TAMPA BAY MODELING

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE FOR MODELS

Tampa Bay Modeling - New Models: How to get started - Tampa Modeling Agencies - Tampa Modeling Schools - Modeling FAQ - Comp Cards - Portfolios - Tampa Modeling Jobs - Modeling Career Tools

MODELING FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED MODELING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

This article is a professional, educated opinion, and should not be taken as advice of any kind. Use at your own risk; anyone doing anything described on this site assumes complete liability.

E-Mail us and ask us your modeling questions! The best questions will be added to this Tampa Bay Modeling modeling FAQ! A special thanks go out to our friends at Independent Modeling and Advanced Model for their assistance with our FAQ, as well as modeling, entertainment, and business expert C. A. Passinault. Tampa photographer C. A. Passinault is the author of the upcoming Advanced Model modeling book, which covers both independent and agency modeling. He is the lead photographer at his Tampa photography and design services company, Aurora PhotoArts Tampa Bay Photography and Design, and is well respected by many professionals in the modeling industry. C. A. Passinault is the president of the Tampa Photography Society, an organization of Tampa professional photographers. C. A. Passinault is affiliated with Tampa Bay Modeling, is the director of Independent Modeling, is the author of Advanced Model, and will be the publisher for the upcoming Advanced Model national magazine.

1. Am I model material?
The following is an index of the answer to this question (select the first one to begin reading): Am I model material? - Modeling Job Scams - Model Placement Scams - Modeling Management And Modeling Agency Scams - Modeling Photography And Exploitation Scams

