For female teenagers thinking of modeling/influencing. Or, for anyone with self esteem issues when looking at photos of yourself:
I am a female photographer, and most of my photo shoots over the last 20 years involve making celebrities and models look very appealing, usually in a sexy-ish or unquestionably sexy way. I sent this to a 16 year old that I photographed recently who had a hard time seeing herself as pretty in our photos.
There is no model (of either gender) or woman who looks at herself in photos and thinks, “I look great” in more than 10% of her pics, if that many. There is nothing unusual about a model fixating on the fact that their eyes are different sizes, their nose too long, their waist too high, their thighs to big or too small, their boobs too big or too small. In most photos, wishing they had posed differently or the photographer had done something differently.
Seeing ourselves in photos without noticing our flaws… that doesn’t exist. We can like photos of ourselves. But being able to see ourselves without making that “list of things” that we wish we could change? That day hasn’t come for me yet, and I’ve never heard of it coming for anyone else.
Fashion and modeling and acting and advertising…is about selling a product. You switch from being “your name” to being “a young woman selling something”. And then it’s easy for everyone involved, including yourself, to find the flaws in everything. Photos are 1/125 of a second which I (photographer) either catch or miss. There is no editing process, only retouching “fixes”. Photographers are painters who can only paint a canvas once, without letting it dry and looking at it, and without being able to view the entire canvas as you paint. I (photographer) cannot look into someone’s eyes and watch their feet at the same in 1/125 of a second. So, it’s not the model’s fault if I didn’t get everything right.
A painter could repaint awkward feet if it was oil on canvas. But models and photographers, we learn to live with a ton of “almost great” moments caught on film to consider. So sometimes the photos end up being pretty amazing, like a 9.5, but most shots are around 6–8 on the scale. That’s the nature of the 1/125 second painting with a camera. And many of those 6–8 on the scale pics are used in major advertising campaigns or magazine covers, because they are certainly “good enough” for use.
Don’t rate yourself on the photos, are parts of a photo, that rate a 6 on the scale. That would be like choosing to judge your mind based on the grade you got on a test in your least favorite subject. One photo (or photo shoot) is not a measure of how good looking someone is, or how marketable they are as a commodity. That is why portfolios and Instagram accounts and websites exist — to show a range of someone’s talents. Notice I used the word talent, not beauty.
It’s ok to see yourself as ugly in some shots and pretty in others. That ’s a healthy aspiration. I don’t think we need to see ourselves as “pretty” in all our photos. It’s not the right way to view the photo, especially if you are modeling. Because you are hired to be something, and someone, specific for a product and audience. So consider it a success when you think you look cool, or it looks like you did a good job selling the product we are selling. Forget “beauty” for now. Beauty jobs are a NYC woman’s job… a young 20’s model with symmetrical round features that sell mascara and diamonds. Most models under 18 need to be fun, accessible, unique, and able to exude an emotion. Target (and others) pays a lot of money for models like that.
But making it as a model may or may not happen for you, or any given aspiring model. It’s a combination of body, face, trends, personality, timing, effort, luck, natural instinct, opportunity, and back to trends. If you like being in front of the camera, then make it a business you invest in with good photos, say yes to photo experiences, and study the craft (research other models). Listen to your own voice and hear your own feelings about whether this is fun or painful. It will be both to everyone, but if modeling makes you feel more bad than good, this isn’t right for you (yet).
You don’t have to be gorgeous to model. That’s a weird statement, but it’s true. Especially right now, in 2019, there are many clients searching for unique features, unique personalities, under-represented minorities, and a variety of sizes and colors. So forget the standard set by generations before… there is a new found appreciation for a many looks. If you want to model there might be a place for you in this business. But do not allow modeling photos or instagram pictures to dictate your self esteem, because modeling or social influencing is a short lived job of selling things. Self esteem is a life long relationship between your body, the mirror, and the people around you. Looking good in photos opens doors. Feeling positively about yourself is so important, it doesn’t even have a phrase to attach like “opens doors”.
Being able to look at a photo of yourself and say with confidence, “not too bad… let’s use that one” is the ultimate goal. The ability to make those statements [without angst] will tell you that you have a healthy awareness that commercial photos are not all about one’s physical perfection. My camera could never honor anyone with a label of “perfection”, because it can’t hear your thoughts, or see you offer a new kid a seat next to you on the bus.
Dream of success with photos. Dream of being loved for your looks. Dream of making money from being a size 16 model or the first woman in a wheelchair to get a L’oreal contract. But don’t dream that those successes will mean you are amazing. Earning money from your looks is a job, not a stamp of worthiness or confirmation of being beautiful. Many beautiful people are not making money from their looks. Many models aren’t really that beautiful. It’s ok to be in either group.
If anyone wants someone to talk [to me] about your self esteem or if you are struggling in the mirror, please feel free to email me: briechildersphoto@gmail.com