So you got the gear. You got the know-how (or at least you’re working on it). You even got the idea. Whatcha don’t got is a model. Right? Follow these steps and you’ll be covered with models in no time.

Not a self portrait.

The steps:

1. Why? – Ouch! Didn’t think I’d throw that one at you right out of the gate, now did you? Figure out why you want to photograph people. I think it should be more than just practice or portfolio or to get a job as a photographer. Do you have a story you want to tell? If you have something you want to say with your images it will give you a leg up in picking the right people to model for you. If you just want to stare at half naked girls, get a job at a tanning salon. Still here? Great. Now, step one – I mean two…
2. Ask the Obligated – If you don’t already have an impressive collection of photographs that you can use to lure in strangers, you’re going to have to ask the people who have no other choice but to do whatever you say…. Your family! This could be a mom, dad, granny, wife, husband, child, dog, cat, or fish. It could be a neighbor who owes you a favor since you kept shtume about that “trash can incident.” If you can’t find someone that owes you a favor – well, what kind of rat are you anyway? Get out there and help some people!
3. The Best Ship That Ever Sailed… Friendship! – Now all your lame-o friends who didn’t have enough confidence in you, or care about you enough to take a friggin’ hour out of their day and sit for you – yeah, those friends – well, now they are missing you because you’ve been so busy photographing your neighbor – and not through a hole in the fence for a change. They come by to see where you’ve been and you LOCK THEM IN YOUR OFFICE. They wanted to know. So show them these great new photos you have. They don’t even have to be that great. If they are in focus and exposed half way decent, you should be able to convince your chums to be the next batch of victims.
4. Port-Tastic! – Now you have enough images to put a portfolio web site together. There are free places on line that you can stick your new collection if you don’t want to drop the cash, but I recommend you find a way to have your own domain. Even in this day and age some people find a touch of the star factor in having their own domain. That means you’ll get more people to look at your portfolio if you tell them go to www.ZekeK.com than if you say you can see my portfolio at www.earthlink.com/users/lame-o/lazy/poor/half-assed/notreallyserious.html. Make it as slick as you can. This is going to be your main sales tool for a while. Make it count.
5. Card Tricks – Business cards. Make them. Keep them on you at all times. Now that you have a portfolio on line you need to have a simple way of giving people your website address. Put it on the card! You are also going to use your business card as a “hook” to make strangers with no vested interest in your wants and desires go to your site and look at your work. You MUST put one of your photographs on the card. You wouldn’t trust a brain surgeon without a brain, so why would they go to your site if you don’t have a photo on the card? There is no excuse. Vista Print does a half way decent job with photo cards that start at $10 or so for 500. Right now they have 30% Off Plus Free Shipping on Orders over $50. Or better yet, leave your house and go to a local printer. You might see someone you want to photograph.
6. Be Creepy – Now that you have a portfolio on line and some business cards in hand you can start asking total strangers if they will model for you. Make sure you are wearing a spaghetti stained T-shirt, that you haven’t bathed in weeks, you’ve got week old broccoli stuck between your teeth, and that you spit up a nice phlegmy goober between each sentence. Leer. I don’t think I can overstate how important it is for your gaze to cut deep into your victim’s soul. Practice in front of a mirror until even you can’t stand to look into your eyes.
7. Do the Opposite of #6 – If you aren’t clean, odor free, and friendly when you see a stranger you’d like to model for you, you may want to hold off. Then again, they say rejection builds character. So what the heck? Go for it.
8. Ask Everyone – Yes, there are sites on line where you can find models, but I don’t recommend using these as your main pool. So how do you find new models? Use the real world. That’s what it’s there for, right? Ask people at the grocery store, at the movies, at your next AA meeting. Um, I mean AAA, you know for your car. You need to get comfortable talking to strangers if you’re going to be a good portrait photographer. Here’s an opportunity to get started. Ask everyone. Don’t just ask the skanky-chicks or the punk-rock boys. Look for people that seem interesting, not just look interesting. Take out your card before you approach. Keep the words to a minimum here. Don’t say how interesting they look, or how beautiful. Some photographers may not agree on that, but they aren’t writing this article, so why would you listen to them. Explain that you are a photographer and would like them to model for you. They may just squeal out a “yes,” giddy at receiving any attention from a person as suave and confident as you. If that happens ask them for their email or phone number and tell them you’ll contact them tomorrow to schedule the shoot. More likely they will be confused, suspicious, even generous with the pepper spray. If that happens, hand them a card and say, “Take a look at my work and let me know if you’d be interested.” Then…
9. Walk Away – I can not stress this enough. After you tell someone you would like them to model for you and you hand them your card, walk away! Not if they’re in the middle of asking you a question, smarty-pants. If they don’t have questions say thank you and walk away. Don’t hang around adding pressure to the situation. Walk away. You could run away, too, I guess, but that might seem strange.
10. Numbers Game - Just like dating, pizza, and flossing, it’s a number’s game. You may have to ask 30 people to get one person to model for you. Don’t fret. It will get easier every time. And over time, as you get better at it, more and more people will say yes. Heck, some of them might even show up to the shoot.

It can be hard work, but it’s not rocket science. Once you have a bunch of great photos every person you know, and every person they know, will be asking if they can model for you!

Now that you’ve got a basement full of models you can read “Shooting Blanks” for my tips on how to get the most out of them.

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