1. Am I model material?
That depends on you. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be considered to be drop-dead gorgeous, or beautiful, to be a model, or to have a modeling career. The image of the super model and the fashion modeling career is a common misconception about modeling, and while there is a need for that type of model, that’s high end modeling which only a few can actually do. It’s a difficult type of modeling to work in, and only 1 in 10,000 can even attempt it.
Modeling is marketing; it is a visual form of marketing which is used to sell a product or service.
If you can achieve a look that someone is looking for to sell what they are marketing, you can model. For most modeling, such as lifestyle modeling, as many as 1 in 5 can work as a model if they market their careers well.
In Florida, the most common type of modeling job is the promotional model. If you are outgoing and easily get along with people, promotional modeling can be done by just about anyone, regardless of how they look. Promotional modeling, however, is the very bottom of the modeling industry, and the pay is low. Promotional modeling jobs usually pay $12.00 to $15.00 an hour, with most jobs lasting four hours. A typical promotional modeling job might be handing out samples of a product in a store. Yes, as unglamourous as it is, someone handing out pieces of hot dog on a toothpick in a grocery store is promotional modeling; you have a physical person, whom only has to be approachable, the model, promoting a product.
If promotional modeling is all that you want to do, you do NOT need a portfolio or composite cards. You only need a picture, a resume, business cards, and a cover letter. Promotional modeling does not pay enough to make the investment into a modeling portfolio or composite cards worth it, although, if you aspire to do other types of modeling, or you do other types of modeling, a portfolio and composite cards will give you an advantage over other promotional models.
It’s important that, as an independent model, that, unless you are trying to book a promotional modeling job, that you downplay how many promotional modeling jobs that you have worked. If trying to book a commercial modeling or print modeling job, volunteering the information that you’ve done a lot of promotional modeling can hurt you. You don’t want to be typecast as a promotional model (Trust me on this. Promotional modeling, while there is nothing wrong with it, is looked down on compared to other types of modeling. It is low end, or plankton, modeling, which is seen at the bottom end of the food chain. Some might even consider that promotional models are not real models, or, at the very least, not take them as seriously. I am one of the ones who weighs out the work history of a model, and who looks for balance of a variety of work, and especially work history which is relevant to the job which I am casting. When I am booking a model into one of my projects, I tend to look at their resume, and since I work more with print modeling, being a photographer, I take the model less seriously if I see too much promotional modeling work on their resume. You don’t want me going “Well, their portfolio is ok, but their work history is not. They are just another promotional model, and I don’t know if they have the experience which this job requires. I’m going to play it safe, especially when my client is paying for this shoot for their marketing; if the model chokes, it will reflect badly on me, and I might lose the client over cost overruns when I have to redo the shoot. I’m not losing money, or risk losing a client, over a model, especially when there are so many qualified professional models to choose from. Next model!” I look for tear sheets and range in their modeling portfolio, because I want to be sure that the model is right for the modeling job, that they have experience in what the job entails, and that it will be cost-effective to book them into the job. Nothing is worse than booking a model into a job, and to find out that, once you’re on the set and are paying out money to get a project done, that the model isn’t up to it. Your only credibility as a professional model is in your portfolio, your resume, and in the investment into your career that you can demonstrate. You want the modeling job to have confidence in you as a model, and that you experience and skill will make the job easier and less expensive. Also, in any modeling job, models who show that they are serious enough to invest in their career, such as those who have a professional portfolio, composite cards, and a real web site with a .Com, are taken seriously. I don’t take models who operate off of social networking and portfolio networking sites, and models who do not have a professional portfolio or composite cards, seriously. - C. A. Passinault).
Tradeshow modeling and Convention Modeling are higher levels of the low end of promotional modeling, and they pay more while requiring more skills. These modeling jobs are best booked with the use of a modeling portfolio and composite cards, as the standards are higher. They are still promotional modeling jobs, however.
Tampa Bay Modeling Note 02/21/11 - One of the main issues that we’ve had with online modeling job boards is that they are mostly filled with promotional modeling jobs. The more coveted, and higher paying, print modeling jobs which are traditionally booked through modeling agencies are still booked through modeling agencies. While this is changing, it hasn’t changed enough. In 2011 and 2012, Tampa Bay Modeling, Florida Modeling Career, and Independent Modeling are going to change this; we are even going to go out of our way, call those jobs up, and convince them that they can book those jobs without going through an agency, using the same tactics and tools which models can access, and use, from our site free of charge. At the same time, we will also educate them with the latest tactics to defeat those whom would use their job posts in modeling job scams. There is more, too, but we can’t go into it. Let’s just say that we have a very elaborate program, full of checks and balances, which we worked on for many years, and that it is going to work. Of course, the promotional modeling jobs will still be found on modeling job boards, and they are welcome to post, but that is not the focus of our efforts. We will be taking work away from th agencies, and will be helping models book more lucrative modeling jobs on their own.
The middle market of modeling is the focus of Tampa Bay Modeling, since there are lots of modeling opportunities available for serious models. Most of the middle market of modeling directly involves advertising, and includes print modeling.
For more about types of modeling, fair pay rates, and requirements, see our modeling job rates section.
With this question answered, we now have to add some important information.
Because modeling is a desirable career, and the illusion of glamour (which has nothing to do with the actual definition of glamour modeling), with that career, modeling can be dangerous.
You have to know what you are doing, especially if you are a new model just starting out.
That’s one of the purposes of Tampa Bay Modeling, which is a regional modeling resource site for the Tampa Bay market. Tampa Bay Modeling has enough information for new models to learn from so that they know what they are doing when they finally start modeling. Tampa Bay Modeling is also for experienced professional models, too, but that information, and the career tools that we offer free of charge, will be more relevant for you after you start modeling.
Modeling, because it is a “dream career” of lucrative possibilities (although sobering realities, once you are actually modeling and find out what it’s all about. It’s rewarding, sure, but not nearly as cool as you might think), is full of scams! Combating modeling scams is another purpose of Tampa Bay Modeling, and we are here to help you identify modeling scams and avoid them. If you are scammed, your modeling career can end before it has a chance to begin!
By far, the most common modeling scams in the Tampa Bay market are modeling job scams, followed by model placement scams, modeling management scams, model exploitation scams, modeling photography scams, and modeling agency scams.
The main thing that all of these modeling scams have in common is to entice people with the promise of jobs, introductions to other parties, or other opportunities. Once contacted, the modeling scam then tries to sell the inquiring person something, which is “required” in order for them to be considered for the opportunity. Don’t fall for this!
