It’s a MARKETING plan to make you buy bras and panties, girls.  Once you recognize that, you can move the frack on, ok?

Well, that’s just dandy for them.  But what are the consequences for the rest of us?

* Girls as young as 10 years old tell me they want to model for VS.

*All models now want to be shot in an over-sexualized way, that in NO WAY has any relationship to the real world of modeling

*I’m not going to even go into the body-image stuff.  You know that already.

Am I blaming the company for an entire country’s female gullibility?  NO.  I blame us.  Women.  We admire the wrong things. We care too much about our waistline and don’t give a fig about our IQ.  How does this help with modeling, you think – shaking your pretty little head in digust – that woman can NOT be talking to me.  Oh yes, sugar.  You.  We give way too much of a SHIT about how men perceive us too.

FASHION magazines aren’t all about the bombshell.  Sexy is one thing, That brand of sexy is a whole different, manufactured, unattainable thing.  It’s great to be a fantasy – as long as it’s clear that it’s not real.  IT’S NOT REAL.  As someone who’s stepdaughter WAS a VS model, I can tell you – and so would she – that all THAT, is gorgeous.  And manufactured.  And unattainable.

Models who get work, and get paid – can show a flaw or 2.  There are high fashion models with gapped teeth, chopped bleached hair, crooked noses, etc.  And there is beauty to be found in that. Commercial models (also called money girls!) sell everything from toothpaste to blue jeans, and we have no earthly idea who the heck they are.

I can’t wait for the day when that 10 year old wants to one day model like Coca Rocha.

Yes, I would love to wear that wacky outfit.

Yes, how fun it would be to stand on one foot.

Yes, I think this is a really fun photo shoot.

“Yes” is said in other ways too.  A positive expression, a lack of excuses.  It’s not that I insist upon being agreed with.  But it sure is nice.

WORD.

This image is straight out of the camera. No retouching.  Of course I don’t do a ton of that anyway, but that’s a blog post for another day.  THIS chick is editorial.  Effortless.  Didn’t have to try to look cool. She just does.  She’s also probably one of those girls who gets picked on for being too tall in the 7th grade.  Because she is.  In the 7th grade.  I know.  That’s my reaction too.  Holy cow.

So of COURSE we had to take some commercial stuff for her comp card, and we did.  Don’t worry.  But I’m seriously considering asking her & her mom to come to the studio for some magazine submission work soon.  The clothing will be entirely appropriate, you know.

Have a great night!!

*The choices of clothing that is provided for the photographer.  Sometimes not so great.

*A model that was booked by someone else that maybe is not so good.

*A location!

The reason we are talking about location is that a lot of people tend to mess this up.  Here are some common misconceptions.

Assumption:    That beautiful beach must be on an island somewhere in the caribbean.

Truth:  That beach is in South Alabama, tucked away in a wildlife preserve.

Assumption:  That charming open grassy field looks like it’s way out in the country!

Truth:  It’s a vacant lot beside the highway

Assumption: That clever little motel looks like it’s straight out of the 50′s.

Truth: it’s in a really bad part of town, and it IS from the 50′s.  Oh, and it’s stinky.

See?  Isn’t this fun?  By the way, it’s the same for any kind of production:  Still photo, movies, television….

So take a peek behind the curtain (even if it’s only in your mind) and imagine the possibilities in your area.  Heck you might even have a pretty ditch you can work with.

But for Heaven’s sake, let’s let the railroad tracks GO, people.  Please?

I know, right? It sounds wrong. However, the truth is that modeling takes ENERGY. Lots of it. Even if you’re doing a passive type of modeling, like sitting down or lying on a sofa. The energy to project personality (IF you’re doing it right) is kind of hard to muster if you’re starving.

There’s a weird myth going around that if you eat ANYTHING before a model shoot, then you’ll look fat in your pictures. Maybe that’s true in the 2 WEEKS leading up to your shoot, but definitely NOT on the day of.

Seriously.

Make it easier on yourself. You have to be able to enjoy your time in front of the camera. The crew is a bunch of silly people, who love LOVE love to laugh. If you come to laugh and play, then we definitely can find some magic there.

It just makes the whole thing better. EAT. Please.

And remember we are all rooting for you.

If you want to be a model and you’re not a genetically modified giraffe-girl (and I mean that in the most admiring and jealous way possible) – then you have to get creative.

If ONE MORE 5’3″ model says “Kate Moss,” I’m going to smack them.

