How to Find a Model

Have you ever been fishing? I remember my first times fishing. I didn’t have a clue where to fish or what kind of gear to use. I did know you were supposed to use a worm for bait. I started out with a Zebco rod and reel kit and a bucket of worms I dug up in the back yard. I went down to the pond at the end of the street and all I caught were tiny bluegills. I had no idea how to get anything better.

One day, a friend of my dad’s took us fishing and he showed me how to bait my hook and pointed to the water and said “you see those bubbles over there? There is a big fish there, cast you hook over there”. I caught 3 large trout that day with the advice and direction of that man.

When I got started working with models, I did the Zebco from K-Mart in the little pond equivalent for finding models. It didn’t work so well. I didn’t know what “bait” to use for getting models and I did not know where to “fish” for them. It took a while to get it going and become proficient. Working with models takes some thought and preparation and an understanding of what motivates them. If you  are new to model photography, you have to overcome a few things. And it will take a bit of thought, a bit of time, and a bit of patience.

I hope this blog will help you figure out how to be successful in model photography faster than I did. So do we worry about what “bait” to use first, or do I talk about where to cast your line? Well, if you have no hook and no bait, being at a fish farm is not going to help you at all. So let’s start with what bait to use.

Shhh! Here is the secret bait. Great photos of other models that you have already done. Models want to know that you can give them great images. If you are just starting out, you don’t have many of these to show and attract models to your camera. So how do you end the vicious cycle? Get friends to pose for you. Your wife or girlfriend, a co-worker, your brother, your brother-in-law. You can find many people sympathetic to your cause and work with them. As a fisherman, you need to learn how to use the trusty old worm for bait. Then add to your tackle box.

The other thing that you can do to get models interested in working with you is to have a clear concept. For the photos in this post, I wanted a particular look. I posted a casting on Wednesday stating exactly what I wanted to do. Within an hour I had several models ask me to pick them. Jaime won out. I provided her with a clear idea of what the shoot would be like, what kind of images I wanted to make and I also assured her that I would work to make it quick so she did not have to stand outside in 30 degree weather to long. We shot this yesterday, December 29^th.

In the coming weeks, I will be talking more about finding models to work with and getting great results.