A modeling job scam advertises modeling jobs. Once contacted, they require you to buy something, a service, or modeling classes before they can refer you to the job. The offer often claims that no modeling experience is necessary, which is ridiculous; no professional job is going to book an inexperienced amateur, especially when there are a lot of experienced professional models to select from.
NEVER buy ANYTHING, or allow yourself to be referred to any service, from someone who advertises a modeling job!
Why is it that we’ve never seen a single advertised modeling job turn out to be legitimate? Smart models avoid advertised modeling jobs.
Note, though, that advertising a modeling job is not the same thing as posting a modeling job posting on a modeling job board, although the common sense rule that you don’t buy anything from those who post modeling jobs still applies. Advertising a modeling job in the newspaper, on the radio, or on television is not cheap. There really isn’t that much of a market for modeling jobs, especially when there are plenty of qualified professional models to choose from. How do they make their money? If it is cheaper to go through an agency to find models for a job, the modeling job advertisement cannot be legitimate, in our opinion. Of course, posting on a modeling job board is either free, or low cost, so it is more likely to be legitimate, as long as they are not selling anything. The cheaper the costs for promoting a modeling job opportunity, the safer it generally is.
Model placement scams are even more idiotic. A modeling and talent agency, which, in Florida, is the only type of business which can legally make money by referring models into jobs, is a middleman in the modeling industry. Model placement companies are a middleman to the agency middleman, so you work with two middlemen. It does not make any sense to chain together middlemen in any career, as it makes doing business, for the model, much more expensive, and therefor, less cost effective. What they do is advertise modeling opportunities and modeling jobs, and they sell classes and portfolios. Model placement scams have a big pitch, too, and they offer to introduce you to agencies. So, you get a middleman introducing you to another middleman. At the most, model placement scams are modeling development businesses, or pseudo modeling schools (which bait models with the payoff of “introducing them” to the right agencies) which are a poor value, and they are not worth it. You can introduce yourself to agencies at no charge, or even go to a professional photographer to get the portfolio that you need, and then go out and get modeling jobs on your own! Why a professional photographer who specializes in modeling portfolios? Because the photographer is at least honest about what they are in business to do, and they do not mislead anyone. As long as the photographer can demonstrate a history of doing good modeling portfolios, they are a much better, and safer, bet.
Also, regarding any modeling business, take the BBB (Better Business Bureau) rating, or accreditation, with a grain of salt. It does not make them legitimate. The BBB is basically third party arbitration, and few parties ever follow through with a dispute through them. Also, anyone can buy accreditation (We were offered BBB accreditation, but decided to pass after we found out that it would cost us $600.00 a year. We are a free modeling resource site, and that kind of money spent to boost our perceived credibility is not worth it. We’d rather be known by what we do, and not have to rely on BBB accreditation to make us “legitimate”. Our actions, and our purpose, make us legitimate! We’re sorry, but in our opinion, paying money for any kind of seal of approval kind of makes the credibility of the certification questionable, at best). The BBB can be useful, but a better way to evaluate any business is common sense and a little research. They are what they do, and if they use deceptive advertising or misleading claims, regardless of what accreditation that they have, they are a scam.
We know of at least one modeling scam which has accreditation through the BBB, as well as a favorable rating, and we know better! They flaunt their accreditation and use it in their advertising, which is supposed to make them a credible, legitimate, professional modeling business. Again, we know better! We suppose that, in time, that rating will drop, and so will the accreditation, but how many models will be ripped off, or destroyed, in the interim to make that happen? Although we respect the BBB, and it is a useful tool, our opinion is that it is not perfect, and it is not a one-stop solution for any evaluation process.
Modeling management scams are another common scam. They often advertise modeling jobs and career opportunities for models. Most modeling management companies are NOT modeling and talent agencies (ask them if you dare). If they are not a licensed modeling and talent agency in the state of Florida, they cannot make any money referring models to the jobs that they are advertising. How do they make their money? Well, they make their money by selling services and portfolios to models! Advertising a modeling job when you cannot legally follow through, by referring models to those jobs, on what you are advertising, and then turning around and selling things to the models who contact them in order to be considered for the modeling job is wrong! In our opinion, it is deceptive advertising, and deceptive trade practice, bait and switch, and fraud. It needs to be reported to the authorities.
We’ve never seen a modeling management company turn out to be legitimate. The ALL have been scams, taking money from models who are easily misled and giving them nothing of value in return. If the models do happen to book the job, it is one job which usually doesn’t pay what it should, and the model never makes their money back!
NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM ANYONE ADVERTISING A MODELING JOB!
If the modeling management company IS a licensed modeling and talent agency, well, it’s a working conflict of interest, in our opinion. How is this, when so many modeling agencies claim to manage models and their career? Well, it’s because the model works FOR the models whom they represent. It’s not the other way around. Model do not work for modeling agencies, and they are not employed by them. An agency is a middleman which makes money by referring models to modeling jobs. A model is an independent contractor, and a self contained business, even if they are represented by an agency, and the agency works FOR the model. This means that the model is the boss of the agency, for practical purposes. Agencies managing models is a situation not unlike an employee trying to tell an employer what to do. What really makes it a conflict of interest when agencies manage models is that the agency does not exclusively work for the model (although, ironically, many agencies will try to get the model to sign an exclusive representation agreement, which traps the model into only working with that agency in their market), but also works for the competition of the model. Competition? Of course! Who do you think that the other models whom are represented by the agency are? All of the models are competing for the same modeling jobs! If an agency is managing a model and their modeling career, and telling them what to do when they are supposed to be working FOR the model, and they are also working for the competition of that model, which are other models which the agency represents, can you see why that is a conflict of interest?
Keep it simple and avoid a scam. Never allow a modeling agency to manage your career. Only use the modeling agency one of many sources of modeling job leads, and nothing more! Better yet, make the agency work HARDER for you, and get the edge over the models who are competing against you, by finding and booking modeling jobs on your own! When the agency realizes that you are serious about finding and booking modeling work, and that you ARE booking modeling jobs on your own, they will work that much harder to refer you to the job first because they won’t want to get cut out of their commission!
Also, never, ever buy anything from a modeling agency, or from anyone whom the modeling agency refers you to for things such as portfolios and comp cards. The only sure way to avoid being scammed by an agency, and to make sure that they only make money by referring models into jobs, which is what they are supposed to do, is to get your modeling portfolio and composite cards before going to any agency!

