Isobella Jade's Thinking Lounge: Hand modeling it's important to know how to model products naturally

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Hand modeling it's important to know how to model products naturally

Here I'm saying I <3 you with one of my favorite nail polish colors.

Hey Girls,

Just got out of a hand and foot casting for a beauty retailer and often at castings you are asked to hold the product and then show it off in a variety of ways...its all you, they don't always tell you how to hold the product. Today I was told to "hold this in a few different ways." The different ways were up to me and it wasn't like I was going to say I don't know what to do.

Felt kind of like a magician today haha, so it's a good idea to make sure your hands think fast to share the different ways can you pose your hands naturally with the product. Casting photographers often like to see your ability to work naturally with a product.

You need to know how work with products naturally because this will come up within print modeling castings, and have the instinct to know how to make the product look great and also you.

This goes for any product campaign casting head to toe. Test yourself grab an accessory product in your closet, a hat, a handbag, a shoe, a scarf, stand infront of the mirror, now model it naturally, in a way you'd really use it. Same thing in your beauty bag, grab a mascara, a lip gloss, a nail polish, hold it with your hand, use it like you normally would, think about beauty ads and commercials. Same with skincare and technology and realy any item you can hold and use.

In print modeling it is all about products and print models are needed to represent the image of a brand and also parts models are used to hold products...I am sure you have seen ads of hand models holding Nooks and kitchen tools and accessories and mobile devices. It might sound corny but I suggest practicing naturally posing and holding products - as if you would hold and use them in real life- everything from tweezers to handbags to a cell phone.

Some samples shots of myself holding some items in my beauty bag. (This would not go in my portfolio, but sometimes your agencies might ask you for candid shots -raw, natural of your hands and self as is and how you look on a typical day -which is why it is good to have candid shots prepared or be able to snap some with your cell phone quickly. I've had my agencies ask for digitals of my hands and "parts" often so keep in mind that candids are good to have handy for your agencies because clients these days like to decide a model by seeing the raw image unphotoshopped. Also when it comes to portfolio shots and candids, stick to NOT showing brands name -logo- in the shot unless it's a tearsheet from when you worked with that brand for a job.)