Models – Ask a question
The models guide on my website, Wolf’s Models Guide, aims to answer many questions aspiring models may have, from how to act like a pro to marketing for models and how to avoid the many modelling scams.
I am unable to give individual advice but if you do have a question, which you cannot find answered in the models guide, you may post it here as a “comment”. Be sure to mention your age and in which country you are based.
I cannot promise that I am able to answer your question but will endeavour to do so. I do not comment on individual agencies and my advice should not be understood as referring to any one agency.
If you are a photographer, experienced model, model agent or other industry insider, please feel free to comment on questions.
Newer comments are displayed at the bottom of the page.
November 4th, 2009 at 03:07
I was reading the “modeling requirements” part of this website, and I had a question. If a girl has everything in the requirements except for height, are there exceptions? For example, what if they girl is Asian (and over 18) , and is under 5′8″?
November 4th, 2009 at 12:06
Hi Adrienne
Your best bet may be to look for agencies, which specialise in Asian models. They may have different height requirements. Watch out for agency scams, though.
Many agencies will consider the age range from 13 to 24 but have a preference towards the younger end.
Hope this helps, regards
Wolf
November 17th, 2009 at 11:35
hello there,
i have a friend who wants to become a glamour model. I have advised her on the scams that exist but she insists on signing up to Bluextras.com. she sais she has a friend who works there but doesnt get much work because she doesnt do nudes. she says that they have said they’ve got work for her allready and are asking for about £500 to sign up and get a shoot. do you know about this website? I cannot find any information about it and I really don’t want her to be ripped off. what advice do you have for her?
November 17th, 2009 at 12:46
Hi James
I do not know the company and website you mention – please regard my reply as general comments:
You need to check what you get for your £500: If the company is a proper agency, they should not charge your friend any money for signing up or producing a portfolio. Proper agencies do not charge their models anything, they make their money by finding work for their models and taking a commission.
If they are just a portfolio hosting business and are not actively seeking work for their models, there are cheaper ways of getting a portfolio.
If your friend has already submitted suitable photographs to the site, then why would they insist on another shoot just to sell her? If she has not submitted anything suitable, how come that they already have work for her?
Check out my models guide, which deals with these questions, particularly the modelling scams section.
November 18th, 2009 at 08:15
Hi There! I just read through your whole website and found it very helpful. I was spotted by a scout about week ago and will have my portfolio done tomorrow afternoon, which is, according to you is an obvious scam. The name of the company is The Zebra Collection. Have you heard of them? Are they genuine? I have no idea what to do and can’t ask anyone for help. I’d appreciate some guide! Thank You in advance, Andras Vermes
November 18th, 2009 at 08:27
Hi Andras
I do not know Zebra Collection and cannot comment on individual companies. However, I did what you should have done in the first place, i.e. googled them.
There are some positive comments on various sites but the discussions are identical, which is strange. Also sound a little artificial, but I could be wrong. Here are two search results that I found interesting: One blog called Zebra Collection Modelling Scam and the other one in a chatroom of respected Cosmopolitan magazine.
Do the same research, ask yourself if you are actually model material (very few people are) and find out if you have to pay anything.
November 18th, 2009 at 23:52
I have a question. I’m an experienced model who has done many photoshoots…have thousands of pictures. Needless to say not every picture is great or industry standard, but people will acknowledge that i have many great shots, pics, fashion shots etc…recently I went to an agency who was interested in representing me—not a major one but a small one. I brought a disk in with my pics…though the girl admits the pictures are very good…she claimed they were ‘unusable’ for comp cards, though she claimed…many ‘were’ usable….what she said made no sense and I know I had at least 10-15 pics that were very usable and probably many more. She claims that I need to either pay their photographer 600.00 for a shoot….he charges…which will guarantee ‘industry standard pics’ or go get the pics myself, so they can choose which ones to use on a comp card. Again it made no sense as I know I have usable pictures…im not a pro but I know the industry well enough and what is acceptable. Ive had many others say I had great pics and definitely good enough for a comp card….most people are impressed by my pictures…is this a scam…to get my money? she also claimed if i got comps from her they would cost 275.00 for her ‘editing’ skills though I can get comp cards for 50.00 and much cheaper. Is this a scam to get money…a legit agency, or both….they are legit but the things the agent said made little sense to me as an agency—that they need specific pics for comp cards. Out of the 30,000 pics I’ve shot they can’t pick four to be able to use?
