The Battle of Models and the Internet podcast

Isobella shares the battle of the internet and models and how to tell what it legit and what is not when it comes to agencies and photography and how the web can help and hurt you.

Weds the 22nd of July at 2pm.

Tune in live here, or listen to the archive anytime:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/isobellajade/2009/07/22/The-Battle-of-Models-and-the-Internet


Isobella is the author of Almost 5'4" which you can find on her website www.isobelladreams.com or in bookstores now.

Isobella Jade reads from Almost 5'4" (video)

It is best to turn down my podcast radio show on the right side of the blog to hear the reading better. This video captures me reading an excerpt of my memoir and it is a little long therefore I could not put it on Youtube. Oh well. I added it to my Myspace and also put it on my Facebook, and hopefully wherever you are and how ever you social media you can check this out. Sit back and enjoy the reading! :)



Click the cover to check out Almost 5'4" here:

How not to get scammed by a modeling agency

Another reason why it s good to manage your self and photos is because it limits scams. Legit agencies will at least work with the photos you have and the compcard you have made and try to market you with it. It is one thing for an agency to suggest a photographer but it is another to force you to work with the photographer in able to work with the agency. This is a scam. So make your own compcard. Especially if you are NOT of fashion model height. If you are shorter than 5'7" you should def make your own compcard. Mail it to agencies. It shows you are more put together, that are not just messing around with the word, it prevents those who take advantage of girls who are naive, and the more professional you are the more professional your interactions will be.

Strive to know the difference between a scam and legit, when it comes to agencies.

Making your own compcard is important but it also involves having interest in learning and understanding what a model needs for photos. It is easy to think "someone else will handle this" but this is not so. The reason many girls give up is because they stick to thinking people will do things for them. The "discovery" and being unrealistic, letting the images in the media contort their mind on the reality. Modeling is lonely. It is a pursuit that involves expecting to be very hands on with it and relying on no one many times.

Be careful when it comes to working with an agency. Go with your gut. Don't be too desperate to get a modeling agency, don't fall for scams. Be a smart model. Get ahead sooner. Know what you want to do, when you meet the agency speak up, share what type of modeling you are interested in. And be realistic about it.
Remember if it seems too good to be true it might be!

Author Frank McCourt had died

Last evening I was in a cab whipping down the West Side Highway, the wind loud in my ear but the cabbie had NPR on or some radio station like it, I heard that Frank McCourt had died. On another day I might not have known who he was but I was just in Syracuse visiting my mother and on her bedroom table I spied over a book called 'Tis. The New York setting and his venture to chase his dreams grabbed my attention within just a few paragraphs. It was rude to ask my mom if I could barrow it since she hadn't read it yet, but she said 'Take it" and added, "I loved his Angela Ashes'." But my bag was overflowing with other stuff. So I said "Next time."
It was ironic that the moment I got back to NYC and in a cab and let the energy of the city run down my spine, down the West Side Highway I would hear that author of 'Tis had died around the same time I picked up his book yesterday. He was 66 before he published a book. He is my inspiration for today :)

A model is not just meant to look pretty

Quote of the day for aspiring models:

"It is work to be a model and I suggest to make your own compcard and headshots. NEVER pay an agency for photos but do expect the work it takes to create your own marketing material. A handout can mean a model scam. "

Modeling in Syracuse or a small town like this one is hard

If you are living in a small town, or smaller city like Syracuse, NY or the surrounding areas modeling can seem impossible.

While visiting my family here I am reminded of the first chapter of Almost 5'4" when I wrote about how I googled the word model during a boring summer in Syracuse, NY- it makes me think about present day and how the internet has made a major impression on young girls and females of all ages and how internet sites might seem to be the only option for a girl who wants to model. However I strongly suggest NOT using it to promote yourself as a model mainly because although the internet might seem "where all the action is to network with a photographer" I believe (even through my own modeling mistakes you will find in my memoir) that the internet is the wrong place to start your modeling pursuits. In a small town it might seem like the only option. No modeling agencies. Not many photographers that do photography professionally but here are some suggestions:

1. Go to a local college or research to see if there is a photography department at a near by college.
2. Google Headshot or portrait photographer + your city
3. Go to a local photo lab and ask if they can suggest a professional photographer that shoots headshots.
4. Go to a craft show and mingle with aspiring accessory designers jewelry, handbags, scarves and see if they might need a model for their catalog, etc.
5. Stop by a local mom and pop hair salon or store, boutique and ask if they ever use models for their advertising or window display ads?

If you want to seriously call yourself a model you have to do legit modeling work and to do so in a smaller town you have to be inventive sometimes, and not just stare at yourself and comments on a social site.

Skip modeling contests on the internet, skip internet modeling sites, because if you really want to model the REAL modeling work doesn't happen by showing your photos on a computer screen.

Almost 5'4" can be found BN stores on RT 31 and Dewitt or here on my website.

How a short girl gets ahead as a model

A girl on facebook sent me an Instant Message this was part of our chat about shoter models and finding opportunities:

"I think modeling for a shorter girl is really about knowing how to market yourself, it is about knowing what you CAN model, and focusing on getting photos that represent this. If you only focus on your height you will not find modeling work but if you focus on what you do have that a product, brand, company might want to work with you can find opportunities. So first I would think about what you CAN actually model. Notice ads that are not so fashion forward because modeling is not just fashion forward. Print modeling is the most active area of modeling. And you see girls of all heights, ethnicities and sizes."

Then she said she had been trying but was having a hard time so I asked her:
But do you have your own compcard and headshot? Have you mailed it to print modeling agencies more than once?

