A glimpse of the modelling world

In my previous post I wrote about self-portraits and how effective they can be for building self-esteem. For a couple of years now I’ve wanted to work with photographers, this year I finally plucked up the courage and went for it. It wasn’t an easy thing to do initially, especially as trusting people isn’t an easy thing for me to do, but I’m glad that I decided to take the plunge.

I’ve certainly seen and experienced a lot in the modelling world this year, and there are some things that have really appalled me. For example, on a forum, a 24 year old lady expressed her desire to be a model only to be told by a photographer that she shouldn’t bother as she’s too old. I couldn’t believe what I read! 24 too old? I think it’s a young age, so young in fact that she might be influenced by a comment like that and give up.

Regarding the trust issue, unfortunately, it hasn’t all been plain sailing and I’ve dealt with some unreliable people. It’s not simply a case of trusting someone to turn up at a shoot but also trusting that they’ll deliver a reasonable amount of photos in a decent period of time, if at all. The most infuriating thing is if photographers don’t bother contacting you to apologise for the delay. It’s so tedious having to chase someone up when they can’t act professionally. I edit photos myself so I know the amount of time that goes into it but I also know that if someone can manage his/her time adequately, it shouldn’t be an issue to send photos.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve reflected a lot and realised that I’m not as interested in being photographed anymore. I’m not ruling it out in the future but I’m just more picky about who I work with. I’ve realised that I’m happy taking my own self-portraits as I have complete control over them, and don’t have to wait in anticipation to see the end result as that’s down to me. Another thing I like is that the photos are in a style I like and feel comfortable with, that’s something that can’t be guaranteed when working with others.

I was fortunate that my first shoot this year was with a reliable, professional photographer who I wouldn’t hesitate to work with again. It is experiences like this that I want to treasure and thankfully I can do by looking at some of the lovely photos taken of me. Here’s a photo from that shoot.


Photo: Brandon McGhee

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