guest post: Model Discovery, by Lou Lesko and Christy Turlington
Lou Lesko has most generously offered to let me post this story first, here- a great collaboration with Christy Turlington. yeah. THAT Christy Turlington. Thanks Lou!
(Lou's blog is here...)
Soon after my seventh or so year in fashion I began to notice that my perspective of the world began to skew a bit. Perfectly normal, lovely people that I met were subject to aesthetic scrutiny in my head as if they were being cast for a job. Too many hours hanging out at the model agencies when I was at an impressionable age, I thought. I tried to shake the critical voices, but when they persisted, I became convinced that I was destined to be a great discoverer of new modeling talent.
It was an embarrassing and expensive two years of shooting test shots of young women that I thought had the “look” to be a model. The first few misfires I dismissed as learning curve. But around the fifteenth or sixteenth presentation to a modeling agency of what I thought would be the next great face, I was advised to stop lurking around shopping malls and just focus on making beautiful pictures of the models that were sent to me.
A young girl that goes on to a successful career as a model needs to have more than just beauty. Recognizing the myriad of raw attributes that make up a potential model is an innate gift that, in spite of our natural visual ability, not all photographers have. To aide me in discussing what to look for in a person that would identify them as a potential model, I’m sharing the pen with one of the most iconic models our time, Christy Turlington. She was discovered at age fourteen by a photographer who was shooting stock photography when he happened to see her and her sister.
Beauty is only skin deep.
Not all beautiful faces are meant to be models. If you come across a beautiful, tall, young girl, watch the way she holds herself. If she seems at ease in her body and in her walk, there could be potential. Great models know how to work the camera. Consider this, when you shoot you are only part of the equation. A fashion spread comes alive when all the parts; lighting, location, photographic talent and a models ability to convey a story through action all come together. A prospective model will exhibit her latent ability to move well in the subtle ways. I can’t offer you a check list, but after you’ve worked with some good models for a few years, you’ll pick up on the subtleties and have a gut feeling about them.
Personality and beauty go hand in hand.
There is shy and then there is really shy. During the years when I was making a living shooting model tests, I would occasionally work with girls whose parent’s ambition for their modeling career was far greater than their own. Part of what you do as a photographer is to create an atmosphere where a rookie model can bring her personality to the surface. But if the model is not one for extroversion you have be sensitive to that. Some girls break out of their shell much later in life than others. Trying to cajole someone into being someone they are not has a boundary. Be aware of it. And please don’t ever say something like it’s a tragedy that a girl who is “perfect for modeling” isn’t working out in front of the camera. Just because a young girl has a beautiful face and body, does not mean that she is preordained to be a model. It’s a choice she has to be comfortable with. Miss Turlington points out that although it was not the case for her, many girls who want to be models do it of their own volition, “Many of my peers pursued their careers and, as result, were maybe even more satisfied with their careers in the end.”
On the other hand, some personalities are perfect for the fashion world. As Miss Turlington puts it, “Having a distinct personality can certainly set you apart from many beautiful young women who have yet to come into that side of themselves.” These are the girls destined to quickly graduate from the local Sunday paper Macy’s ads and onto the international scene. Almost all of the models I’ve worked with have had wonderfully distinct and interesting personalities. And there was a distinct precociousness that I think is helpful dealing with such a crazy industry.
Make sure it’s your gut that’s speaking to you.
Having a nose for potential modeling talent is one thing, having a crush on a beautiful person and disguising it as talent scouting is something else completely. You’ll be shocked by this. There are a lot of people out there who use the “you could be a model” carrot to get dates. If you are at all interested in having a career as a fashion photographer, don’t use your profession as a tool to hit on people. Bad reputations travel at light speed though this industry. Recovering from a bad reputation, especially in the genesis of your career, usually requires that you move to a new city.
If you want to take someone on a date, ask them. And then shoot pictures of them for free after your first kiss. Don’t hide behind some grand promise of a modeling career to get to know person romantically. Because if that person goes on to a huge career as a model, I promise you that they’ll tell the funny story about “the photographer who started my career by trying to get down my pants” at every opportunity.
What do you do when you think your right.
So you’ve been shooting for a few years and you feel your instinct for discovering a new model is pretty viable. What do you do when you come across the perfect girl?