2. Can I join your agency?
Tampa Bay Modeling, Independent Modeling, Florida Modeling Career, and Advanced Model are NOT modeling and talent agencies. We’re better. We are modeling resource sites and online publications which have information that models can use to empower their modeling career. We are here for both independent and agency represented models.
Regarding Tampa modeling and talent agencies, smart models will only use modeling agencies as one of many sources of modeling jobs. Models should never allow an agency to manage their modeling careers, or sign an exclusive representation agreement with any agency. Why? To do so will make a model dependent upon the modeling agency, and will limit their ability to book work.
How? A modeling agency is supposed to work for a model, finding them modeling jobs and referring them job leads. When an agency is working for the model, it is a conflict of interest, in our opinion, for an agency to manage a model (which is like an insubordinate employee bossing around an employer, and telling them what to do), especially when the agency also works for the competition of the model. Who is this competition? Other models whom are also represented by the agency! Those same models are competing with you for the modeling jobs that you are trying to book! Can you see how this can be a conflict of interest, as well as lead to manipulative politics?
Keep it simple. To avoid being unfairly manipulated by agencies which cross the line, only use modeling agencies as one of many sources of jobs. Obtain representation from as many of them as possible, and make them compete against each other to get you the jobs that you deserve. Also, never buy anything from an agency, or from anyone whom an agency refers you to. Modeling and talent agencies, in Florida, can only legally make money by referring models into jobs, and that’s it.
When it comes to modeling and talent agencies, models call the shots!

