Modeling Advice News Summer Updating 7/18/04 I have been doing a little updating on the site. I ended up with three introductions to the model info section. I hope as I develop out the rest of the material I can rewrite the introduction to a single one. But new material is coming.     New Year Begins 1/1/04 Got snowed in for New Years day so it gave me a chance to put a few hours of up keep on the site. I really hope I can get some time to update the material on the site. The current material just does not weight the material enough by industries. I am seeing it is key to understand the industries in order to get work and to keep from getting ripped off.   Still Busy Times 7/4/03 Boy does time fly when you are busy. About all I can say is the Modeling Advice site is still up, most of the info on it is still good though some is getting dated, most likely there a number of dead links, and I still hope to get time to update and add new material at some point when the shooting schedule slows down. But for now I hope that the information you find here is still useful. Busy Time 12/15/02 It seems like it went from a lovely linger Summer of shooting landscapes and scouting locations to a Fall of non-stop work. This is the first weekend in a month where I am working 16 hour days (all product, none using model). But photography is like modeling, when the work is available you go for it. The Modeling Advice site has continued on while I was away but I have not had a chance to make any additions to it. I have been collecting more information on the modeling business from photographers and from an agent at a top commercial print agency in New York. I am still looking for a chance to add some new material to the site but for now I am keeping up with emails but have not had a chance to update the photographer link page (I have dozen of request for links piling up). Site traffic has grown to over 15,000 unique visitor.   Last Warm Days of Summer 9/14/02 I am enjoying the last nice weather of summer before our winter rainy season starts. We have three months of nice weather and nine months of rain so when the dry season is here you want to spend all of it outdoors. The Modeling Advice site has been left on its own for most of the summer. No major changes but constant little additions being done. Site visitors numbers are holding at about 13,500 so some folks are finding the site useful. I have been gathering a lot of good material for the site. I hope I will have time to work on some major additions and revision once the rainy season arrives. And I do have some editorial topics that I would like to get on my soup box and write. But for now the Modeling Advice site and I are just finishing up the last warm days of summer. More Excitement I had yet another business organization (Options Talent) threaten to sue me unless I took down links to sites that had negative information about then. This includes several major TV stations who did investigative pieces on them. It is amazing how searches and Internet listing companies get so excite about just a few links. Anyway, I took down all of the links and information I had on Options Talent from the Model Scam page. You will have to find your links elsewhere. I am looking to start taking donation for a legal defense fund if anyone has a few extra dollars around and would like to help. Donations will help keep the Modeling Advice site up and allow for free speech to stay alive in America. Or if any is an ACLU type lawyer and would like to take on a pro bono case let me know. Speaking of lawsuits there was a monumental class action lawsuit filed by former model against all of the top New York agencies. This one is big. If the plaintiffs win this suit it will change modeling as we know it. This suit would put an end to many practices that have become "standard" and that I have question the fairness of for many years (like double dipping). You can down load a copy of the suit at Model Scams.com. If you want to know how the modeling business really works just read this lawsuit. I have been taking part in a regional forum for models and photographers this past month. It does seem to be good place for models and photographers to find test shoots and to find out about what is going on in the region. I do not know if all regions have as active of a forum but if they do and you need test shoots or more info you may want to check it out. I have added a link to a forum directory on the model link page. Be aware that these sites do post R rated material (Jane would say X but she is pretty conservative). If you are under 18 you should view these forum with you stage mom or stage dad. All of this going on. And I was hoping to spend the summer outdoor shooting.     7/6/02 Summer Time Site action is slowing for the summer. I did some rewriting on the Test Shoot page to reflect some new info about and how to find test shoots. I have continued to add and up date links. I was surprise to find that modeling books that were available through Amazon.com a couple of years ago have gone out of print or have to be purchase through other sources. This will make getting information on model more difficult. I have been watching some of the regional model/photographer forums and they seem to be a good place to pick up TFP test shoots. The forum here in the Northwest seams to be pretty active and would be a good place for a beginning model to get photo shoots. I have added links to some forums on the Link page.   6/15/02 Maintenance No major changes to the site just on going updating and tweaking. I am currently trying to work my way through all of the links on the site to be sure they are all active. Site traffic has continued to grow so I upgraded my hosting service this month to handle the down load volume. 