AleanElston.com

Tag: aspiring model

  • Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show…Did you see me on CBS?

    Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show…Did you see me on CBS?

    If you are in Philadelphia Area and stayed up to watch the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, I hope you stayed up a bit longer and watched the news to see me giving you my runway and smizing tips!

     

    Special thanks to CBS 3 and Tori Woodill for having me! I hope to come back for the 2018 show!

     

    Just in case you missed it click here to watch!

     

    If you learned anything from it, be sure to comment below and let me know what you think.

    And if you are looking for my tips on what you should wear on a casting click here!

  • “I don’t fit the casting description, should I still go?” – #ModelTipTuesday #ModelAdvice

    “I don’t fit the casting description, should I still go?” – #ModelTipTuesday #ModelAdvice

    Another #ModelTipTuesday post for ya! These posts will be dedicated to your questions about modeling. If there are any questions you have, send them to me via any of my social media sites, or email me your questions. I will either respond to them directly or respond to you and post the question as a blog post for others to learn from. So, Here I go!

     

    I recently had a comment on one of my posts asking this very question. The reader basically said that there was an audition that she was going to go to but she didn’t fit the height requirement for one of the characters that she was auditioning for. She wondered if she should go…

     

    My advice?

     

    I don’t think she should go or at least audition for an other role where she fits the description.

    The casting directors put out the requirements for the roles or the booking a certain way for a reason. It could be that the clothes for the shoot or show are a certain size or the height of the model has to be a certain height in order to fit into a particular set setup with a model or actor of a complementary height.

    There aren’t too many chances that you not fitting the requirements are going to change the director or the agent’s mind in regards to you winning the role just because you showed up and auditioned for it, simply because its not what the role calls for.

     

    And that’s my 2 cents!

  • Reader Question: I have Pimples. Can I Still be a Model?

    Reader Question: I have Pimples. Can I Still be a Model?

    Recently I have been getting a lot of questions about modeling and going to castings, but this one I decided to share because it seems to be a recurring theme, especially among teenagers who want to pursue modeling. Check out the reader’s question below and my response.

    Reader’s Question:
    I have casting this coming Sunday. However my face has some scars and white heads and I’m just wondering if they’ll look at all my white heads and all because I’m sooo not flawless…. But I’m still growing. I know I’ll have clean soft skin if I don’t have these pimples. So I’m wondering if they don’t really care about the scars because makeup artists are able to do makeup for me next time, or do they really want clean face girls? I planned to cover up with foundation and concealer but you said they want to see you as you are. So I’m really not sure. What if I cover up and next time they are shocked to see my face scars?

    My Response:
    Your skin condition will be looked at when you attend a casting, you are being judged on your appearance, it’s the nature of the business. They may ask you about it, they may not, but you should be honest about its condition if asked about it. With that said, if you attend the casting, you should wear makeup to cover the scarring and even out your skin tone. Makeup won’t cover the pimples from being seen it will just take away the color of the scarring or redness, which will still allow you to be seen as a blank canvas. Should you get booked for the job, you should communicate your condition with the person who booked you so they can prepare for production.
    Will your skin count against you? It’s possible. It takes more work/resources ($$$ for editing, makeup artists, [which isn’t always provided], etc.) to work with a model with problem skin compared to one without them. People in business like to control costs and stay within budget and time constraints and problem skin could hinder that. To increase your chances of being booked in the future, I strongly advise adapting a regimen that will help you achieve smoother skin. Usually a pimple here or there most agents look past it.

    *The reader’s question has been edited.

    So what do you think, am I right? What advice would you give to this reader? Do you have a question that you want me to answer about modeling? Comment below and I’ll do my best to get back to you ASAP.

