Modeling Scams... Still Around?

For everyone with a great face and a dream, there's someone out there that will take advantage of it. At least that's the way it's been. The internet and abundance of information has made it more difficult for scammers to get away with it. Also, there's a murky in-between group of individuals that are sort of legit... but are lousy at what they do except collect money from talent. They offer lots of products but no jobs. Here's a checklist that may help you...

- Trust your gut instincts. Does the agency look busy? Is there a license on the wall? Is the staff professional? If you feel uncertain, leave. You're not missing an opportunity if you don't initally trust the people involved.

- It's all about the dollars. Anytime an "agent" or talent scout wants cash upfront, don't believe it. They work on commission alone. As for classes... personally I'm not a fan of "schools." You can learn everything you need from an episode of Top Model or by trail and error with local photographers. Many are always looking for local talent to shoot, especially young women. Just be sure everyone keeps it professional.

- Most real agencies do not beg for talent. You find them, they don't find you. Be skeptical of people advertising for fresh faces.

- Most scam artists make money by offering high end photo shoots and expensive comp cards. It's the digital age, if they want you to shoot with a particular photographer, chances are someone's getting a referral check. A great photo is a great photo, regardless of who shot it.

Most important, know that you alone are in control of your career. Many places like to make promises and say one website, one photo, one perfect thing is going to whisk you away to stardom. It doesn't work that way. It's a business and you are selling your image to sell something else. That's the bottom line. The best way to discover opportunities is by networking with others. Comp cards, websites, all of that is secondary to a handshake and a one-on-one conversation with the right people. Sometimes I think the best way to start is to get your comp cards and be an agent to yourself. Get mailing lists for editors of local fashion magazines and popular photographers, market yourself to them. Most of the time they choose models by sifting through piles of postcards and head shots. It doesn't matter where they came from. Once your career is moving, the agencies will seek you out personally, and you'll have a successful track record, and a lot more to bargain with.

Update - About Us - Published Articles

Finally, we got around to posting all of our notable press releases and articles about Boojazz and our various projects we've been a part of over the last sixteen years. Yeah, that's a long time. You can find these articles in the About Us section under Published Articles. There's about ten or so to browse though, and they'll provide insight about us,  how our company started, our crazy wedding, and some of the projects that helped build our little studio that could.

Enjoy!

Our Newly Redesigned Site

Hope you like the new digs! After many years, we decided it was time for a major overhaul. So we're still in the Beta testing process, you might encounter some bugs (like the crazy graphic on the wedding packages page, we're working on it.) So be patient, and if you see anything that links the wrong way or doesn't go where it needs to go, shoot us an e-mail.

Also, we will be adding several dozen new photos this weekend. So check back as we make updates during the month of March.

Life is a Series of Surprises...

We never really intended to be wedding photographers, we just kinda fell into it.

My husband and I were married in 2002, in a historic movie Theater in St. Charles, Illinois. While in the process of planning our wedding, so many people were estatic hearing about our wedding ideas... that a couple brides to be, eagerly asked us to document their wedding. At the time, I was a freelance photographer for several local newspapers, along with working at a local photography studio. Michael was working for a design firm as an art director. At the time Boojazz was a website featuring our photography, artwork and Michael's design, with no real direction other than , "Hey! Look at us! Here we are!"

We photographed a handful of weddings that year. The couples were very happy with their photographs and we realized that we were really good at it. With a little more training and experience... the following year we doubled our bookings. In 2004, we were working at Boojazz fulltime. We never had to advertise, word of mouth spread fast and that year we again doubled the business and booked over twenty weddings.

We set ourselves out to be the opposite of many photography studios, the cynical ones looking for a crazy big paycheck with no personal service. In Chicago we made a great name for ourselves, and we're excited about the possibilities here in Seattle.

Jaime Foster
Boojazz Studios
425.577.3936