself—working out, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, plucking your brows, maintaining your highlights, dressing in flattering clothes—you have little control over how much you will work. Personality plays a part. It can help to be cheery, agreeable, funny, and interesting, but those qualities alone will not make you a supermodel. The genetic lottery will.

Lauren Hutton, one of the most enduring models

The hardest part is determining when to believe the naysayers and perhaps pursue a different career, and when to soldier on and keep chasing the dream. Plenty of models have defied the odds and proven that determination pays off: gap-toothed 5’7″ Lauren Hutton (she lived on pot pies while spending months trying to get an agent in New York), Kate Moss (a midget next to the supermodels on the scene when she started modeling), Puerto Rican supermodel Joan Smalls (rejected at first in New York for being too “dark,” until IMG’s Ivan Bart accompanied her to castings as her cheerleader. Now rated the #1 model in the world on models.com). Heidi Klum was originally relegated to catalog modeling at Metropolitan until Elite reinvented her as an editorial girl.

Heidi Klum, hardly the catalog girl she was originally labelled

The bottom line: Models need to have a thick skin. The great news is, the color of their skin doesn’t matter so much anymore.

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The Internet has spawned the era of freelance modeling… What does that mean? It means that some models are marketing themselves and getting bookings without the help of an agency (some models are also finding it acceptable to work through various agencies in the same market). Liv Kingsbury, April Model of the Month, posted some of her photos on Models.com and subsequently was contacted by a photographer regarding doing a shoot in Long Island City (which is near Manhattan). The shoot, for the lookbook of a small boutique, would be in the evening and models would get photos but no pay. Liv’s mom, Suzanne Kingsbury, e-mailed and asked what I thought—does this sound legit?

Model Liv Kingsbury

First, I went to the photographer’s web site: cleciolira.com. The professional appearance of the site and the quality of the photos established that Clecio Lira was clearly a working photographer, though not a fashion photographer. This could explain the timing of the shoot. Photographers’ assistants or someone trying to break into a new area of photography will have easier (and less expensive) access to studio space in the evenings after bigger  shoots wrap up. Now, what about no pay? Well, Liv is not an established model with a portfolio and experience. She has a few snapshots and admittedly is just starting out. The photographer is taking a risk on her, so the trade-off is photos—hopefully good enough for her book—instead of a paycheck.

Before pondering that trade-off, there are bigger risks to consider. Remember the three women who disappeared after being contacted regarding their photos on modelmayhem.com? There are predators out there. Liv’s mother was well aware of this. She called Clecio and had a long conversation about the proposed shoot. Most importantly, she established that she was welcome to accompany Liv and stay in the studio the entire time. She also learned that there would be a hairdresser and makeup artist, which always ups a model’s odds of getting good photos.

Liv in Hair and Makeup

They decided to give it a shot. Liv’s mom reported back: “The photographer was professional and offered excellant guidance. The girls (two models) learned a ton in body movement and showing off clothes.  The shoot went a full five hours with hair and make up. Liv will get a cd with some photos early next week, and the lookbook will be ready in a month. So… it could have been sketchy, but ended up a great experience!”

Liv on Set

Before you jump at any freelance booking that comes your way, be as vigilant as the Kingsburys were. Suzanne adds, “Another photographer contacted Liv on models.com and my research found him listed as a predator photographer in NYC.  So you can’t be too careful!”

Pros of freelancing: you don’t have to wait to start working until you find agency representation, you don’t give a cut to an agent, and you control your own marketing and career.

Cons of freelancing: you have to do all the legwork to market yourself and manage booking details; you don’t have anyone to filter out potentially illegitimate, financially insolvent, or dangerous clients; rates will likely be lower (but not giving a cut to an agent can balance out the difference); and you don’t have an accountant to collect payment for you.

Freelance models: Report back to us on your experiences!

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