Barnet Fayre

Amy-lina Ballerina... ok not quite Angelina

So I met Amy for a coffee in Starbucks and she is lovely. A real sweetheart who is keen to get into modelling and wants to start a career in it. She has a great look (see previous post), fab hair - a lovely auburn colour and will no doubt make some great pics.

After chatting about the usual stuff like explaining the logistics of having a 'prep' day to cut or maybe colour her hair (I want it sparkling and glossy for the shoot) I then started asking her what her interests are. I think it's quite important to get to know the person you'll be working with quite closely (how often do you touch someone's hair and face??) so that it becomes comfortable for everyone - especially when it's a new model who could well be a bit nervous.

So I found out she used to be a ballerina and got quite far with her grades and was even using 'points'.

Guess what my next theme will be? She'll have some great poses and posture - I've asked her to bring her tutu and bally shoes. How exciting!

Facebook: the new meeting place for contacts

Variety is the spice of life... well for your portfolio anyway. After my success of meeting a very potential model for my next shoot via MySpace, I had another brainwave and decided to contact my only young - still doing her GCSEs - 'friend' on Facebook (where I already have a profile), to see if she might be able to contact her entire catalogue of female listed 'friends' on her own profile to see if anyone was interested in being a model for a hair and make-up artist - in return for a day of their time and a free haircut. I figured I'll get responses from pretty girls but in two categories; ones that are pretty but not model material and ones that ARE pretty and ARE model material, either way they'll be new to the game and will want some free pics and the opportunity to be 'made-up' to the nines. Win win I say. I'm happy to say I've had a few responses and some very good potential models are appearing. I'm meeting a girl called Amy tonight.

Making the right contacts

I've not been on here in a while, I've been busy with other things but hey now things are back on track and I'm going gung ho (is that the right expression?) with two, maybe even three photoshoots in the very near future - hurrah!

Having already used one girl/model that I found doing work experience at my day job here, it was time I moved on. One thing you need in a portfolio is variety and that's what I was heading for.

First things first - where do i find new models that need pics for their portfolio? ...MySpace! I updated my profile on there, then I sat and waited for the floods of responses to come in. Actually I didn't. I actively went searching for like-minded people, joined groups, sent emails to potential models (be careful of the dodgy ones that think they're models but in fact they work down the local Co-op) and contacted existing 'friends' that I thought may be able to help me.

Voila! Fantastic news. A girl called Natalie has contacted me via MySpace - she's a freelance professional model and wants some more shots for her portfolio. I'm meeting up with her in a couple of days.