Guide to Start a Modeling Career

By Jatin Kumar Khirbat

This comprehensive guide provides aspiring models with a roadmap to kickstart their modeling careers. Packed with practical advice, it covers topics ranging from understanding the modeling industry and its requirements, to building a strong portfolio and working with agencies. The book delves into crucial aspects of personal development, and well-being in the demanding world of fashion. It also addresses industry challenges and shares inspiring models from the Indian modeling scene.

Furthermore, it explores the business side of modeling, providing insights on managing finances and planning for a future beyond modeling. Whether you're a newcomer or an established model seeking to advance your career, this book offers valuable insights to navigate the vibrant and challenging world of modeling.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blue Rose Publishers
• Release date: Nov 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890088819

Book preview

LEVEL

1

LEARNING STAGE

CHAPTER 1

GETTING STARTED IN MODELING

Demystifying the Industry

Modeling is a career that allows you to live a big, socially happening life, become a part of the business of lifestyle, get invited to some of the biggest Page 3 parties, and collaborate with creative people in the public eye, from brands to designers and celebrities. For many, it is one of the most tried and tested ways of entering the film industry, and now increasingly, the OTT space, and achieve their acting dreams.

It’s certainly aspirational, and a life many dreams of, even though it comes with its own unique challenges and struggles. For a lot of you, the trade-off between privacy and stability, and fame and money, may be worth it.

Why then do people choose to be models?

To associate modeling with glamour and fame is not enough. The real richness of being in the industry is the tremendous exposure you get, which makes life more interesting than being tied to a desk job.

The nature of the job involves meeting people from different backgrounds, different parts of not just the country but also the world. If you possess a strong passion, perseverance, and patience, it will enable you to journey around the world with style and open doors for many opportunities.

That is not to say that this is all fun and games. It is a full-time job and you have to work hard every day, as with any other job. The returns are different in nature, is all.

MODELING AS A CAREER

The perception of modeling is that it is a restrictive career. But posing for the camera and walking the runway, or advertising a product are just one visible aspect of the industry. There are several other jobs and opportunities within the industry too. For instance, later you can:

Start your own production house

Establish a clothing or product line

Open a modeling school or become a mentor

Start a modeling agency

Become a runway choreographer

Try image consulting

Become a fashion stylist

There are many opportunities. You should play your cards wisely; focusing on your strengths, rather than money alone, to make the best of them.

When I first embarked on my modeling journey, my sole aspiration was to become a famous model. However, as time passed, I came to understand the importance of sustainability and growth within the industry. While nurturing your skin and body to prolong your prime time as a model is undoubtedly significant, it’s equally crucial to embrace the power of versatility and the exploration of new horizons.

By expanding your skill set and delving into different avenues of expression, you unlock the potential to remain relevant in an ever-evolving industry. This pursuit not only provides a steady income but also keeps your passion ignited and approach fresh.

Witnessing my own transformation from a model to a multi-faceted individual, including a fitness trainer, model mentor, fashion influencer, content creator, entrepreneur, YouTuber, personality groomer, pageant trainer, and now, a writer, has truly been an inspiring journey.

By sharing this, I hope to ignite a fire within you, evoking the desire to wholeheartedly pursue the enchanting world of modeling. Embrace the possibilities, nurture your talents, and become the embodiment of your dreams. Let modeling be the vibrant canvas through which you unleash your full potential and make your mark on this captivating industry.

Now that you have a broad overview of what the industry and the opportunities are like, let’s come back to why you are reading this book – and understand modeling.

TYPES OF MODELING JOBS

We don’t realize just the vast range of modeling requirements that brands, designers, and other businesses have. There are several types of modeling jobs.

Fashion Shows or Runway Modeling: A fashion show is an event organized for fashion designers or brands to showcase their upcoming line of clothing, accessories, bags and other lifestyle products. Pre-pandemic, there were at least ten big fashion shows in India in a year, and five globally prominent ones. You may be familiar with the likes of Lakme Fashion Week, Amazon India Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, etc. The models required to showcase clothes at these shows are called runway models. Both female and male models are required to be tall and in shape to pull off the variety of apparel on display. The good news is that now the industry is becoming more inclusive and diverse, and designers and brands are increasingly looking to feature models of different sizes, shapes, and even different identities.

