10 Steps for Using the Internet
as a Resource for a
Successful Freelance Modeling Career
By Candy L. Keane, Professional Model
When I started modeling there was only one option: visit agencies until one hired you. That was the only way to get work. Unfortunately the agency I signed with seemed more interested in taking my money for expensive photoshoots and useless conventions than actually making me money. My first job was unpaid, the second paid $10/hr and I didn’t give them a chance on a third.
Fast forward a couple years. I’m in college and on the computer more than ever. I wanted to make a webpage for fun, but didn’t know what to put on it. I made a really simple page with some scans from my portfolio and started researching modeling online. I also sent my photos to several online portfolio websites. Within a month I had my first paying job through my portfolio at Webtalent.com. For the first time in my life I made $700 in one day, and I was hooked!
I’ve spent the last several years marketing myself online as a freelance model and have been modeling full-time for the past two years. Being freelance takes a lot of responsibility and perseverance because you are your own manager. The Internet has made freelance modeling a very easy and accessible option for models of all types. I’ve learned a lot over the past few years and there are several things models should keep in mind when venturing online:
1) Be careful!
This cannot be stressed enough. First and foremost, always check references
and do some research on the person you are planning to work with. Phone numbers
are preferred to e-mail addresses so you can actually speak to someone who has
worked with the prospective client. If you have a bad feeling, then don’t take
the job. Also, try and bring a chaperone, especially when working with someone
for the first time. If you do work a job alone, someone should always be aware
of where you are going, who you are meeting and when to expect you to return.
There are great opportunities online, but it also exposes you to a large number
of potentially dangerous people and situations.
2) Get professional photos taken
In modeling, you are only as good as your portfolio, therefore you want to
have a great selection of professional photos. Not many jobs come from posting a
few fuzzy snapshots. Online forums are a great resource for finding
photographers willing to “test” with new models. This is often referred to as
TFP or “time for prints.” You model for free, they shoot for free, and you both
get images for your portfolios. Many photographers now shoot digital and will
provide a CD of images instead of actual prints. These images can also be
printed for a regular portfolio.
3) Get yourself a portfolio
Now you have the photos, but what do you do with them? You need exposure,
and there is plenty of it available online. Some portfolio sites charge a fee,
but many of them are free. Keep your costs low by joining as many free ones as
you want, and selecting a couple quality pay sites. Shop around and compare
prices. Remember that no website can guarantee you work. If nothing comes out of
it, then cancel and find a new place for your portfolio. Be suspicious of sites
that charge hundreds of dollars just to post a few pictures. You can get an
entire personal website made for that much! You can find many portfolio websites
by doing an online search for keywords, such as “online model portfolio” or
“model portfolio hosting.”
Click Here To Create a Free Online Portfolio
4) Finding work
Once you have photos online, you now have a place to send people who want to
see your portfolio before booking you. Not all jobs will come to you, you will
have to search them out yourself. Forums are very useful for this purpose. Many
photographers and companies post the work they have available and what kind of
model they are seeking. When you respond to these posts, follow their directions
about whether or not they want photos attached and always include a link to your
best online portfolio. You can also post your own ad for “model seeking work,”
and include what kind of work you want, where you are located and what kind of
compensation you expect.
5) Make a personal website
If you’ve successfully managed portfolios on other websites, you should now
have gotten work that leads to a lot of great photos and a substantial resume.
Once you have this, you are ready for your own website. It is important to still
keep your photos up at other portfolio sites as well, since those will lead
people to your homepage, which will give them an expanded view of your talent.
There are many easy “drag and drop” site builder programs that create websites
without writing a line of html. You have the option of doing the site
yourself, or hiring someone to do it for you. A typical charge for a simple
model website costs about $300. If you like to change your site a lot and want
to be very involved, it is best to learn to do it yourself. Starting with a free
website is as easy doing a search for “free website” and signing up for the one
you like best. There are simple instructions and even templates that will make
creating your site as easy as filling in the blanks.
6) Start looking professional
If you’ve paid someone to do your site, or if you have learned to make a
decent one yourself, you don’t want to ruin it with too many distracting pop-up
ads, a long and complicated website address and an anonymous hotmail e-mail
address. When you get serious about your site is when it is time to invest the
money you’ve made back into yourself and buy a domain name and pay for hosting.
A domain name can cost anywhere from $5 to $40 depending on where you buy it and
the options you choose. Hosting costs extra and so does url masking. Hosting is
the place where your sites exists on the web and url masking is when your domain
name (www.yoursitename.com) points to a longer name, such as www.geocities.com/model/page12.html,
which does not show when the domain name is typed in. It sounds expensive, but
many companies offer packages that include your domain, hosting and e-mail
addresses for a small monthly fee depending on the size and traffic of your
website. These companies also usually have website builder programs and
templates to get you started. For instance, www.geocities.com offers a great
website package that starts at only $8.95 a month. One good job and your fees
are covered for the year.
7) Market yourself
Once you have a website, you need a way for people to find you. This is
where you have to start thinking of yourself as a business that you need to
advertise. There are several ways to get exposure besides other web portfolios.
A good place to start is by simply submitting your website to as many search
engines as possible. There are many free website submission pages online and
some that charge a fee. The free ones just take a little extra work, but it is
worth it. Banner and link exchange with other model websites is also a good way
to get free advertising. Don’t limit yourself to advertising online. Make
business cards with your web address on them and always keep them with you.
8) Remember to get offline a little
Online agencies are not always created equal, so don’t give up on your
tangible portfolio and applying to regular agencies. You can easily stay
freelance and work with agencies at the same time, thus reaping the benefits of
both worlds. Many companies still depend on regular established agencies for
their models. The Internet is a great resource for researching modeling agencies
and their submission requirements.
9) Beware of scams
Modeling scams have become a huge part of the online modeling business. Many
companies are full of promises and will tell anyone with enough money that they
have a great chance of becoming a model. If any agency says they can guarantee
you work or starts asking for money, then beware. Do some online research about
any company before handing over a large sum of money. There have been many news
stories about different companies lately that expose their devious practice of
cashing in on people’s dreams of becoming models.
10) Keep up the good work
Once you’ve established yourself, keep it up. There are always new portfolio
websites opening up and new opportunities for link exchange. Keep your photos
updated and your resume current. Get rid of dead links or photos that do not
represent your current look. For instance, if you just cut your hair, you should
remove the long-haired photos from your website. Photographers need to see
exactly who they are hiring.
Click Here To Launch Your Modeling Career
There are many resources available online for aspiring models, and many more are added every day. Exploring online and networking with other models and photographers is a great way to broaden your contacts and portfolio. These are just a few resources to help you get started:
www.bbrent.com/forums.htm- huge listing of modeling forums
www.modelresource.com- modeling advice and tips, plus agency listings
www.webtalent.com- model portfolio hosting website, plus forums
www.godaddy.com - low priced domain names and website tools
www.craigslist.com- search ads in your city in the arts, film or et cetera job sections
www.geocities.com- create and host your website for free
www.addpro.com- free website promotion tools and search engine submission
www.modelingscams.org- excellent resource on modeling scams
www.google.com- great search engine with targeted results