Few things to mention today…
Firstly, shown above is Chloe & Tegan who came in as part of our ABC promotion. Really great girls to photograph, which made the shoot nice and easy to do. Thanks girls!
Secondly, this weekend is an important one for me. Tomorrow, I fly up to Newcastle to attend the Master Photography Awards. This is a seriously major event in our industry. The cream of the UK’s wedding and portrait photographers and leading industry figures come together to award the very best work produced over the last 12 months. I’m pleased to say that I have been nominated for a major award, and no doubt like the other nominees, I will be nervously waiting to find out if I have won. Its a big thrill to be nominated as only the very best work gets through to the finals. Wish me luck!
Finally. There is one question I get asked all the time by parents. That question is: “I want to get my child into modelling, how do I do that?” There is certainly no harm in trying to get your child into modelling, but there are certain things you have to look out for. These being:
1. Tens of thousands of parents would like to get their children into modelling too, so you have a lot of competition! Reputable agencies are spoilt for choice – so they can afford to be very choosy as to who they take on.
2. If you do get approached by an agency, take a few minutes to find out a little bit about them (and their reputation) on the web. It could prevent you from being scammed.
3. If an ‘agency’ charges you any upfront fees for your child to be put on their books – APPROACH WITH EXTREME CAUTION. The practice of paying upfront fees is extremely frowned upon by reputable agencies – who do not charge you a penny to join them. They make their money from the work they get you. I have had so many clients who have paid hundreds of pounds up front and received no work. In a lot of cases, this a classic scam.
4. For more advice on how to do get into modelling properly and for tips on how to spot the scammers, visit The Association of Model Agents - an organisation who represent only reptable agencies and Alba Model Information . Pay particular attention to Alba’s ‘named and shamed’ list.
If I use child models for commercial shoots – like the shot shown below. I tend to use people who I have already photographed. If I’ve had a particularly good shoot with someone, I will always bear them in mind to use them if the need arises. This way I avoid agency fees!