No, you will NOT be Kate Moss.  Only Kate Moss is Kate Mo…..oh, you know what I’m saying.  The point is that you should do what YOU can.  Kate makes it work because she’s freaking PAINFULLY thin.  So much so that it probably actually hurts to look at her in person.  Let’s quit pulling the Kate Moss card, ok?

(and this is AFTER the camera adds 15 pounds.  yikes!)

OK, so that’s settled.  Please?

Unless you are over 5’9″ and a size 00 and live in NY, LA, Paris, Miami, etc., high-fashion is not going to happen for you.  Let’s just get over that today so we can move on.

Want to know the industry’s little-talked-about secret?  FASHION models do well, but the COMMERCIAL girls make ALL THE DOUGH.  Yep.  Those bouncy chicks in the Old Navy commercials are kicking the crap (money-wise) out of the tall skinny runway walkers.  There’s really no comparison.

So the next time a photographer tells your short self that he can make you a fashion star/model/famous if you put on a bikini and stick your bootie out, remember this post.

Let’s talk about your first shoot. First thing:  It’s ALL about communication.

For instance.  If you have a ‘picture’ in your head, it’s a great idea to share it with the photographer at the time you book the shoot.  This is so the photog can do his/her due diligence when they are working on your pre-production.  This really only applies to good photographers, by the way. LOL.  Bad photographers don’t prepare.

(…..awkward pause)

ANYWAY!!  If you can visually describe exactly what you are looking for, the chances are a lot better that you will get it.  Now, just saying ‘I want to look pretty’ isn’t very good communication.  Let’s be fair.  We all have different brains and what is pretty to one person isn’t to another, etc.  Here’s a good example of good communication.

“Hi.  My name is _________.  I would like to book a shoot with you. Here’s what I’m looking for.  I would like to be in a grassy field of flowers.  I will be wearing a blue dress with a small beige sweater.  My hair is slightly longer than shoulder length and brown.  I would like a makeup artist to do a slightly more glamorous-than-normal look for me.  I would like to shoot this in the hour before sunset with natural light, backlighting me to make it look dreamy.”

OK.  Too much to ask?  Fair enough.  But even if you don’t have all these details in your head, you can help your cause a lot by providing some of them.  Even better is a visual, such as a photograph for reference, or a page torn out of a magazine.

You can have anything you want.  You just have to know how to ask for it.

So let’s practice.  Book your shoot and tell me exactly how you want it to look.  I’ll betcha we can make it happen JUST like that.

People always wonder: why don’t they look the same on film as they do when they look in the mirror?

Answer: You are PREPARED to look in the mirror. Therefore you don’t see yourself as you REALLY are.

I know. Whoa.

Think about it. The camera is just a reflective memorizing box. The photographer is a person. It’s THAT person that’s seeing you. Not a mirror. With 3rd party observation (or second party, if you want to get technical), then – for better or worse – the photographer is getting the real deal.

So the next time you look in a mirror, spend a little more time. You might like the unguarded you even better. I’m just saying.

]]> http://toniriales.com/3rd-party-observer/feed 0 http://toniriales.com/slogans-mission-statements-really http://toniriales.com/slogans-mission-statements-really#comments Thu, 11 Aug 2011 01:56:16 +0000 admin http://toniriales.com/?p=813 Once you become a real company, certain things are expected. Like Slogans. Sigh. I’ve been tasked by my new salesperson to come up with some slogans. Man, this is hard!! So, in an enormous brainstorming session with myself, I’ve come up with these preliminary slogans:

First Impressions Just got Easier

Don’t get Mad, Get Photographed

Yes, you ARE photogenic.

Ahhhh…..photographs.

Did somebody say photography?

Recommended by 4 out of 5 advertising agencies.

We don’t make your product. We make your product look better.

A picture is worth a thousand words. What are YOUR photographs worth?

You don’t compromise on your business. Don’t compromise on how others see it.

If it’s in your head, we can put it in a camera.

Photo ninjas.

We take better photos than you.

If you can picture it, so can we.

I don’t like slogans. Photos should just sell themselves.

There you have it. That’s what I’ve come up with so far. OK, sure. It needs a lot of tweaking. But I don’t want to make people think that TRP takes itself so darn seriously. That’s why there’s not a lot of cheese on that list. HEY….wait. How about….

Please DON’T, for the love of Pete…..say CHEESE.

No.

Anyway, I’m putting it out to the universe. Slogan. Yay? Nay? Got a better idea?

I’ll definitely listen.

Much love! Nite!!