See it takes ALOT of work to model, get a modeling agency and book work as a shorter girl, but you have to put aside the height factor and focus on what you CAN model, focus on "WHAT IS MARKETABLE ABOUT ME." And "WHAT ADS COULD I SEE MYSELF IN REALISTICALLY?"

I mentioned "making her own compcard."

"Well I think it is best for a shorter girl to make her own compcard. A must. Without it how can you market yourself? It takes a lot of work to launch yourself as a model! More than the internet, more than the games on these model-sites too..(just know any sort of show off your photos "modeling website is not real modeling"), it is best to get professional fast and a compcard, get a headshot done, put some thought into your photos, be picky about the photographer you work with, and really research the good print agencies that work with print models."

"Aside what you see on reality tv and within fashion the shorter model, the print model many times has to be her own agent, and when an agency forces you to use their photographer, and printing services it can actually be a rip off or scam so be careful. It is best to always make your own marketing material and not rush into signing ANY contracts. Stick to being non-exclusive until you have some experience and freelance with many print modeling agencies because one agency is hard to count on for a new model with no experience. Modeling for a shorter girl within print is different than fashion modeling agencies that pick up girls, house them, and all that stuff..it is a totally different hands on world for a shorter girl focusing on print modeling and she has to be prepared for the grit, the hands on real work involved."

Later in our conversation I went on to share..."The main reason these not-as-tall-girls-find opportunities is because they have produced the right photos that sell them in a commercial way for a print agency. And a lot of self marketing is involved. ALOT of hands on work. Researching the right agencies, creating the right photos, making compcards, mailing, not being afraid to simply try."

I ended with..
:) "..if you want something, especially in modeling, especially if you are short, you have to keep your head up. be smart about it, and really focus on the best ways to market you :) goodluck!"

In Syracuse, signed books of Almost 5'4"

In Syracuse, NY visiting family, went to the Barnes and Noble on RT 31 and signed in-store copies of Almost 5'4" :)!

Just wanted to say to my readers, thank you for reading Almost 5'4" and I hope it inspires you- no matter your height -to chase your pursuits, to give yourself a chance at what you want because through persistence results and feats are found.

I am visiting upstate right now till Sunday and went to Niagara falls yesterday. So beautiful, will share photos soon. I got soaked on the Maid of the Mist. So worth it!

photography tips for shorter models video-just posted

Isobella shares photography tips for shorter-than-average models and she wrote about her photography mistakes that she overcame in her memoir Almost 5'4". Enjoy!

Listening to the New York Philharmonic in Central Park

Listening to the New York Philharmonic in Central Park you better hold your blatter!
Trying to use the bathroom at the amazing concert can leave you in tears and it just about did for my friend Vera and I actually. We had to go! A few mintues before the show started. So we asked a cop about leaving and which way to go and he exclaimed proudly, "Can't go out if you want to come back in!" Ok. Now what?
So we walked towards the stage, and asked another cop, a nice female one. She said Oh sure you can go, just hurry. You got ten minutes." So we ran. And snuck under a yellow taped area and felt victory as we stood in line with about ten old people with canes in front of us. Weird but whatever.
Soon a man came over and said almost yelling "You can NOT use the bathroom here!"
We were like "what, who are you?" He didn't have a badge or anything. Bathroom cop!
So we stayed but the older lady behind us said "He's right you sholdn't stand here."
We were like "what the heck, we gotta pee too lady!"
Then the bathroom cop came back and yelled again, and when we didn't move a lady came by with a badge and said "You have to leave."
What! we just want to pee! Jeez, we'd have better luck behind a tree.
So we decided to go back to our spot on the lawn. Except since we crossed the yellow tape it now appeared like we were sneaking back into the section/concert. The patrol were very fierce, so much that we got pushed by two men, one in a blue shirt, one in a red, telling us "YOU CAN NOT enter!"
"But we were just in there, the lady copy said we could go to the bathroom. We didn't know if was only for elderly!"
"NOPE" YOU CAN'T ENTER!
Now my friends purse and ID, and my bottle of wine were on the lawn and we needed to get back. So a male cop came over and we had to explain our story to him now. He was not buying it. Oh great shit! We just wanted to take a piss and this is what we get and we still didn't even get to go! Finally after almost crying to get back into the lawn to watch the New York Philharmonic in Central Park (which was great by the way), we held our pee for the first half, we went to the "other" bathroom line and finally went. Thank god I have learned to hold it for long periods of time! Don't ever try to pee before the New York Philharmonic play in Central Park. It won't happen.

photoshoot for Almost 5'4"

Just did a photoshoot for Almost 5'4", went to some of the neighborhoods mentioned in the book & shot some kickin stuff. Atmospheres include SoHo,outside the apple store (read in chapter 13), Harlem (prologue and chapter 15), Astoria (Chapter 13), and Brooklyn Heights(chapter 3-9), all featured in the book. Shot on film on Black and white, so excited to see results during our breakfast meeting tomorrow. Will see the contact-sheets. Shooting digital just isn't the same. Dropped film off by Union Square, saw Almost 5'4" sitting proud in BN looking so HOT!

I am so excited to see these photos, especially since the story of the shots co-sides with Almost 5'4".

It felt so good to shoot on film today. It is a more planned out process, each shot is delivered, precise. We had 9 shots left towards the end at the last location in Brooklyn Heights, and it was a test, a challenge, to nail them and make each one amazing, I love the pressure of making something look amazing so much. Could do it every single day, and in our digital world wish more photographers would shoot film. I wish these camera-holders would learn about shutter speeds and lighting and all the good stuff that makes a photo timeless and a well told story within the photography.

"Don't just take my photo, tell my story"

Isobella Jade at the LUSH store in SoHo

Isobella shares an in-store experience at LUSH in SoHo

Isobella and Fashion Modeling (video)

Isobella shares her thoughts on fashion and the short girl.