5/25/02 No Major News Things have been quite around the site. I continue to do minor copy updates, link updates and correct spelling errors as folks point them out (thank you). Unique viewers number continue to grow slowly and this month it looks like it may go over 12,000 unique visitors. This also is increasing band usage and cost. Fortunately, some folks are buying portfolio case and books from Amazon.com. This revenue is starting to cover hosting cost so thank you to all who have purchased. The Photographers page and Testshoots.com are starting to pick up more. If you need photos check out these sources. As always I hope to be adding more. Thanks for stopping by. 4/20/02 More small update I have gotten on my soup box and added a new editorial to the My observation page. I have continued with small copy change, new links, new photos, and other small updates. I am continuing to work on small additions to the site and will post them as completed. I was sorry to see modelscams.com go dark this last week. I hope they can find a way to get back on line. 3/19/02 More updates Since my last site news I have been doing a lot of little up dates here and there through out the site. Biggest change has been some up dated material on the Portfolio page and yes I now have portfolios to sell. After checking out about every portfolio I could find a new one came on the market that I thought was a great value and may not be easy to find locally. I have also added a link to well researched article on Emodel.com/OptionsTalent.com. I have also add new photos and on the working the camera section all of the enlarged photos have info on light set-up and how to work it. Tid Bit News Two little bits of info I came across in the general press. One, someone did some research on the average height and weight of Miss America from the beginning to now. They found that on average Miss America has been getting thinner. In the last several the average for Miss America is 5'6" and 110lbs. At that weight she is considered malnourished by the World Heath Organization. This is the same trend with fashion models. So you do not have to be anorexic to be a fashion model you just have to look that way. The second bit was that the demand for Supermodels is going down along with their fees. It sounds like when they can get work they are only making $5000 a day. Also the big name supermodels that came out of the late 80's, early 90's are all going into their 30s and about at the end of their careers. So just as the field opens up for new supermodels no one wants them any more. This maybe a new discouragement for wannabe models.   New Copy 2/14/02 I have added a new section on Comp Cards (zed cards). This has some general information on production and on different methods of getting them printed. This is in the second draft phase so I am sure there are still some grammer and spelling errors, but it gives a starting point. 2/11/02 I have had questions about model releases and I have added a new link from the Photos & Testshoots section to information on the Model Release. I have also added editorials on why it is had to find good test shoots todays. I am working on a major new section on producing comp cards that I hope to put on the site soon. 1/9/02 A New Year It is hard to believe that the Modeling Advice site has been up for two years. Harder to believe through all of the ups and downs and lack of time to work on the site it is still up. But I am pressing ahead into a new year with my miss spelling and bad grammar. I just added a string from the former bulletin on model searches. I have been trying to get to that for almost a year. I am currently working on a new section on the ways people get started in modeling. This should be of interest to a large number of visitors to the site. More for myself I am working on a new in-depth section on design and production of comp cards. This may be of more interest to those who have moved beyond the question of "do I have what it takes to be a model" to those looking to find work as a model. As always many other ideas for additions to the site but I will have to see what the shooting schedule will allow me to get to. I hope we all have a great New Years and can move on from the events of 2001 (what an odyssey).                           12/12/01 Aaron Marcus Talk I got word that Aaron Marcus, the author of "How to Become a Successful Commercial Model" will be giving a talk (3 PM) and book signing on Saturday, January 5th at the Book Star (12136 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA - 818-505-6914). If you are interested in commercial modeling and are in the area you should stop in and get the inside scoop. Mr. Marcus will also be doing a talk for actors earlier in the day. Find out exact times at www.creativeactors.com. Mr. Marcus has the only book on the market about commercial modeling and is perhaps the only expert in this area to share information on this often overlooked field of modeling.  