Retrieved post - Unflattering images, a reprise

Yesterday Blogger was down and I lost this post. Fortunately I had a back up

Photographer: Richard Plumb

The other day I posted a question on the forum of a model/photographers site where I have an account. It is primarily a site for British models and photographers, the ones that do most of their work independently and through the internet - hence the term 'internet model' that the lovely Model Bitch has coined. I have been an avid reader of Model Bitch blog since it began. I find it amusing, a real breath of fresh air.

Anyway, I was itching to do some research among models and photographers about what makes them tick.

And I came up with a question about unflattering images. I will be honest here. There was a time, when I first began modelling for photographers, when having unflattering images of myself in photographers folios did not please me, simply because I did not have much in my folio to begin with. When you are eighteen an unflattering image of you is usually seen as cute, but when you are past forty-five (I am in my early fifties now) an unflattering image of you is immediately seen as an indication of you being old and haggard, thus unsuitable model material.

Let me clarify that by unflattering I mean an image that shows all your physical shortcomings AND amplifies them i.e if your hips are a little heavy they make you look as if you were a size 16 or they show up your cellulite (and by the way even young models have cellulite).

Photographer: Richard Plumb

After a while and some painful rows of which I still carry the scars, I learnt to let go of the whole thing. I remember a shoot I did with an amateur photographer who is very good, a real perfectionist when it comes to images. But he is not in the least interested in making an effort to present 'his' models from the best possible angle. He does not work on model portfolios. He only shoots for himself. As part of that shoot there were pictures of me I really did not like. So I asked him not to put them up in his online gallery, as a favour. And he took it sooo badly! I was upset at the time, it was not even a paid shoot, it was a so called collaboration. Many tears (yes, tears) later I realised that the best thing was to pretend the image(s) did not exist and concentrate on shooting and building up my portfolio with other photographers. Meanwhile I learnt what suits me and what does not, but most of all I learnt to trust myself. End of that painful story for me.

The Tree of Hope fashion show Photographer: Michael Cheetham

Then when I went back to doing catwalk shows I learnt to cope with the shots that photographers take while you are walking or posing for a few seconds - and the designer's rants when the outfit was not photographed well.

Why did you not stay there longer and turn to show the back, they would say, and they were ready to pounce on you. They would say that even if you had been given strict instructions to pose for just sixty seconds, the other model was ready to start on the runway and you had to leave! That really marked the end of my worrying about unflattering pictures of all sorts, period.

But I always wanted to know how other models felt about this, I mean it cannot be just me who worries about how I come across in photographs. So I posted on that Forum. Now, there is a reason why many people wisely keep away from such Forums. I got all sorts of answers from photographers, fewer answers from models and then the discussion just went off a tangent and someone again mentioned age, mine that is, implying I should let the 18 year olds get on with modelling, someone felt entitled to call me vain, someone felt entitled to talk to me as if I were a dim wit. By and large though the models were sensible, put it down to experience, they said, nothing you can do about it, remove all links and move on. It happens, it has happened, it will continue to happen. It is part of your professionalism as a model.

Could not agree more.






(All photos modelled by Alex B.)