Finding good models for your photography projects can be extremely tricky, especially if you happen to live in a small town. Sadly, not all of us have beautiful friends willing to sacrifice their time to be the model for your latest photography project idea and you will need to go in search of willing subjects. Below I have listed some methods for finding models for your photography.
Obviously, offering monetary compensation will pique more interest from models than unpaid gigs. If you have a strong concept or a unique style of photography, many models (especially the ones who are just starting to build up their portfolio) will be willing to do TFCD or TFP photo shoots. TFCD is an abbreviation for “Time for CD” meaning you are exchanging a CD or DVD of images for their modeling work. TFP is short for “Time for Prints”, these are two acronyms that you will see used all over the place when searching for models and you will find yourself using frequently if you are not already.
Social Networking
Social networking is taking over so utilize all of the social networking sites that you can. The most obvious ones are going to be Facebook and Twitter. I don’t use Twitter, so I will just discuss Facebook (I highly suggest starting a blog as well with good tags and keywords in your posts, my favorite site for this is Tumblr). Try creating a Facebook page for your photography as a business. Once you do get models or even gigs taking photos of families and weddings you can tag people and draw their friends in to look at your photographs. This has been my most successful method of drawing in paid gigs.
If you are lucky, you may also be able to do a search for other photographers or models in your area pulling up either their own Facebook page or groups where you can network. Sometimes working with other photographers can be very beneficial, they may “feel your pain” and you can model for each other which will give you excellent insight to how it feels to be on the other side of the camera.
Other ways to use Facebook to find models:
– Post on your status that you are looking for models. Be specific about who or what you are looking for and ask friends to send their friends your way if they know someone. If you aren’t specific about what you want, you will be asked to take photos of people’s children. It never fails!
– Post an ad on the Facebook Marketplace, friends of friends who have this application installed will be able to see your ad when they get their weekly notification of new relevant listings.
Model Mayhem
I have been using Model Mayhem to find models for a few years now. Since I live in a smaller area, it can be difficult. Often there are only a handful of models active on the site, but every once in a while you can find really great girls. Use the Browse tab on their page to search for models, photographers, makeup artists, etc. in your area. I suggest setting the “display” setting to “last activity” to be sure active members come up first. You may also have luck on this site posting or searching to the Casting Call section. By posting here, you can be very specific to what you are looking for and in a more densely populated area should pique a lot of interest from models.
Flickr
Search through Flickr groups for a group in your area. If you are lucky, you will be able to find some specifically about finding models in your area. Even if there is no model Flickr group for your area, posting to general groups for your city or general area might give you some leads. Make sure you tag your photos with the name of your town and try viewing all other photos tagged with your town name to try to find some kindred spirits.
Craigslist
Put an ad on Craigslist, actually, make that two ads. The first ad you will need to list will be in the “Services” tab under the sub-section “Creative” putting yourself out there as a photographer available for hire. Include photos and links. Really put some time and effort into your ad and make sure you save it someone so you can re-list later on.
The second ad is even more important. Under the “Gigs” tab, under the sub-section “Creative” is where you will need to post your listing looking for a model. Just like in your first ad, include pictures and links, don’t be that creep who is looking for a nude model with a cryptic e-mail address and no additional information. No female wants to respond to that ad, it is SCARY! Say what physically you are looking for, if the compensation will be monetary or TFCD/TFP, and a basic idea of what your shoot will be about. You are selling yourself, make it interesting or your ad will drown in a massive sea of other boring Craigslist ads. Save this ad for future editing and re-listing as well.
Approaching Strangers
Have you ever walked down the street and been completely struck by someone’s beauty, their aura, the light, their outfit, etc. The photo would have been perfect, you saw it in your head, but alas, you didn’t ask or didn’t have your camera. ALWAYS have a camera on you (even if it is only a toy camera) and a stack of business cards. Seriously, get business cards to hand out to people, if they are willing to let you take their photo out on the street, they will want to see it later on your website, blog, or portfolio. If you have a sparkling personality and they enjoyed your brief time together in passing, they may be willing to do a more extensive shoot with you later on. The business cards are crucial. Buy them today if you don’t have any yet. Dish out the $15 or whatever to buy decent looking ones; don’t go get the freebie ones from VistaPrint with their logo across the back, which also looks creepy.
Go people hunting/watching. If you have a basic idea of who you are looking for, go to a place where that type of person would hang out. If you are looking for someone gritty with tattoos, go to a metal show. Keep in mind that it is much easier to approach one single person or a smaller group of people. If one person in a group does not want to be photographed, it is likely that this will influence their friends to keep their distance as well.
Paper Fliers
Go the old fashioned route and put up fliers around town. Be specific about who you are looking for. Male or female? Age range? Certain hair color? Do they need any special skills or hobbies – ballerinas/artists/ability to hold their breath underwater? What kind of compensation will be provided for their efforts? Supply your contact information along with the little pull of tabs on the bottom of the flier. Post them wherever you can keeping in mind the type of person you are searching for. Many independent retailers and restaurants are more willing to allow ads in their store than chains, but an old fashioned light post works just as well. Put them up all over the place and cross your fingers!
In Conclusion…
Hopefully these tips will help you find some a wealth of models to choose from and maybe just one of whom meets the ideal look that you wanted for your shoot. I would love to hear any additional suggestions in the comment section about more ways and places to find good, reliable models!
