How Do I Break My Child into Modeling?

I remember Clark Howard warning people about some things to avoid regarding children and modeling, so you might want to check his website. You want to help your child, but not get ripped off. Clark Howard is a financial talk show host on WSB radio at 750 AM.

Good morning K.,

I just signed my girls up with Atlanta Young Faces. They haven't worked yet, though. The 1st step is to send pictures and they will contact you (via mail) to let you know if they are interested. They have been very professional with us. Their website is www.AYFmodels.com. Check out the FAQ sections for more info about the process.

Good Luck!

Julie B's response was very good. I used to work in the print industry and art directed many youth and infant photo shoots. I would reiterate that child modeling is unlikely to bring in much money and will take a investment (money and time) to even get a foot in the door. The big question is does this genuinely seem like an activity your child will enjoy? Often the models were just plain miserable much of the time and it was a trick to try to get them to laugh between bouts of tears. Most of them were there because their moms wanted to see them in print but the kids didn't want to be there. A big part of how successful the child will be is temperament. Your mentioning that she doesn't let you dress her anymore makes me wonder if she'd handle this well. Does she follow directions? Is she outgoing with new people? Does she handle change and transitions well? During a shoot the child may be asked to change outfits several times. They'll have their hair done by people they've never met before. She'll be told where to stand, where to look, etc. Good child photographers will try to make this process as fun as possible but it's still draining for the models. And because the client needs to follow their own schedule, you won't necessarily get to take breaks when your child wants to (snack time? lunch time? potty breaks? naps?). Or they'll let you take the breaks but they'll move on to another model--so your child won't make the cut and then won't be called back again. If you have the money to spare for startup costs and look at it as a hobby, maybe you'll have some fun and maybe even break even or make a few bucks. Just go into it with realistic expectations and please don't continue to subject your child to it if it turns out she doesn't enjoy it.

Be VERY careful! Even with reputable modeling agencies, you're going to have to spend money on professional head shots and a "modeling kit" -a bag you supply with the basics like black dress shoes, tights for girls, etc. My mother-in-law got my son hooked up with a very reputable place in Atlanta that supplies tons of models -children and adult -to national ad campaigns as well as local, but they were very up front about the fact that you have to be able to go to shoots sometimes on VERY short notice, and with a small minor child you have to stay with them the whole time. Many times you're compensated $80-$250 a shoot, but the shoots can be months apart. They told us all not to expect to pay for college or get any "real" money out of it. I appreciated their honesty and even though they were crazy about my son, I decided I did not have the time or desire to really get involved in it. If you do, just know that you'll have to be really flexible, spend some cash on head shots, etc. Of course if your child winds up landing a national campaign -there's more money, but still not as much as you may expect. We were told to look at it as a hobby -like if your child was really into swimming, cheerleading, etc. and you devoted lots of time to that.