November 19th, 2009 at 08:59
Hi Jenn
I cannot say for sure whether it is a scam but I have a good idea. Here are some thoughts, which may help:
How did the agency come to be interested in you in the first place?
If I were an agency, I would not want a model to present me with hundreds, let alone thousands, of images to wade through. You should submit a small selection – perhaps around 20 – of your very strongest shots and refer to your extensive experience.
However, I feel that £600 for a model portfolio is way too much. For instance, I offer a portfolio shoot, which I call the really useful model portfolio. It retails currently for £240. I feel that this is a realistic and fair price.
£275 for designing comp cards is again expensive. Who would do the design? A trained, experienced graphic designer? Probably not. If this agency produces comp cards for many models, they will simply re-use an existing template with few or no modifications. On the whole, I am not convinced that comp cards are that useful. They used to be a standard but things have changed. I haven’t seen any for some time and, to be frank, I cannot find out from the bigger agencies whether they are still being used at all.
To link it all together: A model should never have to pay money to an agency. Not for joining, not for producing a portfolio, not for anything. Proper agencies make their money by finding work for their models and taking a cut from the money paid by their clients for modelling services.
I know that this is often difficult for smaller agencies and there may well be exceptions but what you have described are potential warning signs. You need to find out whether the agency really is an agency. Take a look at the modelling scams section in my models guide for some ideas on how to do that.
Often, finding out what other people say about an agency will give you an idea. Just put their name into a search engine and see what you come up with.
Why not try a different approach first? You can submit photographs to virtually all of the reputable agencies through their websites and it won’t cost you a penny. Read agency representation for models in my models guide for more.
Hope this helps a little. Let me know how you get on.
January 13th, 2010 at 00:57
Hi there, my question is regarding older models. I have modeled professionally in Canada and was wondering what legitimate agency is the best for commercial/catalogue type work in London England. I am 40 but can get work 35 to 45 range and will be moving to the UK in the spring. Thank you for your time.
January 13th, 2010 at 08:14
Hi Kari
Your current agency may be able to help you. Ask them to provide you with contacts in London. There is also a list of modelling agencies on this site, some of them in London.
W.
February 22nd, 2010 at 22:50
hi have you heard of edge models they are wanting to put me on their books and i need a professional portfolio done they have recommended some studio in London and said I will have a makeup artist and stylist and also airbrushing. This cost £300 will a refundable £50 deposit to secure the day, I can pay the full amount by instalments, is this usual to pay for your own portfolio or is this a scam???
Thanks
February 23rd, 2010 at 12:11
Georgina,
I do not know Edge Models and I do not comment on individual agencies.
As a rule, models should never pay money to an agency. In your case, the agency has recommended a photographer, which may or may not be okay – depends on whether the agency and photographer are one and the same person or organisation wearing two different hats.
In any case, when an agency wants to sign you up, they should only do so if they are confident that they can get you work and therefore carry the cost of all marketing, including a model’s promotional shots or portfolio.
I am a little troubled by the airbrushing. When I book a model, I do not want to see what a model could look like but what she really does look like. In other words, I do not want to see airbrushed (i.e. altered) photos.
Payment by installments is new to me and does not make sense for an agency because they could deduct the cost of the portfolio from your modelling income (but you should not pay for it in the first place). Then again, maybe they are just nice.
You should read the Models Guide – all of it. There are no shortcuts, no quick answers. You have to put work into your career.
My comments are of a general nature and are not targeted at any particular agency.
February 24th, 2010 at 22:17
Hi i have been scouted a couple of times but then i applied to a modelling agency and wasnt accepted. I dont know whether to give up or keep trying? Im 5ft 8″ and im under 18, but i dont know whether i have got what it takes!? Also i havent a clue to which modelling agencys i should apply to?
Thanks for your time.
February 25th, 2010 at 08:53
Bonnie,
First of all, make sure that you are model material and don’t fall for the many scams. Go to Wolf’s Models Guide to find out about agency representation.