Avoiding the trap of one look
Remember the movie “Zoolander”? In that hilarious Ben Stiller comedy, male model Derek Zoolander had several trademark ‘looks’, all of which were exactly the same. As a model, you need to be able to provide a variety of different looks and expressions in order to be versatile enough to hire again and again. Here are some tips to avoid the “Magnum is Blue Steel” trap:
Derek Zoolander
• Practice in front of a mirror! Modeling is work, and part of that work is practice and preparedness. Practice full smiles, half smiles, pouts, snarls, dreamy eyes, surprised eyes, mouth open, mouth half-open, and every variety you can dream up!
• Learn how to use your hands. Practice how to elegantly place your hands in your hair, on your neck, framing your face, and so on. Wearing jewelry at a shoot? Pretend you’re shooting for a jewelry store and ‘showcase’ the items you’re wearing. Learn how to use your hands without placing the full back of your hand or your full palm directly at the camera. Those two big, flat patches of skin will always draw attention away from your face. Learn to keep your hands angled away from the camera lens.
• Remember, you don’t have to be looking into the lens in every shot. Keep variety in your images by learning how to glance away from the camera, without turning your head to a profile shot. Practice looking away without letting your eyeballs hit the corner of your eye; images look best when the viewer can see whites on both sides of your eyeballs.
• Stuck for a different look during a shoot? Practice saying the vowels, which creates different shapes in your mouth. A long, drawn-out ‘a’ creates a pretty, open-mouth smile, while a ‘u’ creates a sexy pout. Go ahead and say them out loud… it works wonders!
• Most importantly, don’t be afraid to take a bad shot. In today’s digital world, you don’t ‘waste film’ with a bad facial expression. As a professional glamour photographer, I know I much prefer dumping a few bad shots from a model who experiments with a variety of looks, to having a full set of great images from a model who only gives me ‘one look’.
Yes, most models find one look that always works for them… but once you’ve give a photographer a great shot with that expression, move on and give them more to work with!
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