Supermodel Resource

1. Arrive on time – The most important thing is to arrive on time at a photo shoot. Studios usually pay by the hour so if everyone is there but the model, a lot off time and money is wasted as everyone else will need to be paid for their time. Ultimately it’s the end client who pays for all this and if he is dissatisfied, the model may not be asked for another shoot. You as a model should build p a reputation of smoothing a shoot along and working more in real time. 

2. Plan – Once you arrive and are done with the pleasantries, sit down with the team and work out a plan of action on how to proceed. The mantra for a perfect photo shoot is ‘Plan your work and then work your plan’.

3. Getting ready – The next step is to get ready – so now it’s all about the right make up and clothes. This stage may vary shoot-to-shoot depending on the budget of the end client. At one shoot you may be left to do your own make up from your vanity case in a corner of a room or you may be taken to a special make up van where make up and hair experts will work on you (and a caterer my bring you delicacies to complete the perfect picture)  - an ideal form of pampering! 

4. Last minute adjustments – While the model is getting ready, everyone else is also busy setting things in place. The lighting and sets need to be organized and last minute adjustments made. The photographer now schmoozes the art director, checks that the client is happy, rechecks the cameras and positions, issues instructions to the photo assistant etc. Yeah, it’s a lot of repsnisbility which is why nerves are often frayed and models are advised to ‘make life easy for the photographer’ by not throwing new tantrums.

5. Show time! – Yeah, now its finally show time! You are ready to face the camera. Make sure there’s good communication on the sets. The photographer will b issuing out verbal orders – understand and do them as well as give a feedback. Initially this give and take relationship may be a little difficult but as time goes on, the rapport is built up and understanding each other becomes much easier.
   
   
6. Establish a touch-or-don’t-touch understanding at the beginning – When work is done with large format cameras, posing needs to be precise and so may be slow. In such cases, the photographer may find it easier to physically move the hands, head etc. of the model to the correct position. If you as a model are uncomfortable with this, let the photographer know this up front. Don’t make yourself miserable to ease the photographer’s work. This point should be discussed and clarified at the shoot and built into the professional working relationship.
   
   
7. Stay relaxed – This is a challenging part of the shoot and certainly not as easy as it sounds. The photographer may be telling you about the main light, the posing spot, the required expression, your arms and legs in different positions, while you may be trying to hold the product so as not to cover label – all of this with a host of onlookers. You need to stay relaxed through this so that the tension does not show up on your face. 

So you see a photo shoot is not all about switching on some great music and dancing around in front of the camera – it involves a whole lot more. But despite all this, you’ll see the excitement and electricity on the sets and certainly have a lot of fun!

A key to looking beautiful is by being healthy. Remember to get a good night’s sleep – otherwise, tiredness will show on your face as well as in your demeanor. The night before a shoot, relax at home and not go for a wild party. The client, the ad agency and the photographer have invested their money as well as time in a shoot and you need to arrive on time – it’s all part of a professional outlook. Supermodels may arrive late and everyone may put up with their tantrums but if you need to make it to the top, you must give your best or people won’t sign you again. Make your work speak for itself.

Before coming for a photo shoot, make sure that all your items are ready and packed, preferably the night before. You may have to carry some stuff from your own wardrobe for a shoot. Talk over all these points with the photographer before the actual shoot date. Make a list of items that you need to carry with you and have them ready a day in advance. This will avoid last minute running around and save everyone a headache. Be reliable – it’s all a part of being a thorough professional.

Sometimes you may need to apply a make up base before going for a shoot. Many a times you may have to do your own make up if the budget does not allow for a separate make up artist. In such cases, if you’ve applied the make up base from home, things will move faster at the shoot. This is not a method of cheating as you may think, considering that studios pay by the hour. A professional model who comes all prepared would be paid more per hour than one who tries to take hours with make up to increase billing time.

In some other cases, when a make up artist is available, you need to walk in with a clean, fresh face devoid of any make up. it may sound a little confusing to you at first, but you’ll understand what to do when, as you go along. When make up is to be done at the shoot, its much simpler to start with no make up at all. So the essential here is communication – a photographer will always appreciate a model with whom he can communicate with ahead of time to avoid last minute hassles.

So, you’ve decided that modeling is the career for you. If you really want to become a professional model and a photographer’s delight, you need to know a little about the work environment and what you should do at a photo shoot to make it perfect.

Always remember that a photographer has the right to be demanding, as he’s the one who is going all out to make you look beautiful in print. If things go wrong at a photo shoot, it is the photographer who bears the brunt of it all and not the model, so bear with him. The photographer is always trying to be certain that everything goes smoothly. And, the results will be for everyone to see.

The first rule to remember is that you need to try and make your photographer’s life easy. The main reason why a professional model is hired for a photo shoot and not just any pretty face off the streets is because of their professionalism. A good model will always smoothen ways, allow a shoot to move quickly and much more successfully. A talented photographer can take any face and make it look glamorous (that’s his job!) but a model is hired just because he or she knows what to do and the work will get done with minimum delays and hassles. That’s why thousands of dollars are paid as fees to models!