3. How do I get started in modeling?
The best answer is to invest in your modeling career by investing in a modeling portfolio and composite cards from a professional photographer who specializes in modeling portfolios, and whom is not affiliated with any modeling agency.
Also, read our section about how to get started in modeling.

4. What are fair rates for modeling portfolios and composite cards?
As of March 2011, the best range of rates for modeling portfolios in the Tampa Bay market is between $300.00 to $550.00 for a six look modeling portfolio. Why six looks? Because the standard composite card requires at least five, and six will give you a decent starting portfolio for your modeling career.
Anything less than three looks for a modeling portfolio is not worth it. Also, stay away from photographers who charge less than $300.00 (they don’t know what they are doing, in our opinion, if they try to sell models on low rates) or photographer who charge over $550.00 for a six look modeling portfolio (those photographers rip off models, in our opinion).
Also, in our opinion, stay away from modeling portfolio photographers who “shoot by the hour”, which will rush a shoot and undermine quality. Photographers who charge by the hour, and who offer modeling portfolio packages with so-called “unlimited” looks for a couple of hours of time will give you cookie cutter pictures which may prove to be useless for a modeling portfolio. We’ve even seen one who stated that a make up artist is not needed because the “agencies want to see the natural look of a model”. In that case, what is the point of the model having a modeling portfolio done in the first place? We strongly disagree with that natural look statement, which is something that old school modeling books indicate a model needs to show when they send in snapshots to an agency for representation consideration (and, of course, the agency is supposed to refer the model to a photographer to a “real” photographer to take their portfolio pictures, which opens the doors to all sorts of modeling scams, including photo mill agencies which make money by selling photography to models, and not the way that they are supposed to, by actually finding them work!). The photographer who states that a model has to show a natural look in their modeling portfolio does not know what they are doing, in our opinion, and they have no clue what the point of a modeling portfolio, and composite cards, is. What do they think that they are doing? Are they in business to take money from people can give them rushed portfolios full of mediocre pictures which all look the same? The best modeling portfolios show the widest range of looks which the model can obtain! The wider the range of looks in a modeling portfolio, the more marketable the model is, and the more modeling jobs they will book. Composite cards, being a snapshot of the highlights of the more extensive modeling portfolio, are the same way.
Although a make up artist is not required if the model is competent in applying makeup, booking one for your portfolio shoot is highly recommended. You WILL require the use of make up in any modeling portfolio shoot!
Find a professional photographer who shoots by the look (and not by the hour), and who knows what they are doing. Ask them plenty of questions. There are too many portrait photographers and wedding photographers trying to shoot models, and they won’t be able to give you what you need.
Regarding the fair prices of composite cards, which you can only obtain after you have established a modeling portfolio, it depends upon a variety of factors. See what they photographer charges for composite card design, which most modeling photographers also do. Shop around for printers, and compare prices with quality, as well as quantity. Sometimes, it is more cost effective to get more cards printed. There are two reasons for this. First, higher quality printing is more expensive to set up, and higher print runs will help offset the price of each composite card. Secondly, a model whom is represented by more than one agency, and whom also books work on their own independently, is going to require a lot more comp cards. The best deal which we found? Comp cards printed on 12 PT to 14 PT (14 is better) paper stock, UV coated, and printed with a 4/4 color process. The minimum run is usually 900 to 1,000 cards, but most models go through that amount within 6 months. We’d quote rates here, but they vary; compare rates for these specifications.
As a rule of thumb, avoid cheap laser cards (under 200 print runs, printed on flimsy paper, with the composite cards having washed-out color). You want to stand out from other models, and not blend in with another mediocre laser composite card.
TIP: Even if you are an independent model, make sure that your composite cards have a blank space on them where modeling agencies can place their agency contact sticker. You can then give each of your agencies their own supply of composite cards which they can use to market you with. A smart way to do this is to have your composite card designer place your default contact information on the composite card space, and then allow agencies to place their sticker over that when they are using your cards.

