Should you email your Modeling Photos?

A girl recently asked me:

hi Isobella. Thanks for writing back. :)

Thanks for the compliment!

Is it ok to email my photos to the petite modeling companies? I have some doubts because I'm not getting any younger but one of my close pals works in a photograhy business and he convinces me that it's never too late to be a body part model or petite model.. I was told that I have a great smile, great personality and nice skin, etc, so I was thinking why not make a living modeling my best features. It's important doing what I love and finding jobs that suit my personality. I've been dieting and exercising while balancing life.. You are in great shape! What do you eat? I miss being a size 2.. I'm passionate about food LOL and I don't believe in depriving myself.. I exercise and eat healthy and when I have cravings I satisfy that craving by eating a small portion.. Your blogs are movitivating me to give petite modeling a shot! So I don't know if I should wait to lose another 15 pounds before I get my headshots?
Wow, I wrote a long story. Thanks for all your advice.

Cheers!

This was my reply:

First it takes years to build your portfolio and establish yourself before you can "make a living" as a model. However you can make some good money modeling with print modeling agencies.

I would not email. I would print the photos and mail directly. Postal mail.

You can find a list of some print agencies by Googling:

top ten commercial print modeling agencies in NYC.

You will find my blog post at: petitemodelingtips.blogspot.com

This is where I give daily advice on modeling from a realistic perspective.

Print modeling agencies and talent agencies are best to submit to. But submitting through the mail, your actual headshot or compcard is best. The old fashion way is still the way and THIS is where many girls get mislead thinking all it takes to be a model is putting their photo on the internet or relying on email submissions too much.

I think you should wait unless you want to, because it is just your face, will it lose 15 lbs, I doubt it! :) So just print and mail your pictures, because honestly during the hustle of getting modeling work you will most likely make many,many,many different types of headshots and compcards. It is rare that a girl has the same compcard for years and years. You will grow as a model, maybe get experience and you will want to make new headshots and compcards and keep submitting.

The main misconception is that girls think the agencies do everything for you. This is just not true for a short girl. It is a hands-on pursuit and you have to make your own compcard and headhot ( not through the agency but at a printing place or at www. compcard. com) and then mail it to agencies and the agencies use the compcard to mail to their clients, the editors, art directors, etc. Be prepared to know that taking it upon yourself to get ahead is a big part of getting modeling work. Waiting usually doesn't bring much in life anyways.

It isn't always about the most prettiest or perfect either, it is about what the casting director is looking for. It could be a women for a Playtex bra bra or a mom or a grandma, a baby, a brunette, a blond, a girl for a fitness magazine, a girl for a shoe ad, a hand model, -it all depends and for the ways you want to market yourself you should have photos that match what you are going for.

So when you get some photos printed mail. And mail, and mail. Keep trying, it could take a year, months, or longer, for a call back, and even then it doesn't mean you are jetset. Modeling just isn't like that in the print work. It is a hustle. So a girl has to be prepared to self market and know how to do it.

I hope my blog posts help, and can explain more of this in detail.

(I eat salad, pasta, and alot of coffee, water, tea, fruit, veggies, I love seafood.)

I try to answer personally when I can, but if it takes longer than a few days go to my blog, I have most likely wrote about it in the past. :)

Isobella