    This question originally appeared as a comment on Model Advice: What to Wear to Casting Calls and Go-Sees

  • “How do I know if its a scam?” Part 1 #ModelTipTuesday

    “How do I know if its a scam?” Part 1 #ModelTipTuesday

    Day 4 – Still kickin it on Alex Beadon’s Blog Challenge and today’s challenge is to answer a frequently asked question in a blog post. I think that this is something that I;ll add to my blog on a weekly basis. #ModelTipTuesday will be dedicated to your questions about modeling. If there are any questions you have, send them to me via any of my social media sites, or email me your questions. I will either respond to them directly or respond to you and post the question as a blog post for others to learn from. So, Here I go!

    One of the constant questions that I get asked about is scams. This modeling business can be shaaaady baby! I like to think that most people are inherently good but the ones that aren’t make it hard to decipher the good ones from the bad. I know it makes it hard to know who to trust and who is really there for your best interest or theirs, but there are a few things that you have to look at in order to really understand if something is a scam or not.

    Check this out

    Signs this might be a scam (according to Alean):

    1. If they contact you by email
      1. They are speaking in is broken English, or text message slang, or slang period
      2. The email address that they are emailing you from is non identifying (ex: 7394xytty@gmail.com) OR it doesn’t match the name of the person sending it (ex: Im Lisa Johnson but my email address is MartinElizabeth@gmail.com)
      3. They tell you they work with a well known brand or designer like, Ralph Lauren or Gucci (No high fashion brand is booking models sight unseen via the internet)
      4. They tell you that you have been selected to work for that big name client and want to pay you a large sum of money for your work but part of it will be paid upfront. (NO AGENCY WILL PAY YOU UPRONT AND ASK FOR THE MONEY BACK!)
      5. In order to you to be paid you have to provide them with a ton of personal information and your bank account information (ALL THAT INFO IS NOT NEEDED ESPECIALLY BANK ACCOUNT INFO)
      6. They leave no contact info (phone number, address, etc.) for you to contact them if you have any questions or want to look them up.

    Take a look at this email that was sent to a model friend of mine.

     

    Hello,

     Good afternoon to you over there and hope you are doing fine today?

    thanks for your response, Presently the company (Ralph Lauren)

    needs a model to advertise their new outfit and i am one of the

    favored supervisor for the project coming up next month in your state.

    Subsequently,The date is between 28th and 29th of June (NOTE THAT ON

    YOUR CALENDAR) and the shoot location will be somewhere very close to

    you and i will let you know it after details have been received…

     Beside how much is your charge for 4hrs in a day (WE PAY $250 TO

    MODELS FOR PER HOUR SHOOT) and you are gonna do that for 2 days (Total

    $2,000 for 8hours).

    Transportation allowance will be included as we continue to work

    together,you could be invited over to the company to sign a contract

    with us if you pose pretty well. In order for this effect i would

    implore you to provide me with your statistics (SIZE) as soon as

    possible? so that what you need would be taken care of asap…

     You will first receive $300 to start with,which will be sent to you

    immediately,this is for your transportation allowance only (NOTE: This

    payment is for your transport ONLY and your full payment for the job

    will be paid to you in cash immediately after the shoot in the

    location).

     The photo shoots will be taken and sent to the company and it will be

    display on our online web and magazine (worldwide).

     The company have personal photographers and makeup artist,so we have

    made all necessary arrangement for your good looking on that day and

    also our photographers are available to give you best directive. They

    will be contacting you for proper

    arrangement of time and location after payment has been made.

    Bonus: The cloths you will be wearing for the shoot.

    ESCORT:As matter of choice,you can bring along any one of your choice

    to the shooting venue. All traveling Expenses, Food and

    Accommodations/Hotel would be covered by my company. my company will

    cover all the expenses on your escort.

    EXPECTATIONS: You must have positive ID.

    You must have a nice pedicure and manicure.

    You must have nice smile and humble personality.

    You must be willing to pose very well and good.

    No hairy armpits.

     Reference and other forms/documented papers will be send to you via

    courier service a week before the shoot.

     Guess the arrangement is understood? In order for payment to be made

    to you on time,i would need you to provide me with the following

    info…..