5. Do I need to go through a modeling agency to book jobs?
No. Not at all. Even if a modeling book states that you have to, think again. They are wrong (most of these modeling books are written by models who are fully invested in the agency way of doing things. Although these models realize that models do not have to go through an agency to find and book work, what do you think that they are going to say? Do you think that these models are going to give out advice which undermines their agency friends? They are not going to rock the boat that they are in!). Models can, and do, represent themselves, and they do find and book modeling jobs on their own, without going through an agency. Doing so saves the model agency fees, as well as the modeling job; they both cut out the middleman, which is smart business.
This said, a smart model will leave no stone unturned. Smart models not only find and book modeling jobs on their own, but they also obtain representation from as many modeling agencies as possible. This maximizes their exposure to modeling jobs, as well as their marketability. Additionally, if a model demonstrates that they book work on their own, they actually have leverage over the agencies, and it makes them work harder for the model. Why? Because the agency knows that the model is bookable, and marketable, and they won’t want to risk losing out on a sure-commission. Obviously, this gives the independent model and advantage over the agency-only models, too. The agency will realize that they will have to try to book the independent mode into the jobs, or risk losing out on money when the model books it on their own.
The only stupid models are the ones whom allow themselves to be dependent upon, and managed, by the agencies. Independent models have the advantage over the agency models.

6. Can I book a modeling job without any experience as a model? A commercial stated that they were looking for models, and that no experience was necessary.
No. If you were a business with resources and money on the line, would you book an amateur to do a job?
We’ve never seen a single one of these commercials for modeling jobs turn out to be legitimate. What happens is that they bait the models into modeling classes and other expensive, but worthless, services with the promise of a modeling job. If ANY modeling job offer states that no experience is necessary, they are either a modeling scam, or they do not know what they are doing. Stay away.
Anyone who baits models with the promise of a modeling job, and then turns around and sells them services in order to be considered, is doing a bait and switch. It is a deceptive marketing practice, and it is fraud. Can you trust someone who has to lie to you to get you to buy what they are really selling? Can they do anything for your career is they are advertising something that they are not really selling?
Anyone who pays out money to advertise a modeling job has to make their money back some way. Are they a modeling and talent agency? In Florida, they MUST be a licensed modeling and talent agency, with a TA#, in order to be able to make ANY money by referring models into ANY job. If they are not an agency, but they are advertising modeling jobs, how are they able to make back their money? If they cannot make money by following through on what they are advertising, is buying anything from them really in your best interest? Are they going to find you worthwhile modeling jobs if they cannot legally make money referring you to those jobs? Never by anything from an agency, or from an agency referral. Likewise, never buy anything from anyone who advertises a modeling job.
A legitimate modeling job offer will consider you without any obligation to buy anything.
Experience-wise, a professional modeling portfolio demonstrating what you are capable of as a model is the minimum which is required to be seriously considered for any modeling job. As a rule of thumb, the more of an investments that you can demonstrate in you modeling career, the more seriously you will be taken.
You can also learn what you need to know about modeling, and gain experience, but killing two birds with one stone and building your modeling portfolio with a qualified modeling portfolio photographer. How do you find them? Well, the first rule of thumb is to only invest in services from a reputable professional who is honest about what they are in business to do. You should also look at their portfolio, ask plenty of questions, and check references.
We recommend skipping advertised modeling jobs, modeling agency placement companies, modeling management businesses, and any modeling schools (We have never seen a modeling school which was worth it! We’re the only modeling school that models need, and we are free.). Also, do not go to any modeling agency for representation consideration until you have a modeling portfolio and composite cards.

7. Can I build a modeling portfolio with TFP/ TFCD?
You can try to, but you’ll waste a lot of time for pictures which won’t help you compete with models who have invested in their careers. It’s also risky, and even dangerous, to do any kind of work with amateur guys with cameras who shoot for free, and whom often have ulterior motives which may not be in your best interest. You might even pick up some bad habits. We’ve known of some models who have crippled their careers before they had a chance to start by going this route; in a nutshell, you get what you pay for.
TFP/ TFCD is a case of amateurs helping amateurs, or the blind leading the blind. You’ll have a hard time becoming a professional model that way. Additionally, a professional photographer whom is the position to give you a modeling portfolio which will make you marketable and competitive is not going to work for free. It’s their profession, after all, and it’s a business, just like modeling. You will only get out of your modeling career what you put into it.
Avoid TFP/ TFCD if you wish to be taken seriously as a model, and have a modeling career. You are going to have to invest in your career if you ever hope to be able to compete with professional models who are also trying to book the jobs which you are trying to book.
Tampa Bay Modeling, Independent Modeling, and our sister modeling sites will be making things tough for people who do this. Our Risk Analysis System, or RAS, will teach modeling jobs to evaluate the professionalism, and the risk of booking models, on the investment which they demonstrate in their portfolios, comps, and web sites. Statistically, it pans out, after all.

