When will they ever learn?

By: Christian Lange
   People have been falling for the "Talent Scout" gimmick for the last fifteen years I've been a photographer. And amazingly —they still fall for it!
   It usually starts out with a radio ad: "We're talent scouts from Los Angeles... come and be discovered at our Holiday Inn conference. It's free!" So a hundred wide eyed teenagers show up in their most fashionable jeans doing their best to look and act like "a model."
   Of course all one hundred get call backs even the ones with the worst case of acne. The good news is "you've been singled out... accepted! The bad news is it's going to cost you $400.
   On the next point the story varies. Sometimes the $400 is for butt-ugly unusable photography, sometimes for badly printed comp cards, or perhaps a web page on their site. The salient issue though is singularly this: you've just wasted $400. Congratulations! I suppose the appeal of being told you are the creme of the creme is sometimes irresistibly seductive, particularly for a young girl (or guy) with dreams of film industry success. Plus now you get to talk about "my agent" at parties.
   But a wiser person would do well to remember that what we really want, as a model, is not flattery but rather solid, high paying assignments. Specifically, you want a real agent with a real office (in your city) who has real clients that pay you real money.
   Do whatever else tickles your fancy... create a myspace page, post in modeling network sites, etc. But if you are really serious about developing an acting/modeling career one thing is indispensable: compile a professional portfolio (headshot and three looks) and focus your energies on pitching the very best modeling/acting agency in your city. A good agent will mentor and develop your career —and get you work. A real agent doesn't cost, he makes you money!


Christian Lange is a fashion and advertising photographer in Knoxville, TN. You can see his work at:
http://www.christianlange.com