Catching the agency

Now that you know where to go to get a modeling agency, you have to choose what agency you wish to apply to. You can try for every agency in New York if you'd like, that way if you get more than one offer you can choose the most comfortable one.
You can contact an agency by emailing them, applying through their website, going to their open call in the city, or mailing photos. I suggest you email them, or do it online somehow. That is the most efficient way.

Fashion:
When sending photos into a fashion agency, they need you to be you raw. No makeup, hair down and natural, jeans and a tank top (or a bikini). Make sure to include natural lighting in the photo. The agents want to see your true beauty. Sometimes when you send snapshots into an agency, they may later ask to meet you or to see some professional photos. Here I have posted some examples.

Make sure to show your angles, and do not overpose. Most agencies accept up to 4 photos.

Some basic fashion agency requirements:
Age:
Most supermodels started the industry when they were just in their teens. A good age to start modeling at is 14 or 15. Not to say that anyone older cannot start at their age, but the younger you get in the better the chances. If you are applying to a fashion agency there is usually an age cut off. Although they may not speak of it, usually anyone obviously over 25 won't get much work (unless you started when you were 14!)
This does not apply for commercial modeling. Commercial models can range from 12-60.

Height:
5'8+ (although most agencies claim they only take girls 5'9 and up, they will work with girls who are an inch below if they have a good look)
Commercial models usually have to be at least 5'6.

Measurements:
Everyone has heard about the skinny crisis in modeling, and although most of civilization claims to frown upon it, it is what it is. Agencies look for slim women, as long as your hips are under 36" you should be ok. Just remember, the shorter you are the skinnier they expect you to be.
Commercial models can get away with a little more weight since they are not expected to always where a size 2 or 0 dress.

Agencies

Although some people are able to make a steady income by working freelance, with no agency, it is obviously much easier to be discovered and have an agent find jobs for you. The question is, what is a good agency to apply to? Here in this post I will have a list of the top agencies in NYC, Philadelphia, Florida, and California.

[This list does not include every single agency out there- just good agencies to get into.]

IMG Models: imgmodels.com/
Women Model Management: womenmanagement.com
NEXT Models: nextmodels.com
Supreme Management: suprememanagement.com
DNA Models: dnamodels.com
Marilyn Management: marilynagency.com
Elite Model Management: elitemodel.com
Ford Models: fordmodels.com
New York Model Management: newyorkmodels.com
One Model Management: onemanagement.com
Major Model Management: majormodelmanagement.com
Trump Management: trumpmodels.com
Click Models: clickmodel.com (my agency)

+ For a complete list of top agencies go to this link: http://models.com/agencies/Modeling# +

Some basic questions concerning modeling agencies:

Q: I have been contacted by an agency, but they want $200 up front for agency fees. Is this normal?
A: NO. If an "agency" asks for any money up front, or your credit card number, stay away. They are most likely scams, and if they are not scams, then they are stupid because just about every agency is free of charge. In modeling, if you have to pay money on anything it is on yourself to make sure you look good, possibly on a photographer to help build a portfolio (read more about that under "photographers"), and sometimes traveling costs. The agency takes money from their clients, not you.

Q: Am I allowed to be with more than one modeling agency at the same time?
A: Yes you are. Many models are international and can have more than 4 agencies they run with. As long as your contract with the agency is non-exclusive you can have a different agency in each state. What you cannot have, is more than one agency in the same city or state. When a model has an exclusive contract, they are basically signing away their rights to the agency, which means they can only work with that one agency up to the alotted time. Just make sure you thoroughly read the contract and agree with it!

Q: Will I be sure to make money when I find an agency?
A: Agencies are wonderful, but they are not Gods. They have many girls they handle, so they may not be able to focus on you 100% of the time. Once you have an agency, you get the opportunity to go to castings. Once you are at the casting it is up to your appearance and presance to get you the job.

IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER AGENCY RELATED QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO ASK ME IN A COMMENT AND I WILL BE SURE TO GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

INTRODUCTION

If you have come to this site, it is most likely because you are brand new to the world of modeling, and you need that extra little kick to set yourself up in the big scary world of fashion, or you are just extremely bored and nosy!

Some of the information not be agreed upon by others, but it is what I have learned based off of my encounters.

If there is someone who sees a blog post, and knows a little extra information, this is an open blog; feel free to leave it in a comment. If I feel it is something necessary for the other models to know I will publish it.

Well ladies & gents, I hope I can help you in your adventure, and I hope you all succeed.