8. Am I hot, or sexy, enough for modeling?
No. Do you have to be?
Avoid anyone in the modeling industry whom uses the words “hot” and “sexy” to describe what modeling is all about. They not only do not have a clue what they are talking about, but the use of such words is often a red flag which might indicate that they are looking to exploit a model.
Modeling is a visual form of marketing. If you have a look which a business could use to help market a product or service, and you have the look which is appropriate for the modeling job, you’ll book the job.
“Hot” and “sexy” are words used to describe fashion modeling, which is more Miami than Tampa Bay (there are rarely ever any fashion modeling jobs here, by the way, so move to Miami if you want to specialize in fashion modeling, as they are a secondary market, and Tampa Bay is a local, or “third tier”, market. Tampa Bay is more commercial modeling than anything else, although just about anyone can do common, low end promotional modeling work, if that’s what you want to do). Fashion modeling is a highly specialized, competitive field of modeling which most people are not able to do. For starters, there are height restrictions (for women, 5' 7'’ or taller), as well as a highly attractive appearance. Only 1 in 10,000 are cut out for fashion modeling, and of those, only one in 100 will ever be able to make it a career (although, independent models can substantially increase their odds).
Fashion modeling is what the layman thinks of when they think of modeling. There is a lot more to modeling than that misleading image, and the truth of the matter is that the realities of modeling is often much more sobering. It’s not an easy, or even glamourous, career, although it can be lucrative.
With commercial modeling, which is the bread and butter of the Tampa Bay modeling industry, just about anyone who has a marketable look can do this kind of work if they invest in their career and work it. Commercial modeling includes lifestyle modeling, and the models whom you see in catalogs, newspaper ads, and in television commercials are commercial models.
Going to those cliched words, “hot” and “sexy” are also used to describe high risk modeling work such as boudoir, glamour, nude, lingerie, and fetish modeling work. Other types of high risk modeling work include modeling in skimpy bikinis, and /or in provocative poses which can be taken out of context easily.
As a rule of thumb, keep it family friendly until you know what you are doing. If you wouldn’t feel comfortable showing your modeling photographs to your parents or children, don’t do those kind of pictures! “Sexy” has no business being in the portfolio of the new model! Stay away from photographers who insist that you have to have these kind of pictures in your portfolio, as they may hurt your career, and your marketability, as a model.
Remember that pictures are forever, literally, and once taken, you have no control over them. They cannot be undone, and the only way to avoid pictures that can undermine your marketability as a model is to avoid taking them in the first place.
We’ve seen more than one talented model ruin their careers with nude and risque pictures taken of them all over the Internet. Most businesses will not book a model who’s poor judgement ruins their ability to be used for what they are selling. It’s a conflict of interest.
While there is nothing wrong with high risk modeling, the risks must be addressed. Only consider it if you have been modeling for a while, and you know what you are doing. Only consider it if that’s the type of modeling that you want to specialize in, and remember that once you start it, you will limit your marketability as a model, and your ability to book most modeling work.
As a model, you need to make yourself as marketable as possible. As a new model, you need to minimize risks until you know what you are doing. High risk modeling work limits your marketability as a model, and it can cripple your modeling career! Use extreme caution!

