Model Mayhem - Don't fall for the hype!

[Maggie Puller {★}]

K, well I got a profile over on Model Mayhem...commonly referred to at simply "MM" on this site. It took a few days to get approved and I was excited and shocked really, because this morning I had about 17 emails for modeling jobs!!! I sat back and looked at the computer screen thinking, wow...is this really happening? Are all these phtogs (shortened form of photographer for all the newbies like me out there...) REALLY interested in ME?????? ASWEOME!

Then, to my dismay...I learned I was not quite as popular as I thought I was. Here are some things to know for girls out there. If you get an email that says any of the following:

"Are you interested in modeling in upcoming erotic lingerie calendar & pose in upcoming urban men's magazine/dvd nude? Shoot pays $2500."

OR

"I am very interested in shoot you...what a beauty face you have! I fly you to Africa and we tour Asia, Africa and Europe for the Queen! You meet my close and personal friend, Prince William and he new bride Kate!! You be most profitable and beautiful model in all the world!" (Imagine some dude really saying all that to you with a heavy Nigerian accent...scary)

THIS girls is how you wind up working in the sex slave industry. Stay away from these crazy emails. I know it is so easy to be sucked into the excitement of the model world. I am a living example, because I REALLY wanna do this!! But, all of us need to put our safety FIRST and remember to know "too good to be true" when we see it!! Thanks to all my friends on this site who helped me figure out what is real and what is fake!!

[Mimi von Dutchess]

Yes. I have a MM profile too.  Another thing to watch for, is if someone offers to send you a bunch of money saying they are gonna set you up with a shoot and all you have to do is use some of the money to pay someone else, usually a photog.  I got this one, and laughed my ass off.  Its just like those old people scams where they get the money and you get stuck owing your bank a mint.  Good lookin out woman! :)

[Cowboy Raygun]

MM is very hit and miss. There are very reputable photographers on there that will shoot with you and do a great job. But people use MM for a lot of different things.

 

What I see a lot, is models that regularly log onto the site (you can see "last activity"). And their profile says something like "I love modeling! I want to do TFP! Let's make some great pictures together! Don't be shy! Send me a message so we can get started! I want to add some new photos to my portfolio right away!"

 

But the most recent photos they have posted, are from 2 or 3 years ago. What I've learned is, they want to log on and see if anyone has looked at their not so recent photos and commented on them. And they don't want to change their profile message, because they like getting messages from photographers complimenting them and asking to shoot. But they don't really want to schedule anything, or shoot with anyone. This is fairly common. But easy to spot, you just look for the most recently uploaded photos. If it's over a year old, they're just there for comments  or browsing, and not really interested in shooting regardless of what thier profile says.

[Bunny Moreno]

Wow that is Crazzzzzzzzzzzzzy! Thanks for the heads up. I dont think I will go the MM route. As for now I will stick with people I know who are photographers and then branch out to well known ones for more practice and more fun. Try and find people in your area who you can work with? To be honest I dont get a good vibe from that site-just something off... so I am trusting my instincts. Good luck mama!

[Roxy Tart {PL Team / Comm. Mgr}]

I my opinion PL's casting calls are much better then MM. We screen every person who signs up before they are approved, and if a creeper get's past the PL Team, the Madams weed then out pretty quick. However, over on MM, there is no one watching out for you. When you post in the casting calls it is seen by tons of people in the scene, and goes out to our Twitter followers. I'm not saying that MM is all creepers, but there is a high percentage of them over there. So just watch out, be careful, and use your best judgment.

[Cowboy Raygun]

IMO, MM is a good place to post a portfolio. The forums are a bit nasty. Very overly critical and catty, so I avoid them. It's very hit and miss connecting with photogs and models for the reasons mentioned above.

 

HOWEVER, it's a great spot to post 15 of the best pics in your portfolio (the amount you're allowed for free). When you're trying to hook up with a photographer or model, naturally they want to see a few pictures. It's very easy to send a link, and go here's my MM port. People are familiar with MM, and they can easily look at your 15 good shots. It's more generic than this site, in other words it's not a "pin up" theme, so good for modeling gigs in general, not just pin up. I'm sure a lot of models that like to do pin up, also like to do a variety of other themes as well.

If a model wants to see some examples of my work, I might send my MM port so they don't get the impression I only want to shoot pin ups, and I like to shoot male models too, which arent' as appropriate for a PL port.

The community here is better. Much more friendly, supportive,  and not IMO, overly critical.

 

 

PinupMama said:

Wow that is Crazzzzzzzzzzzzzy! Thanks for the heads up. I dont think I will go the MM route. As for now I will stick with people I know who are photographers and then branch out to well known ones for more practice and more fun. Try and find people in your area who you can work with? To be honest I dont get a good vibe from that site-just something off... so I am trusting my instincts. Good luck mama!

