Answering a Reader Question #3

Anonymous Wrote:

If your agency is not finding you enough tests, should you find your own on craigslist or modelmayhem?

I’m not sure what you mean by “test” but in general if your agent is not finding you enough work, you are free to find your own. If you are talking about test shoots, that’s somewhat of a different topic. Test shoots usually are arranged by your agent in order to put your portfolio together, although most will cost you unless your agent covers those costs. Since test shoots are free shoots, you are free to find your own on Craigslist, Model Mayhem or wherever else you can find legit photographers to network and shoot with. Most modeling agencies won’t set up a bunch of free test shoots for you since this doesn’t really benefit them much, unless it’s for updating your portfolio. But keep in mind that if you are doing test shoots on your own, make sure the images are ones that your agent will approve of, unless you plan to use them for your own modeling purposes.

If you’re talking about your agent not finding you enough modeling jobs, then you can find work on your own if you feel the need to. I use Craigslist and Model Mayhem and have found them to be very helpful in finding work. If you have a non-exclusive contract with an agent, you can look for as much on your own as you want.

Exclusive contract agencies will tell you that they prefer you to not do any freelance work on your own both for safety and for business reasons. Of course it is totally possible to do this without them knowing. This is where you will need to exercise your own personal judgment on whether you want to freelance on the side if it’s against your agent’s wishes. But in general, there is nothing wrong with finding your own work if your agent is not doing it, however, you may want to take some time to talk to your agent about your concerns and see if they can try to tweak how they’re marketing you so that you will begin getting booked for more modeling jobs or find another agency that will.

Hope that helps and keep the questions coming if you’ve got them!