Where are my people? Modeling tips Social Media

So I give daily advice on the pursuits of a shorter-than-average model. I started the blog: petitemodelingtips.blogspot.com 2 years ago. And the launch of my podcast radio show Model Talk inspired me to blog more often and the show gets 5,000 downloads, hits, listens a week. So where do these people who listen to my radio show, read my blog, and watch my Youtube videos, visit me on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter come from?

And what social network is better for me?

Good is a major part of my marketing. I think about "how do girls find me?" all the time. It is always Google. Their googling. And how I captured Google for modeling tip searches.

At first it was all about "having a website" now it is about being apart of 1,000 social medias! Or it feels like it, and actually it is working out very well.

My twitter is the lowest social media I have. Low as in compared to my Myspace friend count, Facebook friend count, and the hits I get on my podcast radio show, and others.

Myspace is the winner for me but lately my Facebook interaction has increased ALOT.
I think it is because many girls who want to be models are between the ages of 12-22 and they use Myspace more. Facebook comments, messages and friends are mainly 22 and up. Youtube, I have had 12 years send me messages about modeling. Twitter, I feel like mostly 22 and up as well.

Recently I started replying more active on my Youtube to the messages I get. I have ten mail boxes to check a day! It is a bit much, but this is how I am building my business around giving advice on modeling. Many angles and ways of web 2.0. One day I might get an assistant. I am taking resumes now :) lol. hehe.

I should check more often how many hits my website gets. But compared to my Facebook, Blog, Podcast, and other social media, ironically my own website isn't even on my mind most of the time.

around the corner

It is easy to put so much pressure on a certain meeting, opportunity, a chance. But I have learned that it is best not to rely on ONE thing to get you somewhere, bring you forward to get you where you want to be. Usually when you put so much pressure on "this one thing" helping you excel you find disappointment and distraught if it doesn't work out, come through, or turn out the way you hoped. I think it is best to focus tirelessly on your goals but to not judge yourself against the opportunities you miss, or didn’t get…yet.

Keep trying...don't let anything be the end-all. You never know what's around the corner tomorrow.

If my leg can model so can yours

Self-portraits with Logitech cam, chilling

Well, I don't know if this is a portrait, but as I wait for my tortellini pasta to cook I am playing with my Logitech camera.







Time to eat!

Fashion hates the short models but who cares Podcast

In this segment of Model Talk Radio the topic is:
Fashion hates the short girls but who cares. You can listen live or to the archive by clicking here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/isobellajade/2009/07/08/Fashion-hates-the-short-girls-but-who-cares

I will sharing how the history of modeling has been a rollercoaster from the early days to today. From the first fashion models being not as tall, to the Giraffes taking over the runways, to the advertising world giving the shorter girl her ticket. Inspired by the MET Model as Muse exhibit.

88th St and Riverside, the Blackout of 2003

A memory from my memoir Almost 5'4".

FLASH Back to 2003. The Black out of 2003.

So it was the BLACKOUT. Remember? Where were you? I was in Brooklyn Heights. It was my last night there. I had just walked over the Brooklyn Bridge because I was on 23rd St when the lights and MTA stopped working and I had to hike!

In BK Heights the icecream man was giving away free ice-cream- quick before it melts, the wine store free wine, no ID's needed. And even the hotdog guy. It was a circus, really it was.

The next day I was moving to 88th Street and Riverside, -the new dorms-at a ritzy part of town, and as I sat at the Promenade I thought about how I would probably be the only chick in the neighborhood who ever posed nude.

First time on 8th Street was when I bought Stripper Platforms

Ever made a bad shoe purchase?

FLASHBACK to 2001:

So I was doing some bad photography with some bad "guys with cameras" and I figured that some high stripper shoes to look taller in my shoots would be perfect. (even though I was not a stripper) So I went to 8th Street hunting for height. An experience I mark in my memoir Almost 5'4". Those stupid shoes, they were $50 which was a LOT for a college student to spend her weekly stipend for food on. Later, when I REALLY needed the money for food, I would regret spending money on these stupid shoes, which I hardly wore because after a few shoots I realized a “talented” photographer could shoot my proportions well without those slutty things on my feet weighing a ton.

These days 3-4 inches is cool. 5 inches is great, but those stripper heels are not in my life and never will be again that's for sure!

Model as Muse on 4th of July

Some people BBQ on the Fourth of July. I go to the art museum. Yesterday at the Met I saw the exhibit Model As Muse, I loved it!

It is a must see for any model out there, or person who is curious about modeling. Appreciating the history of modeling can explain to you why things are the way they are in the industry. Also you will see how modeling began, why models were needed, and the women that shaped the root of the profession.

I bought the book Model As Muse and I will be sharing my favorite pages in a video this week.

Also here are some random photos looking at an exhibit of amazing furniture and fixtures.



Now it is time for a burger!

Isobella

Some thoughts of my day

Self hustling can work: After you get press, you have to contact all the other press people, reports, editors, etc, that you want so you can get more,- one thing inspires the next. Now I need more coffee!

When you walk 30 blocks during the MTA strike just to show up for a casting you didn't book, it teaches you how much you give a $hit. Giving a &hit matters. You might not win them all, but when you keep giving a %hit, keep trying, showing up, giving yourself a chance, you can win some good ones.

Chase what you want, even if you fall and bust your knee and need a band-aid, get that damn band-aid and keep running after it.

As the sun starts to go down, you count all you did today, and your list still is long, but your spirit is still high, and each hour is important, because who you become is all up to you and what you do with this time.