Miss Turlington told me about her experience; “I was taking a lesson with my horse trainer after school one day and a photographer named Denny Cody was taking stock photos at the stable in Southern Florida, where my family lived for a few years. He watched my sister and I for a while and then asked our mother for permission to take our photos at a later date. My older sister was very excited but I still had yet to read a fashion magazine and was therefore both less interested and more uncomfortable posing in front of a camera. I was fourteen with braces, but was tall for my age, 5'8, and still growing. I still can't imagine that Denny could have known what I would become, where my career would take me. I am so overly made up and awkward in those first photos - they were taken in the early 80's - that I can barely see myself in them now.“
When girls start modeling it’s usually around age 13 or 14. If you think that you’ve found a girl with real potential follow these protocols so you’ll be thought of as a decent human being and not a lurking idiot with a camera.
1. Don’t approach the girl, approach the parents of the girl. Offer your photography business card and explain why you’ve been leering that their child for the last ten minutes. Having a camera around your neck is helpful. But, it’s not a wise idea to take a picture of a young girl until after you get permission. No matter how innocent your intentions, pointing a lens at an ingenue from the distance makes you look like a stalker.
2. Don’t expect to shoot pictures that day. Give the parents a few days to check you and your work out. Wait for them to call you. And then arrange a model test for a future date.
3. Make sure you have an agency you can suggest for them to go to. If it’s an agency that you work with regularly, that’s all the better.
Miss Turlington adds, “I would recommend first that the photographer ask to speak to the parent of a young model and to be prepared to offer something like a business card with a website so that the model and her parents can see that you are both legitimate and professional. Generally speaking, I think that attractive people are used to being approached and may not be as apprehensive of such attention, but those with more unusual looks may be understandably wary.”
Lastly, keep in mind that this business isn’t for everyone. No matter how perfect you a think a girl is, if she and her parents decide that the fashion industry isn’t right for the girl, leave it alone.
Creating a comfort zone.
Almost always, the parent of the girl you’re going to shoot will go to the location with you. Never, ever suggest otherwise. If you’re fearful that the parent is going to disrupt your set by being a back seat photographer, don’t be. In situations where you approach a girl and her parents about starting a modeling career, they are usually so overwhelmed that they just sit back and watch.
If someone trusts you with their child to take them to shoot a model test, do not go alone. Have an assistant, make up artist - someone else so it’s not a solo endeavor. Make sure you leave a list of multiple contact points for yourself and have the girl check in at pre-arranged times. There are a lot of scumbags in this world that pose as photographers and give us all a bad name. The onus is on us to be aware of that reality and go to extremes to make sure everyone feels safe. The most important rule of thumb is making sure that your new model is in frequent communication with her home.
The first model test.
Some girls fall into modeling as if they’ve been doing it since birth. Others, who may turn out equally as talented as those that do, don’t. Don’t let the frustration of working with a girl who isn’t quite falling into step turn you into some ridiculous Jekyll and Hyde. I’ve seen photographers huff and puff like children when the shoot is not going as well as they want. Taking on a the roll of discoverer of new models requires that you exhibit patience. Remember, everyone is looking to you as the zen mentor with a camera. Act like one.
A girl’s first model test is going to be awkward. You’re not shooting a magazine cover, you’re shooting a glorified candid for a modeling agency to look at. If a model’s career breaks because of your efforts, then well done. She doesn’t owe you a thing except a pleasant thank you and maybe a subscription to Digital Photo Pro magazine. Photographers are not talent agents so they don’t make money off of a models career. There might be some arrangement where an agency could give you a finders fee, but don’t count on it. Your motivation should be for the love of your industry.
Don’t be disappointed if a models career doesn’t break because of your efforts. Picking a model out of the general population is not easy. There are a lot of attributes that a girl must have to be a successful model. And even if your instinct leads you to a girl of amazing potential, the rest of the industry may not pick up on her right away. As Miss Turlington speaks from her own experience, “I think it is very difficult to know who will make a great model by sight alone. Many famous photographers won't spot it in a model's amateur photos alone and often pass hopefuls by. I think my early breaks came from snaps by photographers taken on ‘go-see's.’ Arthur Elgort met me, shot me, and booked me for a week after Vogue sent me down to see him when I was 16. There are many factors which make an individual photogenic but often beauty is simply in the eye of the beholder.”
Thanks to Lou and Christy- ...again, Lou's site is here.
