Modeling Tips: To Get the best recognition and success

What Can Help My Modeling Career?

Shoot with photographers who truly have an interest in getting you ahead and show it.

If they use the "fish hook" approach and write to you saying "You should setup a shoot with me", and come to find they're looking to charge you right away as soon as you message them in interest, avoid them immediately. Photographers approaching you so they make you pay them for a shoot are just looking to pay their bills and not contacting you in the best interest of helping you develop your modeling profession. It's simple to go broke in this industry and it doesn't take much money to do it. Legendary photographers who see potential in you they will be kind in offering you a "one-look" TFCD/TFP session.

Work with photographers who produce high-quality work. Avoid shooting with amateur photographers who do terrible photoshop post-production. The more you shoot with amateur or inexperienced photographers, the more it may "degrade" you're entire modeling career. Remember, it's not the amount of shoots you do with photographers that get you ahead, it's the quality of their work and how you stand out in each and every picture.

Modeling is a first impression business. To get work as a model you need to immediately capture the attention of “casting agents” , agency representatives, casting directors (anyone that makes a decision on you getting an assignment or signed). All casting agents have one thing in common: Too many models and too many pictures to look at.

Casting agents rarely look past the first few pictures so it’s very important to show the right ones on your website, portfolio and when you do photo submissions for castings, and they aren’t the type of images you might expect. Set yourself apart by using the right types of pictures along with information casting agents want to see.

Avoid shots with harsh shadows and bold lighting (such as on-camera flashes). Dramatic lighting with strong shadowing may look great, but is ineffective. What casting agents can’t see, makes them suspicious. When casting you want simple, crisp, images that only show you off. You may need images to cast for work or send to agencies, but now you know you need different pictures than you probably thought. Un-retouched digital images with little makeup actually work better than images you will get from most photographers.

So what are all the thousand plus dollar photo-shoots you see advertised about? Profit. There’s no pot of gold to the truth about pictures. And the pictures that come from those expensive photo-shoots rarely get you more work. The same goes for images from workshops, shoot-outs etc.

Spending more on pictures will NOT help you obtain more work!



-Written by: Rudy Triana

The Pros and Cons of Modeling: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Modeling In The Spotlight

Many young girls and guys dream of a modeling career. It is a profession that is tied to fame, glamour, money and travel to exotic locations. With these fantasy images in mind people spend thousands on portfolios, modeling classes and exercise regimes in the hopes of being signed by an agency that will catapult them to the pinnacle of success. This is the elusive 'carrot' that causes people to cross personal boundaries and ignore reality when it comes to their own particular situation. While there are many good things to be found in the world of modeling there is also a dark underside that everyone should be aware of before signing their life away...

Pros to Modeling

If you sign with a reputable agency you will make a good income. There are a lot of options for models such as: catwalk work, magazine layouts, catalogs, advertisements and other opportunities. Height is not as much of an issue as people think. It is only relevant to the catwalk. Many models with smaller statures are generating a lot of work for themselves in other avenues. Not to mention there are such things as hand and feet models.

Travel is a normal part of this profession. Sometimes you get to stay in exotic locations and even live abroad. Usually you are housed with other models and so it is a very social life. Alternatively, you could choose to take jobs within your local area only and enjoy the benefits of being near home. You will probably not earn the big bucks this way (unless home is New York or Paris) but you will receive a nice sideline income with which to pay the bills.

Modeling can be a great boost to your confidence. Seeing finished photos within the covers of a magazine is an incredible experience. Most people don't realize how glamorous they can look until they've participated in a professional shoot.

Finally, of course, there is the fame factor. If you are one of the lucky few to reach the top of this profession everyone will know who you are. Your face will open many doors and opportunities to parlay your modeling work into other careers will abound. There are many examples of models starting fashion lines, hosting TV shows or investing in businesses that previously would have been difficult to attain.

These are the positive aspects of a career in modeling. Unfortunately there are also a lot of 'negatives' associated with this profession.

The Cons of Modeling

1) Money Scams – Scam artists on modeling social network sites pretending to be agents, brokers for modeling agencies and certain “glamour shot” operators pry on young girls and women taking their money with the promise of making them a model or finding them agents. There are many, many, many shady agencies. They are run by scam artists who are only interested in taking every last cent you have. They prey on the dreams of young people in order to make themselves rich and the victims are left with nothing.

2) Modeling Styles - There are many types of modeling. Fashion, Glamour, Boudoir, Nude Art, Swimsuit, Fitness, etc. BONDAGE Modeling will not get you anywhere in a professional healthy career and very likely may have peers lose respect for you as a true professional model.