Model Life buzz Publishers Weekly

My up-coming graphic novel called Model Life has got some buzz in Publishers Weekly. Check it out here.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6668095.html?nid=2789&source=title&rid=799599672

The Cadillac Man

While doing my research and marketing and pr I Google a lot! I read a lot of articles and then contact the writer/or reporter or journalist. On NYMag.com right now, would love to be in that magazine. I found this article that is a few months old but I liked it:


The Homeless Life and Times of Cadillac Man

http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/55328/

fight for your chance

Sure I've made mistakes, but when u want something bad enough you pick yourself up, and keep fighting on for your chance.

Random photoshoot in Tribeca today

There was this random wood table. Alone. In the alley way. With sun rays hitting it, almost on purpose. I walked passed it thinking "I want to lay on that." Takin on a BlackBerry, not bad for out-of-the-blue pix.

Models of all ages

A girl recently asked me if age was an issue for modeling? These were some of my thoughts on modeling and age and I think it might inspire you:


Age is not an issue because actually most commercial products, -watch commercials, flip through a Marie Claire, Glamour, Redbook, Self, Allure, most of the products in the magazine are for a woman 27-40.

So the more you think of modeling as advertising the more you will see models are ALL ages. Even Grandmothers model!

A major part of finding success as a model is making your own marketing material, making your own compcard, managing your shoots, being the art director and knowing what you need photographically to get the photos that WILL help you. I would keep mailing your compards out. Like an actor that mails their headshot and a handbag designer that mails their line sheet to buyers, you, as the model have to be aggressive with mailing! It is the only way.

Remember for your own modeling pursuits: Beauty,skincare, hair-care, accessories, modeling lifestyle products should be your goal. Modeling has no age, because wherever there is a need to advertise a product, there is a need for a model. Ironically fashion is spoke about A LOT more, but it is print modeling that actually is where most models work. 90% of modeling is print and yet no one talks about it.
Someone has to model that Advil, wrinkle cream, insurance, hair dye, and they are woman of ALL ages.

And to target yourself as a print model, with the right photos, to the right agencies it does take a perceptive eye and a marketing mindset! :)

Mail your compcard to commercial print modeling agencies. A few to consider are: Flaunt Models, FFT, R&L Models, Images, Rick Miller Agency, CESD, and Parts Models for hands, feet, eyes, body part modeling.

Short models are not in style for cycle 14 ANTM

In my breakdowns I noticed cycle 14 to America's Next Top Model is casting, but the short chicks are not welcome this time. However, do not think that this means you can not model if you are shorter, shorter girls can model but they do have to market themselves well and be ambitious in marketable ways.

If you are 5'7" or taller and want to be on the show you can apply here ( yet I did not see an open call in NYC area):
http://www.cwtv.com/thecw/topmodel-cycle14-casting

However these reality shows leave many girls are left discouraged and they give up after they get kicked off the show, when really they could find opportunity, but are aware of it or just simply do not know how.

Jacqueline Susann on my mind today: Valley of the Dolls

Coffee in hand, eggo in another, about to go run errends. Last night I watched the movie Isn't She Great, about the underdog life of author Jacqueline Susann. This is a must see for any one who is fighting for their chance. The film was about her own pursuits trying to get her book published, it was rejected many times but her book Valley of the Dolls, went on to be a major hit.

I cried, laughed, and each time she talked to God at the tree I just wanted to hug her!

Bette Midler was great portraying her in the movie.

Initially, Valley of the Dolls was rejected by publishers. When the book was finally released on February 10, 1966, it was an instant hit with the public. The subject matter was considered inappropriate at the time, and was a mixture of soap-opera style storytelling with bold, non-traditional characters.

Isobella Jade writes Tyra Banks with a letter blog

In celebration of my modeling memoir Almost 5'4" hitting the bookstores in the NYC area now!! I wanted to share my Dear Tyra with you since the book is timely for cycle 13 of America’s Next Top Model:

I did send some of my press to her people, agent, publicist. And this is my letter and hopes for her up coming show.

Dear Tyra,
As the shortest working model in New York City I wanted to share some tips that might help your itty bitty hopefuls.

My first tip is to not judge how the girl walk. Don't kick a short girl off for how she walks. Pretty please. Only a small percent of models rock the runway and shorter girls really should focus on the areas of the modeling industry they can really get ahead, such as in print modeling, parts modeling, or modeling lifestyle products in commercials.

Knowing their facial expressions well can be a benefit, since a shorter girl can find opportunities modeling skincare, hair-care, and for beauty products.

Using their personality and creating a nice headshot or close up should be a goal of the models.

After you kick them off, the girls might leave the show feeling like "now what?" So I suggest that the girls create their own compcard after the show, strive to work with the photos they got from the show, (they get to keep those photos right?) and put together a nice submission package that can help them get in the door at an agency after the show.

Also there are way more print modeling agencies out there than fashion, so don't give up!

Many shorter models give up after a few submissions to agencies without a call back, but trying once is not enough to be a model. It took me years to work with the agencies I work with now and get great modeling jobs. These days modeling is not about someone discovering you, or thinking you can do it, it is about you discovering your self, and focusing on what you do have, and what you can offer the modeling business. The modeling business is really the advertising business for a shorter girl and she should learn how to model products, show she can actually model, and remember that ambition out weighs height and inches.

Isobella Jade

Some buzz

I have hit 1,000 posts on this blog, and my other one http://petitemodelingtips.blogspot.com is 90 posts away from the same.