     

    Name in full:

    Residential address:

    City:

    State:

    Zip-code:

    Phone number(cell and home):

    Age:

    Charges $2,000(8 hours):YES/NO

    Transport allowance $300:

    OCCUPATION:

    AGE:

    ATTACH 2 RECENT PICTURES:

     

    Measurements:

     

    Best Regards,

    Rick McNeil.

     

    This kind of scam is a variation of the Nigerian Email scam. You know those emails that say they are a random Prince from some unheard of land and  they want you to claim your inheritance left by a distant relative, and they want to send you a check for the amount but you have to pay them money back once you cash the check… Yeah they took that to modeling. Check out this link that details more red flags you should be on the look out for if you happen to get a random email like this one – http://www.newmodels.com/Nigeria.html

     

    Good luck out there in model land! and remember a Good Model is a Smart Model!

     

    Be smart lovelies!

     

    xoxo, Alean

  • How I got started as a model…

    How I got started as a model…

    The header pic, is a pic from about 10 years ago, maybe more an 10 years, of my first swimsuit shoot in Atlantic City. I thought I was DOOOOOOING IT! lol Thank goodness that was the beginning and there was a lot of improvement to be had!

     

    Day 2 of the 7 day blogging challenge by Alex Beadon, and the challenge is to write about how you got your start as an entrepreneur. Since my modeling is how I got my start as an entrepreneur, I decided to detail that. If you want to know how it got me to start my business, I’ll be detailing that in the future on my company’s blog, “The Pour”

     

    Here Goes!

     

    What initially drew you in to become a model?

     

    I have a cousin that was a model when I was a kid. I remember looking at her pictures in her portfolio and some of her tear sheets from the ads and print work that she had done and thought to myself, I want to do that. The pretty, perfect, and polished look that she portrayed was what initially sparked my interest in modeling. I think I was around 9 years old when I realized a model is what I wanted to be.

     

    What challenges did you face?

     

    Well, the number one challenge that I faced was getting started. I didn’t know how or where to start, who could point me in the right direction, how to get work, what did I need to be a model, what was a scam and what was worth pursuing? And so forth.

    My first comp card. Thank the Lord for growth lol (that email address, I no longer use by the way)
    My first comp card. Thank the Lord for growth lol
    (that email address, I no longer use by the way)

    How did you overcome them?

     

    I did a lot of researching, back when I was starting there were a few ‘urban’ models who had websites that displayed their portfolios and resumes and also gave a lot of tips on how they got started (before blogging was popular) so I took some of their advice from their sites as well as other modeling advice sites and started out on pursing my career. A lot of what I have come to learn has been from trial and error and research to figure out what path would be the best path for me to try. Through my research, I learned that pictures are the main thing that will get you booked and without them you won’t be taken seriously as a model. SO I set out to do a photo shoot. I found a few social networking sites dedicated to models and photographers and I put a few pictures of myself on there that opened myself as looking to shoot in order to build my portfolio and I had a number of photographers respond willing to shoot me and a few even for free! I decided to shoot with one photographer (I paid him) and ended up learning a TON from my initial shoot and used those pictures to book more shoots in order to perfect my posing and my port, and thus I began to seek out work and the bookings started to come.

     

    How did you get your first booking?

     

    My first booking was fashion show that I was referred to do by the same photographer that I did my very first shoot with. It was for a local designer, I can’t remember her name, but I was booked for that show based on the pictures he showed her that he shot of me. I didn’t even know how to walk the runway I was a PURE newbie, Lol But I booked it!

     

    What has been your biggest lesson as a model?

     

    The biggest lesson I have learned as a model is the vital fact that pictures and your network can and will take you places. Without the pictures and without knowing people you won’t get far. It’s like the saying goes, “Its not always what you know, its who you know and who knows you.”