3) Anorexia and Obsession with Weight – Much has been written lately about the modeling industry’s obsession with weight and specifically eating. Models are literally skin and bones, their bodies fading away to nothing. And it is not just the perception of the models but also the industry as a whole, which encourages destructive behavior. The problem is only the models get hurt, some even dying in the name of “thin”. Recently, however, countries and organizations around the globe have started to take steps to change this attitude and actually ban the use of paper thin models.

4) Hectic Schedules – Location shoots, traveling to work usually by plane, early mornings preparing for the shoot and late nights make it difficult for models to properly rest.

5) Career vs. Motherhood – Because of the hectic schedules, the “thin is great” philosophy and the fact that pregnant models are not readily in demand, many women struggle with the career versus motherhood dilemma. Unless she wants to instantly give up her modeling contract, becoming pregnant is almost impossible.

6) Porn companies posing as "modeling agencies" - The problem is many young women are lured and forced into the business with the promise of moving on to modeling. Many ads are placed advertising for models when in fact, once the girls arrive they are expected to participate in adult movies. Scam artists and corrupt-minded booking agents will lure into seeking young aged women into a downward cycle. Worse still are the porn agencies who present themselves as legitimate modeling businesses. They sign girls up and then slowly brainwash them into thinking they have to be sexy to make it. Over time they use peer pressure to convince the girls that porn is a part of the business and that this is the easy way to make lots of money. Of course there is nothing 'easy' about a life involved with porn. Not to mention, porn is NOT modeling.

7) Degraded - As a model you are considered a product not a person. (Especially in the beginning when you are still an unknown.) As such people tend to talk AT you not TO you. Sometimes agents and photographers will talk about you as if you are not standing in the same room. For anyone lacking confidence in themselves this can be very disconcerting and upsetting. Usually there will be comments about your physical appearance. These can be quite harsh and demeaning which is why the industry has been plagued with issues related to eating disorders. Given the recent deaths of some prominent models views on weight and beauty are slowly starting to change and the introduction of BMI testing will help in this area. However, this is still an industry where unrealistic expectations of "beauty" abound. You have to be very grounded within yourself to allow these comments to pass by you and not to affect you.

8) Internet & Fake Photographers - Unfortunately there are good photographers and then there are those who are in the photography industry for the wrong reasons. Numerous social networks such as OneModelPlace.com and ModelMayhem.com, MySpace, Facebook etc can offer a world of networking opportunities of good and bad. When contacted by a photographer you've never heard of, It's always important to do background checks and to message any models or references the photographer has worked with.

Googling the photographer is a good place to start. If he owns a studio, make sure to see if you can trace it on Google Maps and if it helps, try the 'Street View' feature to see if the studio even exists. Always take a chaperone with you to photo shoots. If the photographer doesn't want a chaperone present then something is wrong. Find another person to shoot you. If still wanting to find out if the photographer is legit, you can use White Pages Reverse Phone lookup to find more details on the phone number he provided you and at worst case, try IntegraScan.com for really "in-depth" information on the photographer you're about to work with. Safety always comes first. No one wants to be a statistic!

Tips For Anyone Starting Out

-ALWAYS request for a model release contract when working with any photographer. Model release grants permission for the photography to publish your photos in one way or another. By not signing a release, lawsuits can take place and trouble can stir especially if a photographer releases implied or artistic nude photos without your approval. Such photos can then stir more trouble and spread through the internet and can damage one's career, chance to get hired on for a new job, etc.

-Learn your poses - Learning the best poses for your photos comes with experience in doing photo shoots time after time. Another great tip is to pose in front of a mirror and find what poses you personally feel confident doing. A great book to buy for references is 'Guide to Posing the Female Body' available on ShopOmp.com


Modeling can certainly be a rewarding experience in many ways. As long as you avoid the darker side to this profession and insist on putting your personal values first (before profit) then you can enjoy quite an interesting career path. It is also good to remember that this is a job and you will work HARD to earn your money. Long hours, jet lag, heavy makeup, weird haircuts and standing forever in awkward poses are all part of this exciting profession.

Behind the Scenes Footage: Photographer Rudy Triana

It's been a few months since i've updated my blog. Busy photographer! ( LOL ) But I do promise to keep this blog more updated with fresh new content & footage.

Decided to share some behind the scenes footage of a recent glamour photo shoot I did on September 4th (Friday) taken with models Andy & Gabbi at Indigo Room (Downtown Fort Myers, Florida) featuring my favorite makeup artist to work with, Barbie Mercedes.

Digitally Sign your Model Release on the Fly - RightSignature.com

For every photo shoot, a photographer and model offer a Model Release contract. A contract agreement between the model and photographer that allows permissions to use and post the photos onto the web.

In this case, signatures are necessary to approve any contract. The burden in this is the days and weeks it can take to sometimes have a model sign my model release contract. Sometimes clients become so occupied that the signature delay can result in days, weeks and even months depending on the client.