Gawker:
http://gawker.com/5302103/short-crazy-model-triumphs

Secrets of the Modeling World -blog:
http://www.somw.org/2009/06/almost-54-quite-book.html

Blogtalkradio Blog:
http://blog.blogtalkradio.com/beauty/isobella-jade-famous-scribe-boot/

Isobella Jade reading of Almost 5'4" at 6pm today

With the excitement of my original modeling memoir Almost 5’4” (which is about my experiences as a shorter-than-average model) being now available in bookstores in NYC!, I am doing a reading of my favorite chapter today at 6pm and I hope you can tune in. Or listen to the archive :) Click the awesome image below to listen.

On the train

On the train if I wear high heels, really high heels, I feel like a slut, so many stares. I love heels, but it is a shame to show your legs on the train, really it can be.

Being small

Being small, short, petite has it's advantage, I can make a tee-shirt a dress sometimes. Well that's my way to save a buck!

Isobella shares Almost 5'4" in a video here

If you ever have been told you were too short to model, my memoir is for you, here is a video on it I just made:

Almost 5'4" is not too short to model

Isobella shares how height and inches are not everything in modeling:

Models Playing with Goliath

I was getting coffee today telling the sweet barista on 19th Street how a shorter girl could get ahead. How can a model that is shorter keep up with the tall chicks, or at least play in the modeling world?

Here are some thoughts that I shared with her, that might intrigue you:

1.Knowing how to market your self is major when it comes to getting modeling work. And thinking about how you are targeting yourself, introducing yourself, positioning yourself when you present your photos to an agency through mail or in person.

2.Sometimes knowing how to market your self involves literally looking in the mirror and asking yourself “What can I realistically model?” The barista has nice curly hair so I told her she could focus on hair ads, product shots of hair dryers, curlers, texture products. It is good to work from an example, so I would research in magazines and look, observe, and learn what an ad looks like, and start to conceptualize how your photos can look that will tell an agency “this girl would be good for a product ad.” Sometimes you have to create the shot, make it look like an ad, make it look like you can in deed model before an agent calls you back.

3.Not giving up is the biggest thing. Have you mailed your photos to a print modeling agency? Did you give up after one try? Not giving up is a huge part of finding opportunities and success in any thing in life that you might pursue and especially in modeling. So just because you didn’t get a call back from the agency doesn’t mean you can’t try again. Go ahead, submit those photos again, update your headshot, make a new compcard, get some stamps and keep hustling!

Isobella Jade's memoir is available in Bookstores

How many bookstores can Isobella Jade hit up in one day? 5!! You can find autographed copies of Almost 5'4" in the Greenwich Village store, Fifth Ave (near 45th), East 54th Street (Citigroup center store), Lincoln Triangle at 1972 Broadway, and another one at the Tribeca store, in the briography section. I am trying to sign as many in-store copies as I can.



Almost 5'4" is now available in bookstores, or just click the cover to read online shopping details.

Model Isobella Jade book release reading

Isobella reads from her original modeling memoir Almost 5'4", which is now available at bookstores, for more information stop by her website: www.isobelladreams.com or click the cover above.

6/24/09 at 6pm live at www.blogtalkradio.com/isobellajade

I hate my photos! Models fixing their photo tips

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/isobellajade/2009/06/18/I-Hate-My-Photos-How-Models-can-fix-their-photos

This segment on Model Talk is about how to fix your photos and get better photography.

Did you know:

Hands and Makeup can ruin the shot.

Make sure your makeup is not too cakey or that your face is too shiny, you need to show natural nice skin to get a good shot sometimes.

After the shoot Make sure the photos are at 300 dpi or turn them into 300 Dpi.
Strive to learn a program such as Photoshop or basic photoshop skills.
Or try www.picnik.com

Cropping and lightening photos is a good skill to have.

Sometimes a full body shot can turn into a better headshot (crop it).

If a photo is too dark, dark around the eyes it can be hard to touch that up yourself, but if you turn the photo to black and white and then lighten the photo it could look better.

ELLE Reader great article

I am reading Elle magazine right now and enjoying the article called Pulp Princess about Miasha. the author and leader of urban lit writers, this is a great article of her persistence and I would love to meet this lady one day.

:)

Her story is inspiring as well.

persistence and patience

While pursuing something that is a challenge remember persistence and patience are best friends. Give both a chance.

quote from Nurse Jackie tonight made me laugh

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes –Nurse Jackie

I also like this one:
In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king,- to me this means: Use what you do have to help someone else. Until your time is up you can be creating. Find a reason each day to smile, try to find the positive and share it.

find the positive and share it

In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king,- to me this means: Use what you do have to help someone else. Until your time is up you can be creating. Find a reason each day to smile, try to find the positive and share it.

Modeling for a short girl is about marketing

It is a challenge to model, it is not an easy thing and just being cute, pretty, is not enough. Modeling is really about marketing, many times in print modeling the models are not the hottest, most beautiful but they fit the vibe of the product and the consumer. Modeling is sometimes about “just being what they are looking for” and if you notice ads for lifestyle products the models are not all tall and perfect looking. But the main thing is to get some good quality photos that are not too touched up and show you for you. You have to make yourself available for opportunities and seek them, in the right ways. The better your marketing materials are, compcard, headshot, the better you can market yourself.

short girls can model

short girls can model handbags, hair products, sunglasses, skincare, shoes, and put it this way, wherever there is a need to advertise. To get modeling jobs it involves thinking about “what can I model”. Where there is a need to advertise, there is a need for a model to use, hold, and be apart of the products story.

Not blaming the photographer...but

I am not blaming the photographer but if there was a release involved for a family portrait for a Xmas card that ended up being "in the Czech Republic, splashed across a huge storefront advertisement," they might want to look over the release one more time. It is easy to get fooled into signing something when it comes to rights for photos. Many photographers also sell images as Stock. It is legit, and a legit form of advertising images but the model or,ahem, family in the shot, should ask questions of usage even for a Xmas card portrait. Here is the story on Yahoo News here.

