Financially, what is the real support system for urban modeling? In the other Fashion Industry, when a new model enters the scene, she’s scooped up by an agency,(real agency meaning, with a real company structure, operating in a real office building, with multiple employees working to book models) Sex and or dating the models is not allowed. He/She is given the opportunity to work real national or international ad campaigns, real paying jobs, real contracts with real clothing companies, runway shows, and magazine spreads. This is the support system of the other Fashion Industry, but not the urban modeling industry.

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Since Vogue was started in the late 1800′s, magazines have consistently celebrated “thin” as the model figure. Well, thin use to be “in,” but now? It is on the way out. Finally, there is a slow shift from sizes 0 to 6 as being the standard of beauty to sizes 8 and up being the norm. American women, on average, are a size 10 and up. So it’s about time for our magazine culture to represent what we see everyday. Please post your thoughts on this in the comments section. Congrats V Magazine! Even though your concept preceded ours, we admire your efforts, so we can’t hate.

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Check out this issue at: VMagazine
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1. Never shoot for free.

Take a moment, sit back and ponder on how much of society hinges on what we do and create. It can easily be the most simple rule in what we do, and yet the most overlooked by new talent pool. Your ability and growth as an artist is what creative ad agencies and marketing departments and art museums are hinging their entire careers upon… so you should always require people to pay SOMETHING for your work. I’m not saying that being as a new photographer that you should expect to be charging people 250.00 an hour, I am saying that its not unreasonable to require some form of compensation (even trading for services/goods IF the trade is mutually beneficial) every single time that you pick up your camera. Photographers do not need models, makeup stylists, hair stylists or wardrobe stylists to be successful, but those people DO need photographers for their development and growth. That is not to say that photographers cannot be replaced by other photographers (because if you fuck around, you surely will be) but moreso to say that photographers can easily photograph still life or city scenes and go about their careers with much success.

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Does anything strike you as odd about this latest Vanity Fair cover spread?

Yes, it’s their 16th annual ­”Hollywood Issue”, shot as usual by Annie Leibovitz, and intending to herald the bright young things of Tinseltown, just in time for this year’s Oscars.

A row of elegantly coiffed pretty young things gaze out from the gatefold, draped on the lawn, showing just the right amount of powdered skin, styled to look just the right side of “available” (yet not too threatening). But look again, isn’t something missing? Granted, there are no men on the cover, but let’s assume that’s intentional. No, what I’m talking about is the ­complete lack of melanin.

Read full article excerpt taken from : guardian

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