It's happened to all of us - let's face it, not everyone is going to like what you do and how you do it. Sometimes it's a personal vendetta, other times it's legit. That's right, I'm talking about the dreaded "bad review".
Most people in modeling want to be liked...no...LOVED by everyone all over the world and become famous, if not internationally, then at LEAST locally, or within their field. Sometimes, though, you run into a situation where someone really didn't like your work, and they weren't afraid to let you know about it. Usually this takes the form of a portfolio review that you may post online or send out to agencies (unless you're cool like me and do everything freelance. In that case, it's magazines and photographers you're showing your work to).
I'd be lying if I said that having your work picked apart and ripped to shreds was easy to deal with. It isn't - it can actually really hurt, especially if you were hoping with all your heart for a good review. You spend so much time, energy, and money getting pictures done, and you feel like all your hard work was for nothing. But don't be sad for long. Instead, see it as a chance to re-visit your work, anaylze it in a new light, and grow!
I still have, in my Model Mayhem inbox, the first formal portfolio review I was ever given. It was not a good review. Pretty much every picture was gone through and picked apart, and usually the review of each photo contained "This isn't flattering", "Remove from your portfolio", and the like. Of course I was sad about it, because it was given by a model I admired and wanted to impress. But I took a day or two away from it, went back and looked it over again, and in a calmer state of mind was really able to see what she was getting at. Some things were a matter of pose and face, others were just having the right photographer for the right shoot. In the end, I learned to take that bad review and turn it into a chance to grow and develop.
So here's a list of things that were wrong with my work, and how I improved them (granted, I'm still working on SOME things, but I'm getting there!)
1. Photographer not right for the concept: This one was the easiest to fix, because all I needed to do was work with more photographers! At the time I had this review done, I had worked with 3 or 4 people, and to be fair, a couple of those photographers were "growing" as well. But I did notice that sometimes certain concepts weren't right for the styles of those photographers I was working with. By expanding my network, I'm now able to know exactly who do go for for which themes and ideas.
2. Wardrobe Unflattering: Every now and then there'd be a photo where the wardrobe just didn't really work. Sometimes it was fit, sometimes it was too many prints/textures clashing. Sometimes it was the wrong makeup or hair style, too. I spend a lot more time doing research and carefully selecting outfit pieces for shoots now, and everything from the makeup colors to the accessories and wigs are chosen with care and focus on the concept I'm trying to create.
3. Face: This has been the biggest challenge for me and it's still something I'm working on, although I feel like I've gotten significantly better with this since I started modeling. By "face", I'm referring to facial expression, and this has been where I've gotten slammed the hardest in terms of critique. My earliest photos have very weak face, mainly because I'm new to the field and lacking in confidence. I've had to learn to really "own it" since my beginnings. In my first portfolio review, a lot of critique was centered around making the wrong type of face for the photo. What I did was I picked up a couple things this model suggested: "A more teasing look in the eye", "Softer", and "Playful" stuck out to me. I practice these looks in the mirror to try and master them. Some of the best advice I've ever been given in face was provided to me by my hair stylist, who is also a burlesque performer. She told me to do a couple things: one was to look at the camera, and imagine the lens is someone you really want to fuck. The second thing was to just flat out imagine you were fucking. I've used these tips before, and the results were pretty damn great (don't believe me? Check out my 50 Shades of Rein photos on Facebook. Oh, and the pinup photos of me in victory rolls with the fan. Was definitely thinking about fucking then).
So from a negative review, I've been able to grow. I hope that you all who have or will receive a bad review can do the same, because even though it might hurt your feelings at first, it's a great opportunity to analyze your weaknesses and become better. I'm very confident that I'm a much stronger model and online presence than I was this time last year, and I have the honesty of others to thank for it!
Until next time, keep being your awesome selves!
-Rein
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