Other news that caught my eye recently:

Ad Age, What Danica Patrick Could Do for Nascar, Sponsors.

Why the round sunglasses? NYTimes

Um, yes this is me on Galleycat

Isobella quote for short models

realistic expectations backed with marketable ambition is best for shorter models. U might not get to rock the runway but there is more out there for you. Modeling is not just high fashion. - isobella

ComicCon and Latest Self Promotion Tactic

Last night at the monthly NY ComicCon happy hour at Dave and Busters, I added a new self promotion tactic to my list. My graphic novel Model Life, will be due this fall through Soft Skull Press, and to let a curly haired, taller-than-average gentleman named Vinayak know/remember my “coming soon book”, I told him to write the name of it on his hand. Which he did. Model Life was across his hand and I proudly held it up for the peeps at NYComicCon to see. What does this “hand promotion” really mean? Well, in middle school writing cheat sheet notes for tests, beeper numbers and phone numbers on my hand and on others' hands was a typical daily activity. Come on, you did this too. If your hand was not covered with writing you did not have a social life. Last night I learned this could also be a way of promotion when promoting books. A new form of "Hand modeling" for marketing?

Come out to the monthly ComicCon events, -you might just see me- but beware I might write the name of my book on your hand.

Ask the photographer before a photoshoot

In this segment of Model Talk Radio, Isobella Jade shares questions you should ask the photographer before you do your photo shoot and what to be aware of so that you don't end up with a mistake, regret or tears, and that you get what you want instead.

Listen here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/isobellajade/2009/06/10/5-things-to-ask-the-photographer-before-you-shoot

You can also find Isobella Jade on iTunes.

exitrealworld.com swimwear for real girls

There is a swimwear brand out there that is not about airbrush and accepts tats:
exitrealworld.com

I first heard of the brand from Elle Magazine, June issue, page 48.

A Nude Photography book to pick up for Models

I suggest picking up the book Nude Photography: The Art and the Craft,by Pascal Baetens, even if you do not plan to ever pose nude. It is a great book.

The book is very detailed and besides quality photography, this book shows nudity without the airbrush, it features talented photographers that know the craft, and the book shares how they produce their images, and shows how beautiful fine art nudes can be. Pascal's perspective is addictive. I liked how at the back of the book Pascal answered questions about photography and an aspiring model will find this book intriguing and helpful when it comes to posing and understanding both sides of the camera, which is a good thing to know, whether you are wearing a beautiful winter coat, or nothing.

Behind the scenes of the nude.

I also suggest stopping by: www.finearttv.com

Loving my new Bakers shoes

Showing off my new Bakers shoes.

quote

Life and modeling can be tough, but if you don't expect it to be easy, you will find through hard work, trying again and again, and not giving up...it isn't impossible to do something that at first sight might seem so.

quote by me

Don't ever doubt the power of your self. Doing things "your self" is harder sometimes but never seek that short cut when you really want to do something right.

An Apple a day for a model...or any girl on the go!

Max Factor the man and the makeup

Get it while you can!

Max Factor is all over the media sites and news for cutting their US market share in 2010. However did you know that Max Factor was a person, not just a name of a brand but Max was born in Poland in 1877, and worked as a wigmaker to the Russian imperial family, and in 1904 he fled to America after Czar Nicholas II ordered the Jewish pogroms. Max ended up in St. Louis, where he had an exhibit at the World Fair (sort of like an early day International Beauty Show booth perhaps), and you can read about how the man who brought makeup to every woman, during a time when only stage preformers and prostitutes wore makeup.



You might have worn Max Factor, but whether you have or not, reading biographies about how the brand or person aspired always interests me, and I hope it intrigues you.



Here is the link to the book Max Factor "The Man who changed the Faces of the World" by Fred E. Basten.

I have it, I have it in my hand right now! :)

Models and self promotion

I have never relied on one person to make my modeling goals or pursuits happen. I have always relied on my self most. Self promotion is such a huge part of being or becoming anything you want to be and it is the same for modeling. Working as a model involves a whole'lotta self promotion!

Here are somethings that have involved self promotion along my journey of being a model:

1. Creating the right photos. Photography has been a major part of my pursuits, this is modeling where "image is everything" so striving to get better photography, improve my photos, and strive to work with better and better photographers through out my journey as been very important. What you show in a photo represents who you are as a model. What you can do, and where you are going, so striving hands-on to plan shoots, art direct them, be apart of the photography process has been major.

2. Mailings and submissions. The first mailing I did, to all the top modeling agencies got no no-where. Once I got a headshot and mail it out it only brought back one phone call. It was to a casting director for background work on the TV show ED. Then I made a compcard and tried to improve my photos to make them more "commercial print friendly." Today I work with great agencies, but getting a modeling agency, getting consistant and quality work as a model has been a process, and it did not happen over nite. It takes a lot of mailing, and submissions, research, and stamps to be a model.

3. Battling the voices around me. Many people I encountered said I was too short to model, I would be better off even going into porn or something, but I didn't want that, I wanted more. I wanted ads, ad campaigns, to be in magazines, I wanted to "model something" other than me! So it has been important to listen to your own voice along the way, the voice that can direct you towards your goals. Sometimes what people may think, suggest, is not always the best, so listen to everything but always have your own understanding of yourself and goals.

Me on a horse!

I love riding a horse! I did it for the first time 2 weekends ago in the Poconos and loved it! I feel guilty I am posting these pics here before I send the pics to my family in an email...about to do that!

Do you go Commandos? With Jo Bernard

I recently spoke to Jo Bernard, the Commando-in-Chief of Commandos: The way to be comfy down there while you go Commando, this is the scoop on the latest go bare with ease essential.

