Neon Models FAQ

Neon Models: The Most Common Modelling Questions

As one of the UKs leading resources of modelling advice and help, Neon Models receive a wide variety of questions on a daily basis. Neon Models have teams in both Manchester and London whose jobs it is to put models in touch with reputable agencies and give support throughout our models' careers. Neon Models are not an agency but offer help and advice. Neon work with models of all ages and have a host of information on the Neon Models website.

What is a Portfolio?

This is a surprisingly common question. Firstly a portfolio is simply a collection of photos representing you. Your portfolio is the only thing that agencies and clients will see of you. It is for this reason that it is incredibly important to make sure that not only is your portfolio up to date, it is also of the best possible quality. Many models don't know what they need in terms of photos but Neon Models can help. Some photos that must be included for example are headshots and body shots. Along with your statistics and details, these shots are the most important.

What can I expect to see in a Modelling Contract?

A modelling contract is an agreement between you and an agency or client that keeps both sides safe in the event of a disagreement. It will detail what is expected of you, what costs will be covered, and how much you will be paid. Payment might be set as a day rate, which is in the thousands for A-list models, or as an hourly rate, depending on the context of the contract. Make sure you read any contracts you are presented with and take care not to get caught out. It might be very exciting and you can easily get lost in the moment before realising that you are not able to work with any other companies during the contract duration, or your travel and accommodation expenses won't be covered!

These are just two common questions that Neon Models receives, and we believe that there is no such thing as a bad question. It is a great idea to ask as many as you can and learn as much as possible before taking the decision to enter modelling as a career. Talk to Neon Models about your concerns and we can help you take the first, or next, steps.

Are Neon Models good?

There are thousands of organisations in the modelling industry, including agencies, photographic studios, fashion houses, clothing labels etc. So if you’re new to the industry, how do you find out who you need to approach and the best steps to take to try to launch your career as a model?

Neon Models to the rescue! Neon Models is a company who helps aspiring models take their first steps in the industry.

The Neon Models website is full of useful information to help you avoid the scams and learn how to make yourself model perfect and approach modelling agencies. The Neon Models website also explains the business side of being a model, including boring but necessary paperwork and the difference between being freelance or signed to an agency.

Reading the rave reviews that Neon Models receives will help allay the fears about the company’s legitimacy.

Neon Models allows people to register on the site completely free and for those that look like they might be modelling material, offer photo-shoots with a team of model experts, including hairdresser, make-up artists, stylist and of course professional photographer.

It’s the experience and knowledge of the modelling industry that makes Neon  Models so invaluable to people who want to make it big. The company is flexible and can help children, teenagers and adult men and women find their feet as models.

Visit our main website or follow us on Twitter 

Which are the best cities to be a model? Neon Models does a virtual tour of the fashion capitals of the world…

As with many things, location is a key factor in the success or failure of a model. Proximity to jobs means you can get there faster and cheaper, and in the fast moving fashion industry, quick turnaround is often a deal breaker. As a general rule, big cities offer many more opportunities than smaller places, as the clients and agencies are concentrated there. 

 

There are four major fashion capitals in the world: New York, Milan, Paris, London. Neon Models explains what each of them is about.

Modelling in New York

The only recognised fashion capital outside of Europe, New York is a metropolitan city that never sleeps and is home to the cutting edge of innovation is style and culture. New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009 is held in February and September every year – and was originally the first ever fashion ‘week’.

Opportunities for modelling in Milan

In 2009 Milan was declared the top economic and media capital of fashion. There are a great many world famous Italian fashion brands which have their main headquarters located in the city, including: Valentino, Gucci, Versace, Prada, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana. Milan Fashion Week is held twice a year and is one of the Holy Grails for catwalk models.

Becoming a Model in Paris

Paris has a long standing history as a centre of art and fashion and is home to several prestigious fashion houses. It is known for the classic timeless elegance of the designs that are born there. It has an up market high fashion shopping district where all the most exclusive labels can be found.

A major centre for fashion and modelling - London

London has a long history as a trendsetter and leader in world fashions, and in recent years has been named as the number 1 fashion capital of the world thanks to the ascendency of Kate Middleton and the London Olympics. The vast majority of the international modelling agencies have their main UK offices in London and it is the base for hundreds of fashion photography studios and the supporting teams, including the best photographers for glossy magazines.

Read how to join Modelling Agency! or Visit Neon Models on Facebook!

Posture advice for models by Neon Models

For models, posture is critical. Posture affects how you come across, how healthy you look and how your clothing is displayed. Posture is an all over body thing, it’s not simply about a high head and straight back – though that’s a good place to start!

Posture advice for models

Most people think posture just means standing up poker straight, stick your chest out and look straight ahead. But it’s not as simple as that.