As a busy photographer, I finally found the ultimate solution to where I can simply upload a contract and collect digital signatures from the involved parties or clients to complete legally binding agreements.

RightSignature.com is a "Web 2.0" website that makes it simple to get documents signed online. The best part is you can even do it right from your iPhone!

How can RightSignature.com help you as a business?

• Save Time! - Get your documents or model releases signed in minutes, not days. No more waiting.
• Increase Response Rates - You'll discover a higher percentage of contracts get signed and forms get returned when you use RightSignature. Busy recipients prefer signing documents with a few clicks, and they do it right away. No more contracts forgotten on cluttered desks.
• Cut Expenses - Slash your overnight shipping bills. Use less fax ink and paper. Trees will thank you!
• Safe & Secure - Documents and signatures are organized and stored on a secure server. No more overstuffed filing cabinets.
• Legally Binding - RightSignature's authentication and security technology is fully compliant with U.S and E.U. directives, ensuring that digital signatures are legally valid and binding
• Very Easy To Use - Completely web-based. No software to install. Takes 1 minute to learn. You can upload your .pdf and .doc files.

Writer: Rudy Triana

Credits: www.RightSignature.com

Photograpy Rental: Best Website for Photography Rentals

Living in Florida, and seeing the number of Ritz Camera stores closing down , coming by photography resources are becoming even more limited.

Here in Florida, we don't have a "B&H Photo and Video Store" so most of our equipment has to be purchased through the internet.

If you ever wanted to try out a lens, or perhaps try out a new light kit that has raving reviews, it always helps to try out equipment before actually purchasing it.

Introducing: TheLensDepot.com

I came across this site googling around and I've never been so satisfied. The Lens Depot features a vast array of equipment for incredibly reasonable prices, and they've always been so quick to ship the items out. Ordered a 70-200mm 2.8L Lens on a Saturday morning , and the next early afternoon it was at my door.

For the price, they also offer a reasonable amount of time to try the equipment out. They start your rental period the day the item is received. Very prompt customer service -- If you have a question on a specific item, they're always prompt in responding back with an answer.

For any photographers who are low on budget and need that commercial grade lens, cameras or lighting, Lens Depot is the site to visit. With one week to use the equipment, you can get alot of projects and bookings in that amount of time and not have to invest thousands of dollars all at once. This is a great alternative for those who don't have $1,500 to pocket for a high quality lens.

--Try them out today, you won't be dissapointed.

Written By: Rudy Triana

Stolen Camera? Find Your Stolen Camera (Hopefully) with this website

A new way to help identify stolen gear!

RegisterYourCamera.com is a free online service for registering your photographic equipment and the brainchild of former Intel software engineer who is an avid photographer. If someone steals your camera, simply enter the serial number and a description of your gear into the online database and your done. When someone performs a quick serial number search against the database, your item will then be listed as stolen and the person doing the search may then contact you via your preferred method. Get enough people using this and you have very effective way of track missing gear. 

This is a terrific new path forward in finding lost or stolen photography gear.  It's dreadful as a photographer having someone steal a camera you invested thousands of dollars into and sacrificed so much for.  For many, losing a camera is losing an entire hobby.   Hopefully the next thing they'll invent is a GPS tracker for our cameras ....(sigh)

Blog By: Rudy Triana

Max Focus Photography: Stella Vidal Photoshoot

Taking on the exciting adventure of traveling over to my hometown of Miami, I took upon an exciting concept and theme with recreating a black & white "Audrey Hepburn" themed photo shoot with latin model, Stella Vidal . As I reviewed stella's portfolio I was truly stunned with the resemblance between her and Audrey Hepburn and decided to take upon this exciting opportunity in recreating the classical themed concept.

Recreating this concept required all the right elements between props, styling, editing and following several techniques myself with lighting and even talking to Audrey Hepburn's original photographers over the phone to get ideas.

Coming across two talented prop providers and stylists Jamie and Jenna DeBrino of Hot Pink inc. , we combined the elements all together to recreate the legendary styles of Audrey Hepburn.

Working with Stella Vidal was enjoyable and I highly recommend this model for any agency or company on the hunt for looking for models who are good at acting and being versatile in any concept. Stella Vidal also has also had collaborations in working for Telemundo's Nitido, MiamiHoyTV.com, CaribeVision and also can be found playing for Miami Caliente at the Lingerie Football League. A model with attitude and determination!


Stella Vidal On MySpace.com
www.myspace.com/colombiangodss

Styling By: Hot Pink Inc.
www.myspace.com/jjhotpink

Photography By:
Rudy Triana (Max Focus Photography)
www.myspace.com/MaxFocusPhotography