Forget keeping up with the Jones – I’m trying to keep up with the Kardashians! Well, not really, lol. Earlier this year, I styled Carrie and Donovan of Next Models Miami. Carrie starred in the first season of Khloe and Kourtney Take Miami as an employee of DASH Boutique and Donovan was a new face to the agency.

For this shoot, I chose to keep the styling simple. I wanted to focus on the chemistry I could pull from the models to strengthen my creative direction skills. Carrie was a natural in front of the camera, while Donovan required a bit more coaching. This is often the case with newer models. I had to create stories and concepts to evoke the right emotion out of Donovan, in addition to posing him on set.

Seasoned models tend to change position every time the camera’s shutter clicks. New faces – eehhhhh, not so much. That’s one of the reasons agencies set up test shoots with different photographers. It helps the inexperienced models create a portfolio, get comfortable behind the camera, learn how to take direction, and work with various shooting styles. It’s a testament to the photography team if they can foster the right energy to capture great shots. Who knows, the images from your test shoot could be the ones to propel a model’s career to the top. *crosses fingers*

***Photographer, Elton Anderson,  Hair/MUA, Jay Fierce, Producer, Tia Smith