Unleashing Your Visual Value: Standing Out as a Male Fitness Model

You Are More Than a Set of Abs, Biceps, & Pecs!

Do not get me wrong.  These are absolutely essential aspects of being a fitness model, for sure.  But your muscles are only one part of your visual value as a model.

In order to standout in a crowd of other fitness models with great looking “abs, biceps, and pecs”, you have to see yourself as more than a collection of muscles.  If you have a clear understanding of what makes up your overall “visual value” , you’re able to tap a rich resource that you and the photographers working with you to create exciting images beyond the standard “muscle shots”.   And when you offer attention grapping images in your physical and online portfolios, you are better able to catch the attention of photographers, editors, modeling scouts, advertisers, and other decision-makers who hire male fitness models.

Visual Value: Defined

I define visual value as your total collection of physical talents, learned skills, and individual life experiences combined with your physical/muscular attributes that you bring any modeling opportunity.

Below, I break apart this definition to give you fuller understanding of what I mean.

Your Physical Talents

These are the abilities that you are more or so born with, the raw potential to excel at a particular activity.

Specific examples of physical talents:

1. exceptional climbing ability
2. outstanding flexibility
3. remarkable upper body strength
4. ability to jump long distances and/or great heights
5. eye-hand coordination
6. explosive running speeds

Fitness model, Alex Hawn, demonstrates his black belt mastery of Tae Kwon Do for an article he authored for Men's Exercise Magazine.

This is obviously a very partial list of physical abilities that you might have.  But the point I am making is that you may have a number of physical talents are readily observable.   And if they are observable, they can be photographed and videoed.

So, you might say, “Yea, I have some or even all of those abilities.  So what?!”  And I would say in return, “Do you have photographs (and/or video) of you demonstrating them?”

For the moment, photos are the primary tool used by models to promote themselves.  Imagine having a collection of photos showcasing your talents?  One of the immediate benefits is that these photos will convey is sense of action and movement as well as informing the model scout, photographer, editor, and/or advertising sponsor that you much more to offer than an attractive physique.

Your Learned Skills:

Your learned skills are those abilities that you have actively developed a competency or mastery in using.  In some cases, your learned skills are based on your inborn physical talents.  The two are not, necessarily, mutually exclusive.

Specific examples of learned skills:

1. Rock or mountain climbing
2. Gymnastics
3. Dance (ballet, street dance, ballroom dancing)
4. Rowing
5. Hunting
6. Basketball playing
7. Tae Kwon Do

Experienced hunter, Sean-Patrick, helped to create this dramatc shot of his arms by incorporating his archery experience in the photo shoot.

Over the years, you have learned how to perform a number of things competently.  Seriously consider integrating the demonstration of your skills into your physical or online modeling portfolio.  Also, see about creating short video clips of yourself using your skills.  You can post these clips on your website or have them available to share with those who might be interested in hiring you.

Nationally ranked sprinter, Steven Benedict, rockets down the track in this spectacular shot. This image appeared in the same issue of Men's Exercise as the exercise article that he authored based on his track & field experience.

Your Life Experiences:

Some of your life experiences are physical or active in nature and can be easily translated into action images. While some of your experiences are not directly related to fitness, per se.   But do NOT discount the less physical-/fitness-related ones.  Creating images that reflect your past life experiences may communicate a depth that sets you a part from other models.

Take for instance being a parent.   Over the years, you may have developed ways of incorporating your child into your fitness activities so that you can spend time with your little one and maintain your physical fitness.  Work with a photographer to create that reflect this experience of yours.  One such image in your portfolio would immediately standout from the endless muscle and bodybuilder shots and may prompt the person in charge of the shoot (photographer or art director) to take a different slant on the project.

Or, if you are committed to preserving wilderness areas, then consider having shots of you engaged in some sort of fitness in an wonderful environment, perhaps even doing your cherished preservation work, if appropriate.

Specific examples of other life experiences:

1. military or law enforcement involvement
2. ropes course training
3. bicycle courier experience
4. life with pets
5. skateboarding
6. volunteer service at home or abroad
7. track & field experience
8. EMT or nursing work

As I mentioned at the start of this post, you are MORE than your muscles.  You are whole person with an array of talents, skills, and experiences.  Continuously look for ways of incorporating these aspects in your modeling portfolio, especially when working with a photographer on a TFCD basis.  Share your ideas in advance with him or her, and see if  they get excited about the possibilities.  Let the richness of your life help distinguish you from the crowd and possibly land that coveted modeling assignment.

Effective Model Photo Submissions to Fitness Magazines

Editors and publishers (the editorial team) are ultimately concerned with putting out magazine issues that upholds their fitness philosophy and ideals, and with making money.  These two primary concerns directly affect which models are featured in the magazine and, EVEN MORE SO, who will appear on the cover.

When the editorial team reviews your photos, they are asking the following questions about you:

• “How well does this model represent the fitness philosophy, ideals and look of our magazine?”
• “Does his look match what our readers and advertisers have come to expect from us?”
• “Will this model’s look increases our sales, especially if his image were placed on the cover?”

