Model Behavior- The Local Truth
So your little girl wants to become an actress or model.
Yes, your naive daughter is growing up and craves all the attention and adoration she sees on TV and on the web. She desperately wants all the pretty clothing and trinkets she thinks will make her happy and feel special. But most of all she wants to escape this boring life in a small town in Northern California. She wants nothing but good looking cool friends that never sweat the mundane chores of homework and keeping their room clean. She wants beach time in France or Australia, not another summer at the rocky shores of Whiskeytown.
People may even stop you in the grocery store to tell you how beautiful your child is and how she should be in commercials. Immediately you morph into a shark smelling blood. You see the big $$$ signs and imagine the exciting jet set lifestyle. YOU would much rather be hanging with the Hollywood celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Leonardo Dicaprio than that loser boss you have to deal with at work every day.
Model Behavior- The Local Truth
How tough can it be? You snap a couple photos of your daughter doing “model poses” in the backyard with your iPhone and send them off to….who?Or you attend one of the many “model discovery” meetings at the local hotels during the summer and somehow your child “has what it takes” to be the next star. You envision the moment in the near future when she puts her handprint in the sidewalk in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. It really is a lovely fantasy.
The reality however, is a bit more painful and time-consuming.
I remember some years back, while leaving a Shasta College performance, a precocious little 5 or 6 year old bundle of energy ran up and tugged my pants leg. I looked down to see a huge smile framed by a mop of curly hair, “Hi, my name is Tiffany!” So I crouched down to her level and she fearlessly hopped up on one of my knees and swung an arm around my neck to chat. This was NOT a shy child! A moment later her Mom came up and introduced themselves to me. This was Tiffany Brissette, the tiny robot on the Saturday kids’ TV show, Small Wonder.
Over several years I shot modeling and acting headshots for Tiffany here in my Redding studio. During this time I heard their stories of many fruitless drives or flights to LA for Look/Sees and auditions competing against dozens if not hundreds of other talented and beautiful children. The travel time and massive expense was brutal. But not as painful as the rejection. Each trip only one child walked away with a contract. The same dynamic burdens the older models/actors. If you want the big bucks and world wide fame you have to go South. LA, not Sacramento, Fresno or San Francisco, is where the action is and where you find the work.
Sadly, Redding has Zero big time modeling opps. Silly fashion shows, local TV commercials and the occasional print ad for the few area manufacturing companies is as good as it gets! Anyone telling you otherwise is just plain lying to you. There are still two good reasons to invest in a Redding Model/Acting Headshot. First, you want to defy the odds and take a chance at your big dream. Then, get your basic head and body shot made here to take to the big agencies in LaLa land. You do NOT need a full expensive and elaborate portfolio at this point. If an agency does end up wanting to sign you they will do it their way with their own stylists, photographers and LOOKS to peddle you to the ad agencies and clients. Or, you want to give your daughter the glamour experience of being a model. This makes a wonderful birthday or graduation gift that will be remembered and cherished forever. She will shine with her hair and makeup done for her and a chance to play and look good on camera. No boring cookie-cutter school pictures here. These photos will created as a visual story that will highlight her best features and hide those little things she is least happy to share. It is not as expensive as you would expect either.
The basic studio photoshoot with a complete All Pinned Up makeover can be scheduled for as little as $99. You can always add more time and more locations if you wish to extend the opportunities for making awesome images. When it’s time to put your little girl on the catwalk give us a ring. Call Jeremy Robison Portraits at (530) 945-3693. Consultations are always free and studio tours available by appointment.