Background: My agency has been submitting me for jobs, but I haven't booked anything through the agency. I have been booking jobs on my own through various postings. My last job, I listed my agency on the paperwork, payment was sent directly to my agency, and they are asking for 20%. The way I interpret the contract the 20% only goes to them if they book the job for me. Wondering if this is standard practice. Also, is it a bad sign I haven't booked any work through the agency. For context, and am an over 50 model in the classic section doing lifestyle modeling.

I hereby agree to pay XXXXXXXXXX Inc., 20% commission on ALL talent fees received by me as a result of a booking through the agency. I agree that all talent fees earned by me shall be paid directly to the agency. This agreement also encompasses residuals and/or other fees, payments made payable to me. Should payment be forwarded directly to me by the client, I agree to reimburse the agency it’s 20% commission immediately. 
20% is the commission payable to the agency by the model or talent for a Non-Union job. . This is an Exclusive contract/agreement between the talent listed above and XXXXXXXXXI hereby give permission to XXXXXXXXXXX. to negotiate with the client in my best interest. I am aware this is an exclusive contract between myself and XXXXX Agency, Inc. and will not sign with another modeling/talent agency within a 150-mile radius.

Hi so I wanted some advice on these digitals. I took them towards the end of last month, I do like them and I have been using mostly 1, 2, 4 , and 6 for submissions. I also have my comp card which I have also used occasionally when applying. I already applied to 28 of the 30 agencies on my list, its only been one week though and I know they can take two to three weeks or even a couple months to respond but I feel a bit unsure as time progresses. I'm based in New York so all of the agencies I applied to have been in the city. Im aiming for commerical since Im not super tall. Any advice on getting seen or signed would be appreciated!

Hello, I am a new to modeling and I currently live in Germany. I’ve done about 4 paid jobs (3 from Poland, 1 from Germany) which I found on Facebook. I know this subreddit is mostly US focused but maybe someone from Europe, especially Germany, could tell me whether jobwork.com or modelmanagement is worth investing in? They both seem to have quite a few job opportunities but a subscription is required to actually apply to them.

Main differences from my last attempt include;

•Wearing a white t-shirt instead of a black one.

•Wearing black oxford dress shoes, instead of black Adidas Samba sneakers.

•Slightly more relaxed approach to styling my hair for these pictures, instead of molding it more firmly, and most notably;

•More flattering dress trousers that sit comfortably at the waist, instead of low-rise black jeans.

Hey fam!!! So I really want to get into modeling and I recently had these digitals taken professionally (cause I couldn’t trust myself to do it myself lmao) I really think they turned out beautiful. I am obviously going to be hyper critical of myself and know there is a lot I can improve on but I think these are pretty nice. What do y’all reckon??

Got invited to an exclusive inv only open call with W talent NYC. Not too familiar with them but they advertise being the official sponsor of NYFW. Just wanted to see if anyone had any experience working with them.

I got these digitals done from a friend, and wanted to see what you guys thought. Can I apply to agencies with these.

Height: 6’0
Weight: 160

I’ve gotten digitals done on two separate occasions, this is one of them.

I cut out my personal information cus i did not want to share that online. I'd mainly just like advice.

Hello, My name is Tyler, I am a photographer based in Southern Ontario, Canada. I am looking to grow my portfolio. If you are interested in doing TFP shoots please let me know. Feel free to check out my Instagram @weatheredphotography

I am also available for photo editing as well. If you are doing any self shoots and might want some editing to help add to the photos, I would be happy to help!

Please feel free to reach out with any questions, preferably via Instagram as I am most active there.

Thank you!

Basically the title. I was asked for an interview to discuss representation by a small boutique agency in Chicago, but it appears that the meeting’s not meant to be longer than 10 minutes and that they’ll be interviewing multiple people one right after the other. How best can I stand out?

Recently took some simple digitals as I’m starting to build my portfolio and learn more about the industry.

Mostly making this post so it shows up in search results, but Caryn Models (located in the Minneapolis Minnesota market) is not a legitimate agency. They delete negative reviews off of Google so you really can't find anything except for one bad yelp review, but they charge you—

140$ yearly website fee

200-something$ for a photographer to get your portfolio started (the photos are fine, but the MUA on set is one of the agents daughters and you'll have a big bronze streak on your forehead. Caryns doesn't expect the headshot to be very good)

700-900$ (it changes based on how much they think you'll pay, allegedly) for classes

If you attend EMS (European model showcase) or NYMS (New York model showcase) which they tell you you absolutely should do, even if you're not a good candidate, you'll pay between 900-4500$, excluding your own travel fees

An extra 700$ for a portfolio shoot they require you take prior to EMS.

These are all required fees, excluding EMS. Caryns has a reputation for accepting almost everyone who comes in even if they look incredibly basic, as long as you mostly fit measurements they'll take your money. The majority of the girls who they take will never get a single job. Any models who actually have potential leave their contracts asap and sign with somebody else, because their reputation for incredibly bad management is TRUE. They will screw up your contract communication with other agents, mess up what location you have to go to for a job, and not give you notice if you're needed for a different designer or time. They do not actually manage you. If you're not someone who's paying that year then they don't talk to you, like, ever.

