Modeling is a multimillion-dollar business. It is worldwide and closely knit. Over the years it has had a phenomenal growth and is a very major player in business. But, it is far from the ideal venture for a successful vocation in life. Modeling is pitted with rejection, insecurity, frustration, and depression … the disillusionment of dreams from before. Reputations are easily ruined. Pressure can be high and affects everyone from the client at the beginning to the model at the end of the line including everyone in between, like your booker and the photographer to mention a few. Competition is high throughout the industry. The odds of success are very slim, but a few make it to be superstars. And then there are those that never have their names known but can live very comfortably with what they make and have peace of mind. The majority end up with the disappointments and shattered dreams. It is one of the cruelest professions!
But on the other side of the coin, modeling is fun, glamorous, and exciting. It can also be very rewarding financially. I am talking about general modeling, not the few super models. Just to give you an idea of numbers, there will be over 100,000 girls that try to get into the high-end modeling field each year, and at one of the top modeling agencies only about 30 will be chosen.
There are many schools that promote modeling and lead you to believe you will be a star. Unfortunately, many young women and men believe that to be true. It is not. Most schools will give good basic training, but they have to make a living and neither turn away nor give the full truth of how really difficult this field is to anyone interested in modeling, even if there is only a small chance, if any, that you will find some success. There are very few at the top. The rest tried and failed and many lost lots of money, time and dreams. But, as stated before, there can be those who get into modeling with a good or very good income if they have what it takes.
The classes are meant to give you some experience and a basic understanding of the modeling field. There are no promises about what these modeling classes will do for your modeling hopes except to give you some experience and education. The classes will help you learn to be a lady. In the past my students have done fashion shows for South Gate Mall and some other small businesses. Some have done photographic modeling for ads and brochures and some video commercials. Since my background is photography and teaching, my strongest area of instruction will be photographic modeling. However…
This course is much more than just modeling. It is intended to develop the whole person, to give you a better understanding of yourself. Yes, you will learn basic live modeling and basic photographic modeling techniques. We will also do some movie work – a 15 to 30 second commercial. The modeling moves can be shown in a short period of time for live modeling – runway, showroom, trade-show work, tea modeling, and boutiques. An hour or two will be enough. But, it will take hours of supervised training to learn it well and more time practicing it to understand it physically. Photographic modeling can be shown in several hours for some basic poses. But it will take many hours because of the large variety of sets, locations, and the many types of clothing and specifics needed for each to have a good understanding of photographic modeling physically. Commercials are another area that takes much training for the physical aspects. We will touch on this area just for a little experience and to give you an idea of what it is like. This will also help you with communication skills; not only vocally but with body language. Repetition is the mother of skill.
The term physical has been mentioned repeatedly because of another major part of this course, the emotions, moods, feelings, and attitudes. These need to be shown in the live modeling and expressed in photographs and commercials. They are also very important to learn. Without an expression or mood, without any feelings or the right attitude, runway would be lifeless, photographs would be empty or meaningless and commercials would be very dry and boring. This is the hardest part. Not because it is hard to learn but because it takes, patience, practice and experience; time. Time may be the one thing with the strongest influence. Your life experiences and education are based on time. The longer you have had a chance to gain knowledge and experience, the better your chances are at understanding things – wisdom.
To sum up what will be done through the course is as follows: you will learn the physical aspects of each discipline as well as the psychological and emotional disciplines. This will include self-image, self-reliance, self-confidence, and self-esteem so you can express your “self” or the product through yourself. This is not only beneficial for modeling but more importantly will help you with applying for jobs, interviews, presentations for school or business, and throughout your life with better people skills and communication. Communication is definitely important in any relationship, business or personal. The better the communication the better the relationship, the smoother it will progress (especially person relationships like marriage).
This course will also deal with:
It’s all about choices and making the correct ones.
The essence of freedom is choice, and our mind is the tool by which we choose. Our mind, our thought process, is the product of our ability to choose and the choices we make.
Attitude is the key to change. Attitude is determined by our beliefs gained from knowledge and experience. What we choose to think is what we believe. True education is the key to proper beliefs and good choices. Truth is true education. You must not only get the facts but the understanding to get the truth. This is what gives us the power to choose well. It is not our abilities but our choices that define us.
Your attitudes are a result of self-image, self-esteem and self-confidence. Self-image, self-esteem and self-confidence are built on your experiences which include relationships with family, friends and everyday contacts, education, your thought processes – basically, daily life. Attitudes can be changed with desire and persistence or will change with time and knowledge. Your attitudes, self-image, self-esteem and self-confidence will grow and will change with the gain of more knowledge and experiences – but doing is understanding. The more you understand, the better choices you can make. We become what we think, or choose to think. Think positively to get a good self-image and healthy self-esteem and strong self-confidence. It will take work (practice) and persistence to gain information to develop knowledge, so you can do, and therefore so you will understand.
In short: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand” (author unknown) is used as a basis for education, or should be.
There is no free lunch in life. Change will occur, whether you want it to or not. You have been changing from conception and will continue to change through death. You choose the way many of these changes will happen and the effect they will have on you, your attitude, self-image, self-esteem, and your self-confidence. The way you accept or don’t accept what others may think of you or how you should be is your choice. So choose well, with understanding.
Desire is fundamental to growth and achievement. You must have a want-to. It is good to know what you want, but it is just as important, if not more so, to know why. What is the real reason you choose the career you do or will do? What is the reason you choose to do anything? Think before you jump. Do your best to at least see where you are going to land.
To fulfill your desires require purpose. You must understand that there will be bumps in the road, failures. Failures should not be feared, they should be realized as a part of education, of understanding. If you do not understand failure you can’t understand success and vice versa. The greatest mistake a person can make is to be afraid of making one. How a person deals with their mistakes is a mark of their character. Cherish your successes as well as your mistakes: each is a learning experience.
A teacher that has been a straight A student, never failed, never had a hard time understanding information – to change it to knowledge will have a difficult time helping students that are not perfect like he is. Because he does not understand failure, he will have a difficult time guiding others through it, to overcome their obstacles. He does not understand the obstacles because he never encountered them. How do you explain something or help someone through something you don’t understand?
Existence is a challenge and needs to be more than just living; you need to make it a life. You make the choice of what kind of life it will be. Remember, the ultimate cost of something is that amount of life you will exchange for it.
Phone: (406) 721-2486 Email: photocomm@photo-comm.com