11/17/01 I have added an example of a comp card and some thoughts on what should be on a comp card to that section of the site. Also, added a new obseration. Christmas ad projects swamped me in October and November so I have had no time for major additions to the site. The site stats have been restored and are starting to stablize. The site is running with 6,500 to 7,000 unique visitors a month. It is nice to see the site is visited and useful.      9/29/01 I was back in doing some model test shooting this month. I hope to added some new photos to the site in coming months. I look to include more comments with these photos to give more insight into modeling and photographing models. We are having an Indian Summer so I have not yet been driven by the rains to return indoor to my computer. Once Oregon's gray winter returns I will have time to work on the site.  9/5/01 Summer - a wonderful time for taking pictures and working in the yard. It has not been a time for working on web sites. Hopefully as the fall rains return I will have a chance to work on the site. I am currently working on updating links and adding links. And of course watching how the fall fashion season will play out.      6/20/2001 I this case no news is good news. Things have quieted down and I am starting to get back to normal on the site. I have been able to plug most of the holes in the dike and I have added some editorials to the observation page. I am trying to find time now to add some new content to the site. Time will tell.    5/7/01 Looks like this site is becoming a victim of its own success. I have been informed by my host provider that I am going over may 1 gig down load limited per month and they will start charging me more (can't afford it). So I will be stream lining the graphics and moving some of the content to Modeling Advice's sister site Testshoots.com. Looks like I just can't keep away.   4/7/01 With the loss of several extras I had for this site, a quick run in with a model search attorney, and a growing shooting schedule I am going to park the site for a couple of months. I had intended to ad more content but I am now going to let the site stand as is for while.       3/21/00 I have been informed that the message board service I have been using will shut down at the end of the month. All part of the internet melt down going on. I have lost my broad band service and will also loose my site static service soon. I hope I do not loose my hosting service. I will try to find another posting board service. 3/14/01 There was a little excitement around the site this past week. I had a couple of calls from Model Search America. For some reason they were trying to tie the Modeling Advice site to the Model Scam America site. I have a link to that site but there is no connection other then that. They had a problem with the way Model Scam America was using their logo. In checking on the Model Search America site they failed to use the internationally recognized registered logo mark and as such putting their logo out for public domain. So don't know if this was a legitimate intellectual property problem or if they were just trying to such down criticism of them. At any rate it should be an issue with Model Search America and Model Scam America and not with the Modeling Advice Site.   I avoided putting up any information on the Modeling Advice site about the model searches for over a year just to try and avoid this type of stuff. I have had many wannabes and their parents make inquiry as to if I had any information on searches and the volume of these inquiries reached a level that I felt I need to say something. I finally put some information under the Frequently Ask Questions part of the site. I personally have no first hand experience with any of the model searches and I do not know if they offer a service of value or not. In checking with ProScout and Model Search America neither are operating in the Northwest so I have no opportunity to check them out. So I have provided on the site was comment of others who have gone to these events and links to sites that individuals have set up to comment on various model searches. I hope a wannabe will study all of the information and points of view that are available and decide for themselves if one of these searches are of value to them. Being a photographer, I of course I think the best way to get started in modeling is with a photographer coach, but I am slightly bias on this. Best of luck, Daniel      3/15/01 The story continues with Model Search America. I have now been contacted by their attorney about this issue. Model Search America's attorney was seeking information on the Model Scam America web site. I told him I know nothing about them. He suggested that I should disassociate myself from them. When I asked if he was giving me notice that I should remove the link to Model Scam America site he said he was not telling me to take it down or leave it up, it was my choice as to what to do. I believe this is a free speech issue and having started as a photo journalist 20 plus years ago and feel my journalistic integrity threatened, I have chosen to leave it up with a bunch qualifying statement around it. As I recall from my Law and the Press class many years ago at the U of O, that reporting on someone else libelous statements is not considered liable. Hopefully, Homestead, the host of the site, will buckle under and take the site down and we can go back to our peace full worlds and believing free speech is protected by the first amendment. But if 60 Minutes can buckle under to the threat of lawsuits there is not much hope for the little guy when push comes to shove. Daniel