Lou's book, “Advertising Photography: A Straightforward Guide to a Complex Industry”, is here.
(Lou's blog is here...)
Soon after my seventh or so year in fashion I began to notice that my perspective of the world began to skew a bit. Perfectly normal, lovely people that I met were subject to aesthetic scrutiny in my head as if they were being cast for a job. Too many hours hanging out at the model agencies when I was at an impressionable age, I thought. I tried to shake the critical voices, but when they persisted, I became convinced that I was destined to be a great discoverer of new modeling talent.
It was an embarrassing and expensive two years of shooting test shots of young women that I thought had the “look” to be a model. The first few misfires I dismissed as learning curve. But around the fifteenth or sixteenth presentation to a modeling agency of what I thought would be the next great face, I was advised to stop lurking around shopping malls and just focus on making beautiful pictures of the models that were sent to me.
A young girl that goes on to a successful career as a model needs to have more than just beauty. Recognizing the myriad of raw attributes that make up a potential model is an innate gift that, in spite of our natural visual ability, not all photographers have. To aide me in discussing what to look for in a person that would identify them as a potential model, I’m sharing the pen with one of the most iconic models our time, Christy Turlington. She was discovered at age fourteen by a photographer who was shooting stock photography when he happened to see her and her sister.
Beauty is only skin deep.
Not all beautiful faces are meant to be models. If you come across a beautiful, tall, young girl, watch the way she holds herself. If she seems at ease in her body and in her walk, there could be potential. Great models know how to work the camera. Consider this, when you shoot you are only part of the equation. A fashion spread comes alive when all the parts; lighting, location, photographic talent and a models ability to convey a story through action all come together. A prospective model will exhibit her latent ability to move well in the subtle ways. I can’t offer you a check list, but after you’ve worked with some good models for a few years, you’ll pick up on the subtleties and have a gut feeling about them.
Personality and beauty go hand in hand.
There is shy and then there is really shy. During the years when I was making a living shooting model tests, I would occasionally work with girls whose parent’s ambition for their modeling career was far greater than their own. Part of what you do as a photographer is to create an atmosphere where a rookie model can bring her personality to the surface. But if the model is not one for extroversion you have be sensitive to that. Some girls break out of their shell much later in life than others. Trying to cajole someone into being someone they are not has a boundary. Be aware of it. And please don’t ever say something like it’s a tragedy that a girl who is “perfect for modeling” isn’t working out in front of the camera. Just because a young girl has a beautiful face and body, does not mean that she is preordained to be a model. It’s a choice she has to be comfortable with. Miss Turlington points out that although it was not the case for her, many girls who want to be models do it of their own volition, “Many of my peers pursued their careers and, as result, were maybe even more satisfied with their careers in the end.”
On the other hand, some personalities are perfect for the fashion world. As Miss Turlington puts it, “Having a distinct personality can certainly set you apart from many beautiful young women who have yet to come into that side of themselves.” These are the girls destined to quickly graduate from the local Sunday paper Macy’s ads and onto the international scene. Almost all of the models I’ve worked with have had wonderfully distinct and interesting personalities. And there was a distinct precociousness that I think is helpful dealing with such a crazy industry.
Make sure it’s your gut that’s speaking to you.
Having a nose for potential modeling talent is one thing, having a crush on a beautiful person and disguising it as talent scouting is something else completely. You’ll be shocked by this. There are a lot of people out there who use the “you could be a model” carrot to get dates. If you are at all interested in having a career as a fashion photographer, don’t use your profession as a tool to hit on people. Bad reputations travel at light speed though this industry. Recovering from a bad reputation, especially in the genesis of your career, usually requires that you move to a new city.
If you want to take someone on a date, ask them. And then shoot pictures of them for free after your first kiss. Don’t hide behind some grand promise of a modeling career to get to know person romantically. Because if that person goes on to a huge career as a model, I promise you that they’ll tell the funny story about “the photographer who started my career by trying to get down my pants” at every opportunity.
What do you do when you think your right.
So you’ve been shooting for a few years and you feel your instinct for discovering a new model is pretty viable. What do you do when you come across the perfect girl?