1. For my readers who do not know yet, tell us about Commandos and why a girl needs to be in the know?

As girls and women, we are raised to wear traditional, conventional underwear. Conventional underwear has always been about a piece of apparel designed to hold a cotton crotch in place for our hygienic protection and comfort. In the Evolution of Underwear, our panties have evolved from the chastity belt to pantaloons to granny panties to bikinis to thongs, all intended to hold a crotch for us. COMMANDOS Patches have now eliminated EVERYTHING BUT the crotch and it is COTTON, which is the natural and absorbent fabric recommended by doctors for our optimal vaginal health. No more waistbands and legholes creating VPL's in our jeans, pants, and shorts. No more irritating crotch seams when we choose to "go commando". COMMANDOS Cotton patches are for Ev'y Femma, Every Woman, no matter her age, size, ethnicity. Meet Ev'y Femma on our website www.gocommandos.com. They are great for travel, maternity, all sports and exercise, equestrian, after waxing, and just to wear every single day in jeans and pants.

2. I love all the reasons why you can wear Commandos stated on your website, I think the commando patch to put inside jeans is something awesome that many females can relate to. Had you gone commando in the past and wondered how you could make it more comfy?

I had never gone commando (without underwear) before we invented the Patch. It was completely foreign to me.

As a result of our marketing survey last year, we have learned that 51% of our customers also had never gone commando, which tells us that many woman are seeking an alternative to traditional underwear and have now found a replacement they prefer. Most of our customers rate the comfort level VERY HIGH and I'm sure it's because we use premium cotton that is very soft, and cushions this most sensitive area. The completely unique and patented design allows for ultimate flexibility when placed in the crotch inseams. The adhesive will hold it there until the woman chooses to remove it. Once you experience wearing nothing in your jeans or pants but the soft, comfortable COMMANDOS Patch which you don't even know is there, you really begin to dislike the extra layer that conventional panties or thongs add.



3. Have you ever had a memorable experience telling someone about how you sell comfort with the cotton crotch?

I once tried to discreetly explain it to a woman in her 80's. Once she understood the concept, she broke out into a huge smile and laughingly said, "Honey, I haven't worn panties in years! I just didn't know it was called 'going commando'. Where can I buy them?" This is when I learned NEVER to assume who our customer is. Again, she is Every Woman. "Ev'y Femma"! (I also love to be on a crowded elevator and ask who knows what it means to go commando!)



4. How has the internet come into play with launching the brand and marketing Commandos?

The internet has been and continues to be huge for COMMANDOS. Women love to share and Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) is the absolute best form of getting one's product out there. The personal recommendation, the personal experience, the community of women needing and wanting products that they can believe in and have benefits for them, are all nurtured and developed on the internet. For example,there is a whole community of women who have vulva-vaginal conditions that cannot wear traditional underwear. They have online support groups, as well as Physical Therapists and Doctors, who provide much needed services and products that often are unavailable to them in their own geographic communities. Plus, many women prefer online shopping and we have our COMMANDOS available in our website store. Our website is fun, and girly, and very informative. It showcases our Press, our Testimonials, and of course, Ev'y Femma. In addition, men and women from around the world have found COMMANDOS Patches online and this is how we have now launched our product in South Africa and soon in the UK. www.gocommandos.com



5. During photoshoots it is best not to show panty lines so where can my readers pick up a pack of Commandos?

Your readers can order directly from our website www.gocommandos.com

Where we offer all of our colors and all 3 cotton fabrics (Cotton Fleece, Combed Cotton Interlock and 100% Certified Cotton Jersey). They can also call our tollfree number 866-970-FREE (3733) either to order or to inquire about a retail location near them. COMMANDOS are also available on a number of other websites, including Amazon.com.

The Persistent Short Model segment

Isobella shares how to be persistent without pushy to get what you want as a model. From an agency to modeling jobs, working with photographer and becoming the model you want to be, in her latest podcast at Blogtalkradio.com

Not giving up is key. Approaching the right agencies, approaching them with the right photos.

Focusing on what you can realistically model and then perfecting your photos so you can get ahead

Here is a segment on The Persistent Short Model:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/isobellajade/2009/06/03/The-Persistent-Short-Model

A book I plan to read: Arthur Miller & Marilyn Monroe

Photo by Carl T. Gossett Jr./The New York Times, 1956.

I read yesterday in the NYTIMES an article by DWIGHT GARNER titled:
Some Like It Hot, Some Like It Literary: A Playwright’s Life, With Marilyn

It was about the book "Arthur Miller: 1915-1962,” by Christopher Bigsby. A fan of Marilyn and Miller, I plan to read this!

Here is part of the article. You should read it.

Arthur Miller was 35 and at the top of his career when, in 1951, he first set eyes on Marilyn Monroe. He was the author of “All My Sons” and “Death of a Salesman,” the first play to win all three major drama prizes (the Pulitzer Prize, the Tony Award and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award). He would soon begin work on “The Crucible.” She was 24 and, with minor film roles behind her, virtually unknown.

You can read some of the book here:
http://documents.nytimes.com/arthur-miller-by-christopher-bigsby#p=1

mark offers Young Women an Earning Opportunity

The excitement of getting something in the mail does still excite me! Especially if it is a beauty product!

I recently read on the PR Newswire about Mark and how "the number of college graduates hired compared to last year. In light of these staggering statistics many
young women are looking for ways to supplement their income and are turning to mark, the beauty and fashion boutique brand. mark gives young women the opportunity to make their entrepreneurial mark in the world and has spotlighted eight of their top National Reps in its first-ever recruitment video about the mark Rep opportunity."