Body balance

The first thing to check is whether your body is balanced and straight. Stand in front of a mirror, with a straight vertical indicator behind you, such as a pole or doorframe. Does your head lean slightly to one side? Are your shoulders even? If not, try to get everything even and see how it feels. The first step is becoming aware of your posture, and where there may be imbalances. Once you’ve indentified areas for improvement, you can start to make corrections.

Of course this doesn’t mean that when you’re working as a model, you’ll never pose at an angle – but a model should be a blank canvas, and any angles should be deliberate, not ingrained. This is particularly important for catwalk models.

Height and Lift

‘Stand up straight!’ Well, yes, good posture is about standing up straight – but people often strain to stand up straight by stretching their neck, arching their back and even going on tip toes. To get a real natural lift, and gain the most benefit of standing up straight, you need to think whole body. Start with your legs, make sure your standing foundation is firm, with an event weight on both feet. Legs should be straight but not locked. Them rather than focussing on the spine, think more about the chest. Take a deep breath and feel your body lift and tyour spine extend as you do so. Make sure your heas is light on your neck, and isn’t leaning forward. Finally, ensure your chin is straight out (not up or down). Standing up straight in this way will give you natural even distribution of body weight and restore the natural curvature of the spine

Relax

One of the most common problems when attempting to improve posture, is that people get really tense and stiff – which is completely counter-productive. To combat this, give your arms and legs a shake out to make sure you’re not holding any tension, and take a few deep breaths. If you notice any particular areas of tension, focus on gently relaxing them. Another problem with tension is that it affects the balance and lift of your posture. For example, if one side of your neck has knots in it, your head will lean towards that side.

If you follow these steps, you’ll give yourself a much better chance of success in the modelling industry. To find out more, register on our website.

How to join a modelling agency by Neon Models

Modelling agencies get hundreds of applications from aspiring models, so how can you make sure you give yourself the best chance of being noticed and signed?

Use decent quality photos to apply

All genuine modelling agencies will ask you to send a snapshot that they can assess to see if they want to meet you for an interview to see if they’d like to sign you to their books. While you don’t have to spend a fortune on these pictures, if you send in something in bad light taken on your mobile phone, they’re likely to throw them out without looking properly. So, try to get access to a decent camera (and someone who knows how to use it), and make sure the pictures are taken in good light (preferably natural light) and show you clearly and looking relaxed.

Read the guidelines

You might be surprised how many people don’t read the modelling agencies’ guidelines. This is just a silly mistake that can be easily avoided, and if you’re careful to make sure you follow their guidelines you can save yourself a lot of wasted effort and rejection. Most modelling agencies will specify if they work with males and females and what ages. Also, if they have minimum requirements such as height. Ignore their guidelines at your peril!

Choose your agency carefully

These days there are many different types of modelling and many different types of modelling agencies to meet all those requirements. The largest agencies will cater for everything from fashion shows to catalogues to TV commercials on an international basis, but smaller agencies will specialise and may be a better bet, especially if you don’t have classic model looks, aren’t so tall or are looking for alternative or body part modelling.

Read more how to join Modelling Agency! or Visit Neon Models on Facebook!

Modelling Personality

Being a successful model is as much about personality as looks. You need to meet both the mental and physical requirements if you’re going to make it in this highly competitive business. So what do we mean when we talk about ‘modelling personality’? Well, it’s about having a professional attitude, being flexible and resilient.

Having a professional attitude

Modelling is a job, and you can’t lark around in a job, because someone is paying for your time, experience and skills. They expect to get their money’s worth. With modelling that means turning up on time, and being responsive to the needs to the photographer. It means arriving prepared and in the right ‘format’ with our without makeup and outfits as briefed, not dragging your heels and responding helpfully. Models who go that extra to give their clients what they need are that much more likely to get called back for repeat jobs.

Being flexible

The fashion industry moves fast and the people that work in it have to move fast as well. Castings may come up and be filled and booked within a few hours, so models that answer their phone on the first ring, drop everything and turn up within half an hour are more likely to get more modelling jobs than those who don’t get round to answering their phone until its too late. Also requirements may change at the last minite and model may be required to wear their own accessories or do their own make-up if supporting staff or items aren’t available.

Staying resilient

It’s a tough business. Fashion has a glamorous image and lots of people want to be a part of it. That means that rejection is an unfortunate but common part of being a model. Almost all models will get rejected at first, from agencies or directly from clients if they’re going freelance. And even if you do start to get paid work, there are always far more models invited to castings than are needed for jobs, so being selected for all of them is essentially an impossibility.

If you want to break into modelling with Neon Models, then visit our website and register today!