Shoots: All companies need models to advertise their product. Be it cars, makeup, real estate, soaps, phones, pens, books, household products, clothes – the advertising industry has a huge requirement of models. Shoots too can be of different kinds:

Campaign Shoots: The idea behind a campaign shoot is to sell the image of the brand and convey a message or the inspiration of the brand and the product. You must have seen these shoots on billboards, hoardings or display frames. These kinds of shoots pay well.

Editorial Shoots: Editorials shoots are the kind that you see on the pages of Vogue, GQ, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Grazia, and other such fashion magazines. There are also online fashion portals like The Dirty Magazine, that put together a unique, extravagant concept or theme that is highly creative in nature. Although editorial shoots don’t pay much, they help in making your Model Book (explained later) stronger.

Look-Book or Catalogue Shoot: This shoot is to convey useful information like price, color, and size, of a product. These are meant to excite and inspire the viewer’s gaze. The idea is to portray how a particular piece of clothing or accessory can be styled and paired with complimentary pieces. It also incorporates the season’s latest trends in the collection. In this type of shoot, models get paid a medium amount of money.

E-Commerce Shoot: E-Commerce shoots are mainly for clothing, accessories, and beauty products that are sold online. For such shoots, models tend to be booked for several days or even months, and it provides consistent income. Think of Myntra, AJIO, Amazon, Nykaa. These shoots can be conducted by either the brand, or the marketing teams of the companies themselves.

Test Shoots: Test or testing is a term used in the personal/commercial/editorial/lifestyle industry that refers to an unpaid shoot where a photographer will book a model or vice versa, and each helps to build the other’s Portfolios. It’s called trading for pictures (TFP). Test shoots are part and parcel of the business. At the beginning, we need a variety of pictures and experience to help you grow as a model. After a TFP, you should follow up and get raw files from photographers, and study them to see how you can do better, the angles that look good, the features that are highlighted – mark your areas of improvement and work on them. Test shoots happen at all stages of your career. Even today, if a photographer approaches me with a new concept, I consider it. I actively stopped approaching photographers for such shoots in 2017, after having established a portfolio across a wide variety of apparels and in several settings.

Video Shoots: The demand and engagement of videos is expanding across the world due to the massive increase of users on the internet. Brands, designers and companies need models to showcase their products or services in video. Models are required for TV commercials, digital advertisements, music videos. Models need to be expressive and have some acting skills to succeed on such shoots.

Body Parts Modeling: When most people think of models, they don’t think of someone who is just modeling their feet, eyes, neck, hands, or legs. Body Parts Modeling, as the name suggests, focuses on a specific body part of the model. Here models are needed without showing their face to showcase things like watches, hand creams, shoes, eye makeup, lipsticks, jewelry of all kinds, nail art, and much more.

Promotional Modeling: Live modeling is designed to drive consumer demand for a product, service, or brand. Generally, this category of modeling job does not have a height or weight requirement. The focus is on other things like personality, a general attractiveness, ability to communicate with crowds and people, and connect with them, as well as stamina and fitness, as you are expected to be on your toes for long hours at a stretch. These are the models you see at trade shows like auto expos or consumer electronics shows, conventions, mall events, and other such live events.

Fit Modeling: Don’t be confused with fitness models or bodybuilders. Brands or designers need models of different shapes and sizes for fitting their garments before they launch in the consumer market. Here, the models are hired to help designers to see how their clothing looks and moves on a person. The designer asks the model questions about how an article of clothing feels, fits, and how it can be improved. If the models get bookings for several days, then at the end of the month they earn a substantial amount. When I started, I would get paid Rs. 8-12 thousand per day. However, you should have the patience to stand for hours, and the ability to describe the fit, material, and other aspects of the clothing in detail.

Social Media Modeling: It’s impossible to talk about modeling now without mentioning social media. Several online-only businesses need models and influencers to promote their products and services. It is better to learn some social