Lessons

Lesson Info

Model Calls

one of the things that continually comes up over and over and over again including a girl I'm mentoring right now is model calls how do I need models I need people I need where do I get them where do I get them one of the things I'm working on that I'm going to try and help everybody out is kind of doing a pregnancy and newborn model database that people can discreetly put their information in that they're available for modeling because what I see what's happening right now is everybody's blasting in on facebook right couple things about facebook I have a news flash for you you want to hear it not everyone's on facebook I know that's a really hard to imagine but in any given day I'll settle client are you on facebook oh no are you on facebook no are you in facebook no my assistant marissa is not on facebook tiffany was just saying I'm getting our facebook do you know how many young people you are not a facebooked you know all generations lawyers on my clients that are lawyers are like ...

we're not even allowed to have facebook because people investigate the case so like lawyers are out you know so it's like you know I start talking a lot of my professional women there like I have no time I'm my company's blocked in the firewall when I'm home taking care of my kids I'm not on facebook I actually find more people on instagram that on facebook because it's quick and they have to do with the drama they could just see pretty pictures so the issue with model calls is you keep blasting and on facebook I no one's responding it could be a million factors involved I just don't think it's probably the best way with model calls you need to be specific on dh I'm going to jump around here when I say be specific you also need to choose one model type at a time when I did my modeling required requested my modeling whatever did my mother calls I spent six months focusing on pregnancy I spent six months focusing a newborn I didn't do today when do pregnancy today I'm going to need warrant today I'm going to the three year old because I feel like I mean into home my my skill one pregnant women wasn't going to do it I needed a white woman a brown woman a black woman a pink woman I needed women of all skin types very important to me I I'm you know puerto rican my husband's white we have mixed children it's a reality I need to work with different skin tones on dh so that was big to me we had a lot of friends that are mixed african american and white with a lot of friends like that so I was took to the task many times with some of my friends like you want it bring it my husband's ten shades darker than I am and I remember being like I went on there's no one to tell me what to do what we do he's really dark she's like white with red hair so that I remember that session like yesterday pictures is still on her wall and we did it in her home sliding glass door he's here absorbing the light and she's in front of him I didn't even have a reflector so like if he blocks it a little bit gives it to her what can I d'oh and so with your model calls be specific what I would do is write down in your notebook the things you struggle with the most is it plus size women is that women of color is it babies under ten days is it babies at six weeks of age is it three month olds it and when you're writing that list down and this is key do you really want a photograph that this is a big one I don't know if you've heard I went back to school and went to school for almost ten years it was the school from nineteen to twenty nine years old and I remember the professor of the last school that I went to the last school that I went to his golden west college in heading to beat because I if I moved I enrolled in the local college that was my thing was my safety blanket so when I moved from new york to huntington what ideo I enrolled in golden was college I joined their equestrian uh group and I I've been riding horses on and off for years on my adopted father from argentina we love roses so I was like oh I'm going I'm going to ride again and I want to learn how to jump so I love being in the question center ended up volunteering for the question group to help them photograph kids with special needs who ride horses we'll talk about doing giving back and with my professor he was like you have to have a portfolio and shooting something you love oh yeah I got that I love horses home my god I can't photograph horses it's embarrassing and I remember going out there photographing the worse and coming back he's like what's that you know it's a really bad picture of a horse it's like why are you showing chris is because I love horses you love to do what I love to ride do you love to photograph them no but I love looking at photographs of horses I love it do you like doing it no when you're making your list don't just make it to make it intention intention and purpose are they are the words today right here list and go do I like that because you might cross one or two off now say okay I write it down I'm going teo focus on the one that is the hardest you gotta go you gotta just go for it the one that is giving you the most struggle that's what you start with I struggled the most with whatever uh pregnant women I need a pregnant woman and I'm going to tell myself I need thirty days of shoot how much time do you have or you working a full time job are you part time or are you only doing photography but your mom how many hours do you have to tell yourself how much time do you can you commit to this because this is a commitment and you make yourself a commitment one hour one hour a week you know I was I was going to school I was working full time going to school at night like I I kind of have some time I'm in our two a week to do this I was doing film at the time I've got to develop and go in my closet and pull them eggs how much time do you have today don't overwhelm yourself because you know if you put too much on your plate you're going to this is what all you're gonna be doing but doing nothing else when you are trying to get clients and you're trying to expand your portfolio that shouldn't interfere with your day job when I was doing model calls I still had a full price list I still had a business card in a web site and I was still a professional I feel like people are like oh I'm just gonna wait time and shooting like pretty women for like a year well how long have you been taking photos oh yeah since I've been like you know sometimes like ten so I'm sorry what are you waiting for now I have to wait until until it's safe I photograph like ten women and I get like twenty likes image my facebook page and then I'm quite certain people like me and then you know maybe then I think someone will call me no you put your shingle out you're a photographer you come up with your base pricing this's what you're charging you need some work we all need work that's your evening job I have like three jobs okay you write down your visions or ideas doing your inspiration journal start ripping things for magazines printing things from the internet when inspires you I don't care if it's a dove model a victoria's secret or or something I've done you know way cell posing as in her store for that reason you supposing guys and research so that people have inspiration to go through that was that's the purpose tons of people sell posing guys you know get yourself your little inspiration bucket because that's what you're going to draw too because when you do your model call you have purpose an intention and you have to deliver you don't over promise and you never reshoot you have a six pickled knew more and that's a model call and it's all going to hell and you're like we do this again and you're not paying me and it was a learning and it's a model call house next week and next week comes we'll just try it one more time we'll just try one more time no this is what it is what can you do differently did you get one shot you got one if you're lucky my professor you say thirty six is shots in a film if you get one you're good you expel out the details of exchange its varied over the years I say you get a free session if you want to buy something too percent off now digital all promise you twenty to twenty five images back in the day if I wasn't sure I'll give you a free session in one eight by ten because I can guarantee one image don't over promise what can you comfortably deliver if you feel like I can promise five images then that's what you promise and if you get more it's a bonus you offered them a discount to purchase okay don't reshoot this is the time this is your time to play don't play with your clients that are paying you this is the time to play you're going to say where do you get your models aren't you get your mama lt's number one who is around you that is not your client I'm looking for one word two words and friends friends and family they are not your clients I'm sure it's somewhere else in mikey no they're not your clients can you repeat after me your friends are not your clients your family is not your clients don't shoot for a friend that you've been having pedicures with for six years and then you're pissed that she's not paying you come on let me ask you question your brother in law's of plumber toilet gets stepped up you gonna pay him first you're you're thinking no I told you you've got to be honest with me today no no your friends a lawyer you got yourself in a bit of a legal buying just need a console ts you know which lawyer consults are but sure you're best friends a lawyer you're gonna pay her your husband's alert you gonna pay her no no so why are you expecting your friends to pay you for your photography if you have to take their pictures and they asked you and you responded stop doing that okay you can do a friends and family discount you can say because then there's your friends and then there's your friends to me a friend is if I can call you at three a m because I'm upset about something you're my friend it's that simple right you were dating isn't it if your friend can pick you up vomiting off off of a floor in a club or jail right whatever it is if they can pick you up and you have no clothes because you spent the night at somewhere else you know that you know you know the friends sorry my revealing too much those of your friends and then there's your friends where you see once in a while you seem on the baseball field you like him they like you your acquaintances what they call you if there has been just left them probably not what you call them probably not but you like him they're sweet they're kind give him a discount because then when that happens issue bring him into your circle but now you can get into their circle marketing circles