Miss Turlington told me about her experience; “I was taking a lesson with my horse trainer after school one day and a photographer named Denny Cody was taking stock photos at the stable in Southern Florida, where my family lived for a few years. He watched my sister and I for a while and then asked our mother for permission to take our photos at a later date. My older sister was very excited but I still had yet to read a fashion magazine and was therefore both less interested and more uncomfortable posing in front of a camera. I was fourteen with braces, but was tall for my age, 5'8, and still growing. I still can't imagine that Denny could have known what I would become, where my career would take me. I am so overly made up and awkward in those first photos - they were taken in the early 80's - that I can barely see myself in them now.“
When girls start modeling it’s usually around age 13 or 14. If you think that you’ve found a girl with real potential follow these protocols so you’ll be thought of as a decent human being and not a lurking idiot with a camera.
1. Don’t approach the girl, approach the parents of the girl. Offer your photography business card and explain why you’ve been leering that their child for the last ten minutes. Having a camera around your neck is helpful. But, it’s not a wise idea to take a picture of a young girl until after you get permission. No matter how innocent your intentions, pointing a lens at an ingenue from the distance makes you look like a stalker.
2. Don’t expect to shoot pictures that day. Give the parents a few days to check you and your work out. Wait for them to call you. And then arrange a model test for a future date.
3. Make sure you have an agency you can suggest for them to go to. If it’s an agency that you work with regularly, that’s all the better.
Miss Turlington adds, “I would recommend first that the photographer ask to speak to the parent of a young model and to be prepared to offer something like a business card with a website so that the model and her parents can see that you are both legitimate and professional. Generally speaking, I think that attractive people are used to being approached and may not be as apprehensive of such attention, but those with more unusual looks may be understandably wary.”
Lastly, keep in mind that this business isn’t for everyone. No matter how perfect you a think a girl is, if she and her parents decide that the fashion industry isn’t right for the girl, leave it alone.
Creating a comfort zone.
Almost always, the parent of the girl you’re going to shoot will go to the location with you. Never, ever suggest otherwise. If you’re fearful that the parent is going to disrupt your set by being a back seat photographer, don’t be. In situations where you approach a girl and her parents about starting a modeling career, they are usually so overwhelmed that they just sit back and watch.
If someone trusts you with their child to take them to shoot a model test, do not go alone. Have an assistant, make up artist - someone else so it’s not a solo endeavor. Make sure you leave a list of multiple contact points for yourself and have the girl check in at pre-arranged times. There are a lot of scumbags in this world that pose as photographers and give us all a bad name. The onus is on us to be aware of that reality and go to extremes to make sure everyone feels safe. The most important rule of thumb is making sure that your new model is in frequent communication with her home.
The first model test.
Some girls fall into modeling as if they’ve been doing it since birth. Others, who may turn out equally as talented as those that do, don’t. Don’t let the frustration of working with a girl who isn’t quite falling into step turn you into some ridiculous Jekyll and Hyde. I’ve seen photographers huff and puff like children when the shoot is not going as well as they want. Taking on a the roll of discoverer of new models requires that you exhibit patience. Remember, everyone is looking to you as the zen mentor with a camera. Act like one.
A girl’s first model test is going to be awkward. You’re not shooting a magazine cover, you’re shooting a glorified candid for a modeling agency to look at. If a model’s career breaks because of your efforts, then well done. She doesn’t owe you a thing except a pleasant thank you and maybe a subscription to Digital Photo Pro magazine. Photographers are not talent agents so they don’t make money off of a models career. There might be some arrangement where an agency could give you a finders fee, but don’t count on it. Your motivation should be for the love of your industry.
Don’t be disappointed if a models career doesn’t break because of your efforts. Picking a model out of the general population is not easy. There are a lot of attributes that a girl must have to be a successful model. And even if your instinct leads you to a girl of amazing potential, the rest of the industry may not pick up on her right away. As Miss Turlington speaks from her own experience, “I think it is very difficult to know who will make a great model by sight alone. Many famous photographers won't spot it in a model's amateur photos alone and often pass hopefuls by. I think my early breaks came from snaps by photographers taken on ‘go-see's.’ Arthur Elgort met me, shot me, and booked me for a week after Vogue sent me down to see him when I was 16. There are many factors which make an individual photogenic but often beauty is simply in the eye of the beholder.”
Thanks to Lou and Christy- ...again, Lou's site is here.
Lou's book, “Advertising Photography: A Straightforward Guide to a Complex Industry”, is here.
posted by Ted Dillard at
7:25 AM
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