  • The hairstyle that made me stand out to modeling agents #modellife #modeladvice

    The hairstyle that made me stand out to modeling agents #modellife #modeladvice

    Over the weekend, I was in a Modeling Competition that one of my agencies holds every year. I’ve been with them for about 10 years now and I’ve never entered it, I never entered ANY modeling competition before but I’ve worked numerous events behind the scenes of them. They have a bunch of agents come from all over the country and the world to judge it and give out some amazing prizes. What made me enter it this year was the opportunity to go to China for an all expenses paid, paid model booking. Who could give up a chance for a free trip to China, international modeling creds to add to my resume, and did I mention being paid to model in China?! lol

    Memories of my Last out of the country modeling related excursion. Ready to blow the dust off of my passport.
    Memories of my Last out of the country modeling related excursion. Ready to blow the dust off of my passport.

    I was a little self conscious about entering the competition, mainly because MOST of the people competing were literally half my age or younger (if you can guess how old I am, theres 50 brownie points for you lol), and a tad bit slimmer than me. I’m still slim just not supermodel skinny like I used to be! lol But I entered this competition because it was for a lingerie/swimwear client in China, and swimwear and lingerie is PERFECT for my body type so I thought I could walk away from this competition confidently with the winner’s trophy in the bag.

    So did I win?

  • Model Professionalism #modeltip #modeladvice

    It has come to my attention that a lot of models don’t understand that professionalism goes a long way in this business. Maybe its because, a lot don’t think of it as a business, but more so as something to do because they find it to be fun for them and love the attention and the way they look and feel in a photo-shoot. While all of that is fine, one must understand that it may be fun for you, but for others, its a business, lifestyle, and a way of supporting their families. You mess any of that up or you rub someone the wrong way, you can be sure that your fun career will not move and prevent you from moving forward.

     

    Here’s a list of 3 things that models do that industry insiders say can prevent them from working with that model again:

     

    Arriving Late to a Booking

    Personally, I think we can all understand that time is money, in any industry. But what I seem to see quite often are models who think that things revolve around their schedule… Let me be the first to let those of you who think this is the case know: YOU CAN BE REPLACED!!! Sure there are circumstances that may have held you up and prevented you from getting you there on time, but when you decide not to call anyone and let them know that you are running late. You are holding up the production and wasting money and possibly light (daylight) to get the job done! What will usually happen if you don’t call AHEAD of time when you are running late (and by that I mean, call when you know you are running late not when you are running late and its 5 minutes before you are supposed to be there) is that there will be another model willing and waiting in the wings who is available and will take your job. Then because they were such a lifesaver and time saver, they will be called upon for more gigs. Lesson: BE ON TIME and if your not, let somebody know ASAP!

     

    Having an attitude

    TUDE TUDE TUDE!!!!!! ATTI-TUDE that is… It says a lot about your work ethic, your personality, and your state of mind. One thing people must begin to master is the ability to control their attitude in what is often known as checking your emotions at the door. This is very important when on set, or backstage because to be frank, NOBODY CARES about whatever is bothering you!!! There is a task at hand that needs to be taken care of and you need to execute. If you want your bad attitude get in the way of that, or if it rubs someone the wrong way or if you just can’t seem to contain it. Don’t bother coming in. Bad attitude can effect everyone and no one (especially me) wants to be hanging around a dark cloud or negativity. I’ve seen plenty of girls be replaced simply because they couldn’t suck up their feeling about what happened outside of a photo-shoot or outside of a show and get down to business. Attitude is an emotion, and emotions are personal, and Personal issues can inhibit proper business. When you get an attitude remember the saying, “Nothing personal, just business” and get the job done.

     

    Talking bad about others

    NOBODY ASKED YOU!!! Well maybe somebody did ask you… but that doesn’t mean you have to spill the beans about everything that you didn’t like about the way they did things. This industry is very small. Especially if you are working in a particular area, and begin to advance in the industry. you will start to see that you will see some of the same people over and over again. All of those people talk and you don’t need to fuel any fire talking about another one of the members of the already small industry circle. When in doubt about discussing another photographer, MUA or stylist, just smile or look shocked and act like they are the best thing since sliced bread. lol! You never know who is related to who, or could be friends with the person they are asking you about.
    Stay tuned… next tip will about being professional in reaching out about modeling jobs!
    Stay pretty!
    Alean