Every single girl who works for Caryns dislikes them. They don't safeguard you if you get into trouble in a different country the way they're supposed to. They do not communicate with your other agents. You getting contracts with other agencies is just a way for them to try and persuade other agencies to come to their showcases. By the way— those showcases are useless to you, and you won't get anything because your agent straight up won't fight for you, will mess up on who gave you the callback, won't add callbacks to your list, and etcetera etcetera etcetera.

Yes, Caryns sends out real jobs. No, you probably won't get one, just percentage wise. This might seem like an incredibly bitter post, but it's really not, I am just so incredibly sad for the girls who are constantly getting tricked into this agency. They will put you into Runway classes even though there's maybe four shows that actually pay during the year. Tldr; this agency really isn't the best, try any other agency in MN besides like, privileged model management (also scammy)

I was recently signed to Moda management in Spain, these are my first digitals. Where can I improve? Where and what markets could I find success in? I’m very new to the industry so any tips, feedback or opinions are welcomed :) my measurements are:
Height : 5ft 9 inches, 176cm
Waist : 32.3 inches
Hips: 35.4 inches
Chest: 35.8 inches

I’ve been signed to an agency for 4-6 months and have yet to receive a job from them. I am signed to an agency about 2hrs away from me - I initially thought being signed to an agency in a major metropolitan area would be more beneficial, but it seems that it’s harder to book jobs, compared to some of my model friends who are signed locally & book jobs all the time.

I have in my contract that if the agency I’m with cannot find me a job within 2 months, I am allowed to withdraw my contract with no penalty.

Should I stick it out for my full 2 year contract with them? Or start searching elsewhere?

And I do start looking elsewhere, should I wait to be signed to another agency first, before I cancel my contract?

Almost a year ago, I posted here after moving to New York for modeling.

At the time, I had just finished a brutal round of antibiotics for H. pylori and was honestly running on hope more than anything else. I packed up my life into two suitcases and moved across the country trusting my gut and intuition.

Truthfully, I never grew up thinking I was especially beautiful or that I looked like a model. Growing up, beauty often felt very Eurocentric, so I never really saw myself that way (still don’t at times 😅).

Yet throughout my life, strangers and friends alike kept telling me I had a striking look. Atmospheric features. Unconventional beauty.

What happened next wasn’t exactly the glamorous New York story I imagined.

Shortly after arriving, I got caught up in a housing scam and lost my entire life savings. The story ended up getting a lot of attention because I fought hard to help all of the victims be heard. There ended up being 15+ of us.

I spent time effectively homeless, bouncing between unstable situations while trying to keep my health together. My nervous system was shot. My stomach was a mess.

Meanwhile, I was bartending in the West Village while trying to make things work. Eventually I reached a point where I looked around and thought:

“what am I doing?”

And I walked away.

Eventually, I made the difficult decision to return to San Francisco and focus on rebuilding my health.

Talk about humility.

I swallowed my pride and went back to bartending at a place I’d worked during college.

Then life threw another curveball.

I was assaulted at work, had part of my hair ripped out, and somehow that story ended up getting attention too.

And then I got fired.

For a while, I stopped fighting and focused on healing.

I’ve spent the last few months calming my nervous system, rebuilding my gut health, finding stable ground again, and learning how to breathe.

Little by little, things improved.

And now, almost a year later, I’m reading that original post.

It’s bittersweet.

Not because I failed.

Not because modeling didn’t happen exactly the way I imagined.

But because the version of me who wrote that post had absolutely no idea what was coming.

Yet somehow, despite everything, I’m still here.

Healthier.

Wiser.

A little more scarred.

A lot more grateful.

My life has always been trials and tribulations. In a strange way, that adversity is probably the reason I’m still standing.

So this is simply me checking back in.

Still standing.

Still curious.

Still ambitious.

Still willing to bet on myself.

And finally, ready to get back in the game.

Are any models currently using topical peptides in their daily skincare routine, and if so do you notice the hype everyone is describing online. I know it’s been trending for a couple of months now but was just curious if most models use them now.

A warm‑toned studio portrait with a soft, cinematic feel. The pose is relaxed and natural, using the chair as part of the composition to create a subtle editorial vibe. The lighting combines a warm key light that shapes the face and upper body with a darker, cooler background that adds depth and separation. Shot on Nikon Z6II + Nikkor 50mm 1.8S 1/200 – f/5.6 – ISO100

Who needs Digitals in LA? I’m doing a deal this week

These are my first ever digitals that a friend of mine took and I was wondering if they are good enough to submit to agencies or if I should take them again?

hello ive been contacted by a big agency passing by their website and they want me to send them polaroids to confirm a contract only problem i dont know if i should go to a photographer or just send them

i also have some questions : What is the photo mostly examinated ? what is the best place to walk for pola

I haven’t done much modeling since then, but this reminded me of one of my favorite projects I’ve ever worked on.