Expert: Kitty Kavey - 6/25/2009

Question
We attended a public meeting for a modeling agency and my 14 year old daughter had her photo taken.  They have called her back for more photos next week, but are charging $250 for 100 photos, of which they will keep a couple for their portfolio.  I will get a disk with the remainder of the photos.  They also claim to place the photos they keep on their secure web site, to use to promote my daughter.  My questions are:  can I trust them to use the photos in the correct way, where they will not be posted all over the Internet?  Also, is this common practice to have a photographer take photos of her so soon?  We don't have experience with this.  Finally, they claim $250 is a small fee in comparison with other portfolio work I could pay for.  What do you think?
Thank you.


Answer
Are you sure it's a licensed modeling agency?  It sounds like perhaps they might be a photo studio instead.  Also, while freelance models do get work through the Internet, the bigger and more reputable companies tend to go to professional agencies to hire (professional, represented# models to do modeling work for them.

My other observation is that a portfolio is generally something that is developed with a #fashion# scout, or agent after the model is represented.  Ideally, for fashion models a portfolio contains work the model has done, and/or examples from test shoots.  It is not a requirement to have a portfolio to obtain representation.  Legitimate fashion agencies use snapshots from new faces, and commercial print agencies use either snapshots or composite cards.  Because of your daughter's age, she also may be able to use just snapshots to submit to commercial print agencies for consideration as well.

That being said, I would check with other agencies in your area first, before you decide to invest in this one.  

If you do want to look into commercial print agencies the franchised agency list on the Screen Actors Guild website:
http://www.sag.org/content/find-agent
covers agencies across the US.  Many have modeling divisions as well, and you can use your favorite search engine to find if they have a website as well.  If they do, they usually put information for new faces, and any agency criteria.

There is some fashion work for children of your daughter's age, but many of the major fashion agencies have a minimum age requirement that your daughter would not meet for a couple of years or so.  

There are also books available in your local library, bookstore or online on both fashion and commercial print modeling #as well as child modeling) some of which also contain modeling agency directories.

Good luck to you both,
~Kitty