To view the Multimedia News Release, go to:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/avon/37726/

Or visit: www.meetmark.com

"mark has updated the direct selling model so it fits into the Web 2.0
lives of young women today. In addition to selling face-to-face, mark Reps
share products screen-to-screen with friends through their personalized
mark Web sites (e-boutiques), social networking sites such as Facebook and
MySpace, mark magalogs and by throwing mark parties or holding mark
fundraisers."


"This is our first-ever recruitment video shoot featuring real young women
since the brand launched in 2003," said Claudia Poccia, Global President,
mark. "With unemployment rates at an all time high, we are so happy that
mark provides young women with a resource to not only supplement their
income, but empowers them to learn necessary entrepreneurial and business
skills."

About mark

mark is an expertly edited, beauty & fashion boutique brand that goes
beyond "selling." Founded by Avon Products, Inc. in 2003, mark provides
young women the opportunity to open and grow their own business and learn
valuable management, marketing and networking skills. Social beauty TM is
at the heart of the brand and represents a social connection and
conscience. The mark girl can make her mark by choosing what, when and how
to engage with the brand by going online to the brand's Web sites, social
sites such as Facebook and MySpace and in the pages of the mark magalog
and through mark Representatives.

The connections and networking lifestyle

At BEA I ran into a girl who said to me "It's about the connections you have." Connections mean everything. Well that is great if you have them. If you don't then you have to make them.

I believe in the power of your own marketing. I think the best person to market you is you. Yes publicists help, yes agents, yes all of it, but having your own marketing ability is also an asset. A Big one.

I watched quickly this story of an actor on a teen TV series who said, "Yeah I moved to NYC and everything just happened for me". I wanted to puke!

I am not jealous at all. But I hated his casual way of saying how he found success and it made it appear as if "someone else will make your dreams" come true for you.

I believe in the underdog, I believe in the resuls that come from work and not giving up.

Stories of someone sleeping with someone to get ahead, stories of someone selling out, etc,..don't intrigue me. To me that is bs.

Getting ahead, and doing and being what you want to be and do, is not always about someone else handing it to you, refering you, the connection someone else has that you need, but it is about your own ability to seek out the people who can help you, promote yourself to those who might dig and relate and have interest towards what you are promoting and why, and your willingness to make your own.

Quick beauty is my lifestyle

Typically on days on the go, I do not have time for major hair blow outs, and gracing fabulous eye-shadow oh-so-carefully on my lids. I give myself usually like 15minutes to do my whole face. Also I would be bored with it, there is no way I could spend an hour getting my face ready for something. I purposely try to be quick as possible.

Usually while I do my makeup I am also doing other things. For example:

I will cleanse, and tone, then run and check my email quick.

I will add foundation, usually a dab mixed with water to make it extra light and not cakey. Then while it dries I will check my email again or think about what I am going to wear today.

Then I will add powder, I.D minerals right now. Then I curl my lashes. And put on a coat of mascaral and maybe tweeze or enhance my eyebrows a little.

I let it all dry and run and check my email again or put on half my outfit.

Then I put on lipstick, maybe some eye liner, and another swipe of mascara and curl those lashes again.

Then I finish getting dressed, grab my bag and slam the door shut!

Oh..and I brush my hair...or honestly sometimes I just forget! Since I am running late and let the breeze untangle it as I race for the train...

Fashion news caught my eye

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue cover girl designs little black bikini for Hurley.

http://www.wwd.com/markets-news/bar-rafaeli-designs-the-little-black-bikini-2154124?src=rss/recentstories/20090602

Jimmy Choo and Elton John are friends of PEP.

"Jimmy Choo is fashionably supporting Elton John's AIDS Foundation by creating a limited-edition accessories collection dubbed Project PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis). It will include handbags, shoes, and small leather goods decorated with a new signature laminated canvas print showing off iconic Jimmy Choo details like snakeskin, leather, and even a picture of Tamara Mellon from a Vogue Italia photo shoot."

Found at Fabsugar.com and WWD.com

Event to get on a plane for: Yves rocher, L'oreal hold art exhibits.
"Natural Beauty Company Yves Rocher is sponsoring an exhibition at Paris Centre Pomipidou called "Elles@centrepompidou". It showcases 500 works by 280 European women artists to address issues from beauty to discrimination." -WWD

Puma gets sexy with swimwear.
Puma in North America is getting hotter and hotter with Puma Swimwear and Beachwear showcased this July at the Miami Swim Show, designed by Blue Water Design Group. -WWD

Self promoting and dishes to not mix

I just went through a pile of dishes in the sink. Damn! I hate this, scrubbing doesn't make me happy. I am glad to recycle bottles, paper, etc, but washing the dishes is my least favorite thing to do in the whole world I think.

I don't think I am alone in this. It is honestly hard to manage the organization of life outside of my current publishing, modeling and business pursuits...I am talking about being domestic.

I want to eat on a clean plate, but anyone who reads this and knows anything about me will know I have rough'ed it.

I find I am as domestic as my 14 year old self was. 12 year old self? Do these things change, do you get more domestic as we grow or are some people just not as excited to do the dishes as others find it stress relief?

There is no way I can clean without music. It is torture without it! I have to make it fun or I don't do it.

By far using the Swiffer® is my favorite cleaning item. I give the apartment like 15 minutes a day to tidy up and take out trash and such, but Swiffing puts the fun into it at least as I glide it across the floor, and dance to Steve Miller.

I try to clean one thing a day, the coffee table, the floor, dust.

Tomorrow I will attack the laundry. At least for that all it involves is throwing it in and remembering that you are doing laundry to change the loads. Honestly I set a timer or else, among my marketing and hustle, I just might forget!