I bet the first think people think of when they hear the word modeling is some 21 and up female with long legs and walking down the runway wear a designer’s brand. Let’s face it; there weren’t many agencies that took in kids for models. They usually wanted you to be sixteen and over before you put in an application. Coming up in the industry as a junior model was something new and not many young models get a change to get some experience from real experts.  I mean who what photographer wanna work with kid models, especially really inexperienced models.

When my sister’s agency told me that they were opening up a junior’s section, I was skeptical. Period. Me? A junior model? How exactly would that work? I knew nothing about fashion except that they walked up and down a catwalk and took pictures all day. How’s a kid like me gonna compete with all these professionals? Fashion is a girl’s world and most guys rag for stuff like that. I don’t see many adult male models on fashion mags. The ones that do are either posted up from for teen girls or helping a female model as a support. So yeah I was skeptical but I went along with it. I mean, if I didn’t like what they had to say, I could say no and just leave.

I first joined A&E when I was 11 years old. My sister took me to meet with the owners and they gave me a tour of how the agency worked.  Going into that first meeting wasn’t what I expected at all. They immediately introduced to the junior models’ coach and we all sat down for one-on-one talks with him, me, my sister and the owners. They told me about the program and how other kids like me would be mentored. We’d get tips on how to properly pose for a photoshoot and walk down the runway. We even got would participate in the weekly challenge for the experience.  We even got to sit in on the judging with the other models and listen to what the judges liked and didn’t like about each photo. I don’t think many agencies allow you to sit in during the deliberation part, but I got to learn what the judges expected and what to work on next time.

The first time I submitted a photo was weird. Even though I had been getting mentorship for a couple of weeks, I still didn’t think I could cut it in an actual challenge. I remember before the judging started, my mentor pulled me aside. He probably could tell I was nervous so he gave me the best piece of advice that I still use even now. Judges look for two things, how creative I was and how well I followed the directions of the challenge. If I did those two things well then I had nothing to worry about. It’s not always about the score. it’s about how you pull off the look.

It took a lot of trial and error but I didn't give up. My mentor actually made it fun to model with all the lessons he gave. By my second year of modeling, I was getting praises on my professionalism. Though none of my photos counted towards an actual score, I had enough confidence to actual enter end of the year challenges at actually do well. I took all the skills I learn and became a part-time professional model. I’ve been with A&E for six years now and I still enjoy modeling now.