So,  you should submit photos to help answer these questions.  And here’s how:

HEADSHOTS:

Submit photos that

• Show your face with a relaxed, alert expression.
• Make sure there is “life” in your eyes.
• Project confidence without haughtiness and arrogance
• Show your face evenly illuminated

Avoid photos with:

• Heavy shadows on your face (Editors might wonder if you are attempting to hide an aspect your face.)
• Frowns, grimaces, and other menacing expressions.
• Big, toothy smiles as these can look feral or “beasty”.
• Overly retouched images (Editors may doubt that the photos accurately represent you and pass on using you.)

REMEMBER: Your face is equally important to your overall look as your physique when editors are casting fitness models for their magazines.

BODYSHOTS:

Submit body shots that immediately answer editors’ questions about your:

• Muscular definition

TIP: Light coming from a side (or an acute angle) in relation to your body will enhance your muscular definition in the resulting photo.

• Muscle symmetry and proportion

TIP: Ensure that you include more frontal shots that allow editors to compare one side of your body with the other and to see how you “wear” your muscle mass.

I advise that you AVOID:

• Photos with shadows obscuring the view of your body
• Extreme competitive bodybuilder poses (i.e. “most musculars”) as these can distort your physique and they do not allow for a full examination of your body
• Grainy or blurred photos produced by camera phones and web cameras
• Overly erotic or intensely sexual images, and/or nude images (There is nothing inherently wrong with such images.  I shoot them myself.   But some editors may be uncomfortable with these photos and be can put off by them.)

PHOTO SIZE and DELIVERY

Since it is likely that you will email the your photos to the editorial team, ensure that you send images that are large enough to be easily reviewed. I recommend that the shortest side of each photo be at least 500 pixels wide.

But please do not send extremely large files.  Keep individual photo sizes to under 500 kb.

When sending the images, embed them into your email message or attached them.  Keep in mind that even though you may live on MySpace, Facebook, ModelMayhem, and/or ModelLaunch, do not assume that editors do or that they even have an account.  If an editor has to sign-up for one of these sites just to look at your photos, he or she may be more likely to move on to the next model’s photos that are more accessible.

PARTING SHOTS…

The above info applies when submitting your photos to a photographer who contributes to a fitness magazine, also.  In many ways, photographers, like myself, are the first line of screening for our editorial team.

Make sure your images are current (within 1 months, at most, of your submission date)

You do NOT need professional shot images to be considered for a fitness modeling  job.

Check to see if a particular magazine has specific photo submission guidelines in the physical copy of their issues or on their related websites.  If an editorial team has published these guidelines, FOLLOW THEM!!

WHEW!! This was a long post!  Thanks for hanging in there with me.  I had a lot to share with you!

Did you find this helpful??  Do you have more questions??  LET ME KNOW!!

Post your comments and questions below.  If you have suggestions for future topics, please post them!

New Career Resource for Male Fitness Models

Welcome to Male Fitness Model Success! As a professional photographer, working as Empyrean Photography, I am pleased to provide a blog dedicated to the growth, development, and success of male fitness models and to those aspiring to be one. In my opinion, there is a lack of reliable information and genuine support specifically offered to men who want to make fitness modeling an enjoyable and profitable career venture.  I have ample evidence of this from the many questions from fitness models during photo shoot breaks, trips shuttling them to and from airports, via email, ModelMayhem, and Modellaunch, and long distance telephone calls.

I have created Male Fitness Model Success to:

• Help men new to the field answer their questions about male fitness modeling and its economic role in the industry, and
• Share insights and strategies with working models who want to leverage their “visual value” to  experience greater joy and financial success.

As a photographer who has shot 18 fitness magazine covers and 40+ exercise editorials, I offer a very unique “insider’s” perspective into the dynamics of the fitness industry, especially in terms of model selection decisions, visual marketability, self-promotion strategies, portfolio development, and the like.

Also with a Master’s degree in Counseling and background as a career counselor, I have professional experience in helping people translate their career goals into workable strategies.

Throughout the life of this blog, I will share my very individual ideas, experiences, and opinions.  Some of them may be seen as being at odds with commonly held beliefs and positions in the industry, especially when I address questions like:

• “Why didn’t get approved for a shoot?” or “What didn’t I get the cover?”
• “I have been at this for years.  How do I make money at this?”
• “Am I too old to be a fitness model?”
• “Why are there so few black (Latinos, Asians) fitness models on in fitness magazines and on their covers?”
• “Can I be a fitness model with tattoos?”

Some of my comments may challenge or even shock you as a working or aspiring model.  (And when they do, let me know by sharing your comments!) Nevertheless, I do not claim to have all of the answers.  And by no means am I the final authority of the subject of fitness modeling.

BUT I am someone who has solid, first-hand experience in the industry as a successful photographer that has worked exclusively with male fitness models, and I am someone who really enjoys helping others achieve their dreams and aspirations.

I look forward to hearing from you!!

Andre andre@empyreanphotography.com