From the Photographers: Priceless Advice for Fitness Models

I’ve given you my advice on fitness modeling, you’ve heard from Max and Obi, but now you’ll hear from a few photographers and what they have to say about fitness modeling. I would highly suggest you take heed to the advice you are about to hear because these are the guys that you will hopefully be working with someday.

Alex Ardenti

• 1st thing: Complainers! Some models and bodybuilders don't realize that there are thousands of others that would die to be photographed to be in magazines. Decide before hand if it's something you really want and be professional.
• 2nd thing: Tardiness! Being late, if there was no life threatening situation, is unprofessional and wastes the time of the whole crew. Don't get there one hour early either. Chances are you will be in the way. Just get there within 10 minutes of your call time.
• 3rd thing: Being out of shape! Photos are forever, especially in the digital age. They will last a lot longer than the memories of a few people who saw you in a contest. Be in decent shape or don't take the job. When you are ready, let the photographer know.

Jason Ellis

1. Arrive on time, or five minutes ahead, for the shoot.
2. Bring a bag with everything you may need for the shoot (clothes, body oil, food, etc.).
3. Have professional pictures taken of you by a photographer who is known to be the best at creating the type of image you want to capture, and use the images you create for promoting yourself.

Irving Gelb

1. BE AGGRESSIVE BUT NOT OVERLY AGGRESSIVE: If you have great potential as a model, and others think so as well, be aggressive in your approach to the magazines and others in the industry. Persistence helps especially if you are a good model. BUT, don't cross the line and become a "stalker".
2. EMULIATE OTHER MODELS AND THEN CREATE YOUR OWN STYLE/LOOK: Read the magazines and study what your favorite models do. How they pose, their facial expressions, different looks, how they dress, and how they do their make up (for women models). Then create your own style. Practice, practice, practice. Do your poses and looks in front of a mirror and in front of friends or loved ones until you have "your" look down to a "T".
3. BE PROFESSIONAL - ALWAYS!: Treat whatever you do as a business and act accordingly - with professionalism. Treat others with the same level of respect that you would like to receive. Always be prepared, punctual, and in shape! If you are easy to work with, you'll get repeat work. People remember fond experiences and you'll be on your way to stardom if you have "IT"!

Rick Schaff

1. Be on time: You only have so many hours to complete a photo shoot, and if the model is late the finished product inevitably suffers.
2. Make sure your skin tones are natural looking and even: For example if your face is lighter than your body it will look worse on film. Or if your skin is blotchy or has streaks, that will most likely look worse on film too.
3. Don't take the job if you’re not in shooting shape: Be very honest with the person hiring you. A well defined physique looks very good in any position, just as an out of shape physique rarely looks good in any position.

These were their exact unedited words, you make the call. Trust me, I have seen many seasoned models break all of these recommendations. Don’t make the same mistake! I’ll continue to bring you more great information from industry insiders. Be sure to take a look at my one of a kind book, You Too Can Be A Fitness Model and the DVD, The Making Of an Ironman Cover.