00. What happened to your monthly mail bag and to model Monica Stevens?
01. How do I become a model?
02. How do I obtain a modeling portfolio?
03. What is a composite card?
04. What is a web comp?
05. Do I need to get a model agency to be a model?
06. There was a commercial saying that they needed models for major fashion shows and print ads. They also said that no experience was needed. I heard it on the radio, so it has to be true! Is this a good way to become a model?
07. Can your advertisers be trusted? If so, is it alright to buy the services of a modeling school advertised on your web site?
08. A photographer I found said that they were the lowest cost photographer in the Tampa Bay area. Should I buy services from them?
09. A photographer I found said that he was building his portfolio and he offered me a TFP / TFCD (Time For Prints / Time For CD ) photography session at no charge. Is it true? Can I really build a modeling portfolio for free?
10. A photographer from New York, which he described as a major fashion market, is in town for a shoot and he is offering low cost portfolio services! I really want to shoot with a top fashion photographer! Is it ok for me to shoot with him?
11. A wedding photographer offered me a modeling portfolio at a reasonable rate. Although his wedding work is great, we doesn’t seem to be able to show me many model portfolio pictures that he has done, and the few that I see are so-so. What do you think?
12. A top modeling photographer insists that I must come alone to our modeling portfolio photography shoot, and that I am not allowed to bring along an escort. He said that escorts are distracting. Should I go alone?
13. Should I invest in cosmetic surgery or enhancements, such as breast implants, for my modeling career?
14. Is it true that an art director will give me a modeling job without an modeling agency? Will advertising agencies book models who are independent and who do not come to them through a modeling agency?
15. What is a pay voucher, and where do I get them?
16. Should I invest in a modeling school?
17. How do I find modeling jobs?
18. How do I book modeling jobs?

Do you have a question? E-MAIL: TampaBayModeling@Yahoo.Com

01/23/11 - 12/10/11 - 11/16/13/1135

© Copyright 2004-2013 Tampa Bay Modeling. All rights reserved

REFERENCE GUIDE - MODELS - SERVICES - FEATURES - RISKS - SCAMS - MODELING JOBS - RESOURCES - CONTACT

ABOUT - TERMS - NEWS - OPINION - RATES - FEATURES - MODELING CAREER RISKS - TAMPA MODELING SCAMS - RISK ANALYSIS SYSTEM - TAMPA BAY MODELS - TAMPA MODELING JOBS - MODELING RESOURCES - TAMPA BAY - CONTACT - TAMPA MODELING BLOG - TAMPA MODELING SERVICES

TAMPA BAY MODELING AGENCIES - FLORIDA MODELING AGENCY LAWS

© Copyright 2004-2023 Tampa Bay Modeling. All rights reserved. Presented as-is, with no guarantees expressed or implied. Informational use only. Tampa Bay Modeling is not legally liable for the content on this web site, and use of any content waives us from liability. Anyone using the content on this site or attempting anything described on this site assumes all legal and civil liability. Please be familiar with with your local laws before using this site. Information on Tampa Bay Modeling is not to be taken as legal advice or advice which may be covered under any licensed or regulated profession. Opinions expressed on this web site are those of the individual contributor and may not be shared by other contributors, models, photographers, advertisers, or businesses who may be involved with this web site or our online community. Tampa Bay Modeling is a free, no-obligation professional modeling resource web site operated from Riverview, Florida, by a team of professional freelance and agency-represented models. For more, please read our Terms Of Use, and our Disclaimer, for Tampa Bay Modeling.

Raptor Class Web Site by Eos MediaArts, a Passinault.Com company. Raptor Class 0001, commissioned 011806.0800 hrs. Raptor 3 Variant of Raptor Class.

Web Site Design and photography by Aurora PhotoArts Tampa Bay Photography and Design. Tampa Bay Events by upcoming Passinault event planning and stage production companies (as of 12/27/16, those businesses are coming along, well). Word to Ya.

Tampa Bay Modeling Web Site Launched 10/18/04. Redeployed as a 3rd Generation Raptor Class site on 01/18/06. Raptor 2 upgrade applied 09/07/07. Upgraded to Raptor 3 variant on 12/16/07.

05/02/12 - 01/13/13 - 07/24/13/2023 - 01/24/14/0824 - 01/01/15/0905 - 01/28/15/0945 - 01/03/16/1844 - 01/03/16/1852 - 09/02/16/0445 - 12/27/16/0339 - 01/04/23/0012/0202/ - 11/13/23/1151/

TAMPA BAY MODELING UPDATE HISTORY

© Copyright 2004-2023 Tampa Bay Modeling. All rights reserved