Skip to main content

Modeling

I thought it appropriate that my first post be about modeling. Since that is something that molds and defines a lot of my lifestyle. Especially as of late!
I got into modeling about a year ago. But I tell people that it was something that I fell into. My friend Kristianna had been modeling for some time and doing a damn good job at it. Then she decided that she wanted to pick up the camera for herself. She gathered all of her friends together and asked if we would be interested in doing photoshoots with her to kickstart her portfolio. I happened to be one of those people. I remember being really excited to get the pictures back so I could post them on my Instagram for my 700 hundred something followers to see. Which mainly consisted of school and work friends. Kristianna and I ended up working together for several hours that day and pulled off a lot of different looks. Once I got the pictures back I posted them as I had planned. Within hours of posting I had another local photographer interested in taking pictures of me. And that's how the story goes!
Prior to all this I had been told to consider modeling. I always brushed the people off because I was 5'2 after all! With no chance of growing any taller. In my mind modeling had always been about the girls that were 5'9+ and super skinny. I did not quite fit that image. So I didn't do anything about it for a really long time. I remember growing envious of girls that did take the risk and seeing how well it paid off for them. Which ultimately pushed me to go out and do the same. No reason to be jealous when the option is out there for you as well. I learned there was plenty of room at the table for me.
Now I model for everyone. Or at least it feels that way! I've worked with so many photographers I have lost count. In the past few months I have begun working for clients as well. My favorites are the fashion related ones. I've worked for three fashion companies and that number is still growing. My favorite being for a woman named Rosana. She travels the world and has built a fashion line centered around pieces from her travels. Her clothing line was absolutely incredible. I felt like a queen in every single one of the outfits she put together. She had also assembled a stellar team of stylists which included a hair stylist, makeup artist, photographer, photography assistant and many more who made it all possible. Also, I now have my own rates available. Meaning that I get paid for my time modeling. This helps in assuring that I have the gas, makeup, clothes and other items needed in order for a successful shoot.
I am coming up on the one year anniversary of modeling and all I can say is I'm not tired yet! They're are going to be more looks coming. So stay tuned!

Work can be viewed on Instagram at (chey_dawn_)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

MODEL MUA

Back in high school I was a makeup fiend. I would scour Youtube for tutorials and makeup haul videos. I would then work and spend all my money at Ulta. Makeup was a very important form of self expression for me. Especially when I attended private school. Now days I have found many different ways of self expression. Also, I do not have as much free spending money as I did back then. This made my makeup journey take some sort of a hit. I stopped buying makeup and started rationing what I did have. To this day I often do not make big makeup purchases very frequently. I have found a very different way to use and wear makeup that works for me in my regular life and my modeling experiences as well. The biggest battle in makeup always seems to be drug store or high end. Which looks better for the price point. I do not know about you. But I hate spending a lot of money on one item. So if I did spend bigger money on makeup it usually was always a palette. For example, my favorite key palett...

Getting Paid For Modeling

I get asked a lot of questions about how I get paid for modeling. I try and help people individually but I thought it would be more helpful to lay it all out here. The first thing I did was build my network. Building your network is slightly more important than even building your portfolio. But if you do it well you can do both at the same time. You want to build meaningful connections with the people you are shooting with at the beginning. Usually this will be TFP (Trade for Print) work. But if you like those people continue working with them when you can. This will build a reputation and a solid network which will be important when you start moving forward with your modeling.  Next, your portfolio . The beginning is your time to experiment. Find your niche. I would recommend trying everything. You're going to want to show people that you are versatile with the kind of modeling you can do. Not every model can do every kind of modeling flawlessly. For example, I think I am ...

Clothing and Modeling

When I first began modeling I remember throwing all my clothes in a pile. I went through them very carefully and would set aside ones that I deemed good enough to be in photoshoots. What I ended up with was a huge pile of basic clothing. Meaning I had an access of black/neutral tank tops, black/blue jeans, and white shirts. This was a good start. You can layer and use a lot of looks with the same basic pairings. After doing this I knew I would need access to a lot clothes for my modeling career. The problem? Why money of course. As a college student my money goes to a lot of different places. Mainly right into my mouth. But I have to sustain life somehow. I needed to find a way to come up with clothing on the low. I did this in three different ways. First, my favorite store became anything with the word "thrift" in it. The art of thrifting is a time consuming one. In order to find all the cool and trendy things you may have to spend some hours on the racks. This used to be ...