[The Trousseau]

I am on the forums at times and I find them very valuable.  They are a great source of information because the experience level and the number of users are higher on that site than any others. I think  I learn so much from those forums, I can't imagine why someone would not get on there and at least read them.   Unfortunately, the business of fashion is incredibly critical and catty and they do remind me that how we treat people is not the norm.  Hanging out and reading what is written on the forums gives me an idea of what to expect.  When I get the rare interaction with someone who wants to use my clothing for a shoot, I know what to say and am not surprised when I get the responses I have received. 

 

MM really is the only site that I have seen where a novice who wants to remain clothed can get his or her port out to the eyes of so many experienced people.  I know I have said it before, if one wants to step out of the small pond and into the big one, there will be bruises from the move.  You will be competing with girls who are signed with Ford and other agencies, and even then, they will be feeling the need to get ahead because if they have a port on MM, they are not their agencies top pick.  The busy ones don't have time for MM.  It takes an incredible amount of knowledge of oneself to get into modeling in larger ponds than this; you have to be very strong at knowing what your expectations are in how you want to be treated, and how you want to treat others. 

 

Oh, and Maggie, how do I get in on some of that Africa, meet Prince Willie action?  I've never been and I could use a vacation right now.  (shaking my head at the things people think you would fall for)

 

[Cowboy Raygun]

If you're looking for support and positive comments about your portfolio, unless you're Adriana Lima or Andrea Klarin, I wouldn't go posting on the MM forums.

 

It's true that the people there are knowledgeable and reading the forums can be informative.

 

 One area of friction is pro versus hobbyist. They have different approaches to photography, which often clash. The pros definitely defend their territory, and don't care much for the hobbyist overstepping what the pros think are the appropriate boundaries. This is true for both models and photographers.

 

This is understandable. Imagine if you're a musician, and it's what you do for a living. You go to the local bar, that often pays you to do a gig, and some guys that have other careers but just play music for fun (and are actually pretty good) are doing a gig there for free. You might resent that.

 

The other area of contention, is who pays who? Should the photographer be paying the model, or the model be paying the photographer? It's an unusual situation, because both can be considered to be rendering a service, unlike most services like a haircut where only one person benefits from the service, and the other pays. That will always start a heated debate, usually with some unkind remarks from both sides. 

My philosophy on that one is pretty simple. If you want something really special in your portfolio, go hire the hottest professional photographer, or the hottest professional model you can afford. Otherwise, just have fun and do TF*.

 

The most professional situation is a business that is hiring a photographer and models, because they make money off of the photos, advertising their products. Everyone wins. Photogs, models, and business (hopefully) all make money.

 

 

[The Trousseau]

If you're looking for support and positive comments about your portfolio, unless you're Adriana Lima or Andrea Klarin, I wouldn't go posting on the MM forums. 

 

<snort>  I had to laugh at this.  Oh, so true.  I am playing in that sand box right now--

 

And speaking of things NOT to bring up on MM-- the whole escort topic.  Oy.  However, if one wants to find how how nasty some photographers are, do a search for one of those topics and read and be shocked...

[Nicholl Marie]

After reading this it made me want to delete my MM account, which I just did this very moment. As PinupMama said there is just something off about it, I dont really get good vibes from the site. It felt very spammy I just didnt feel comfortable, even the privacy setting are horrible its like what privacy!?
I'd rather find photogs my own way and in a way where I feel more comftable and safe.
Thanks for posting this, it definitely helped me out and opened my eyes more :)

[The Trousseau]

Nicoll,  I am old enough to be a mother to many of the lovely girls on this site.  Were I their mom, I would hope and suggest they stick to having fun at this rather than getting on MM.  Keep it fun, no matter what.  The irony with the fashion business is that it takes lots of experience to weather the battering one gets as a model, but the only people that tend to make money at it regularly are too young to handle the ego bashing. 

 

I sat down once, with my niece, to talk about this when we got on the subject.  She knows she is pretty enough, has the right symmetry in her features, is tall and thin and just shines in front of a camera.  She also said she wouldn't want to go into modeling because she wants to do something for others, and not go into a business filled with narcissism.  I liked what she had to say and was glad to hear it. 

 

 

[Maggie Puller {★}]

Thanks for all the great responses ladies!

[Mischa Marie]

If you leave your email in your biography, you will get scam emails forever. This is not MMs fault, it is from people harvesting emails off the internet. Your best bet is to be smart, learn how to spot scams, and delete them. No point in giving them another thought. If you get a scam message from another member on the site, you can report them to the moderators.

I have been on MM for over three years. I get all of my work from there, and have never had any scammer problems.

The site is what you make of it :)
Good luck.