The most significant issue that I find when working with new models is the lack of facial expression. Modeling has more similarities to acting than you may think. When you model, you need to tell a story and be expressive with your emotions. It does not matter if your selling a product (promotional modeling), showing off the latest in fashion (runway modeling), or working for a photographer in a photo shoot, you need to "own it". In order to do that you need to make the people that are viewing your work believe the emotion that you are trying to portray. Despite what you may have been lead to believe, It take a lot more than beauty to be a successful model.

My recommendation to any model that wants to make it big is to lock themselves in the bathroom for a significant amount of time each day and make faces in the mirror. Go through every emotion you can think of from happy to sad, from to confused to mad, from heartbroken to crazy. Once you are good at portraying emotion, come up with some poses that match. You will be in very high demand if you can become a master of emotions.

A few words about professionalism. There are A LOT of girls out there that SAY they want to model. They have dreams about being the next super model, to be featured in magazines and flaunt the latest fashions on the cat walk. The problem is that they are not willing to do what it takes to get there.

Being a model is a lot of hard work. You need to be able to sell yourself and network effectively. Most importantly you need to be professional. That means responding quickly when people try to contact you. It means to show up EARLY for any appointment you make, regardless if you are getting paid or not. Most importantly it means that when you commit to doing something YOU ACTUALLY SHOW UP FOR IT!!!

What people don't realize is that professionals in the industry all know each other. I personally know many of the top fashion photographers in Calgary and we talk about you. If you don't show up for a shoot you said you were going to do then the other photographers hear about it. Guess what, they are not going to be as eager to work with you if your a "flake". It works the other way too. When I work with a very professional model who is reliable and works hard to make my shoot successful, I brag about her/him to my photographer friends. When paid work comes along, I am more likely to contact someone I have worked with in the past who treated me with respect and is reliable and professional.

It is important to keep this in mind when you agree to work with someone. Deciding that you would rather go river rafting with your friend than keep your commitment to a photographer that wants to work with you is a VERY bad idea. Especially the day of the shoot when you don't even so much as bother to let the photographer know that your not coming. If your not 100% committed to what your doing then go do something else and leave modeling up to the professionals that really do want to do it.