CineEye is not only a video production company, but also a commercial photography provider. As such we often receive requests to do a photo shoots. In 2016 we did a photo shoot series for an online fashion store. Fashion photography depends on many aspects and the professionalism of the photographer is only one of them. Another crucial part is casting the right model.

Here in CineEye we have developed our own casting system which has proved to deliver good results.

1. Permission to Go Ahead

The first step in this process of fashion photography project or any creative project is for our potential Client to look at our previous work. When Client is confident that they trust the company to do the creative project at hand, we will prepare paperwork, secure booking payment (this might be waived in certain cases) and start the casting process. 

2. Casting Call

First we ask our client to inform us about the specific requirements for the model – height, weight, colour of skin, eyes and hair etc.

Then we post a casting call in our preferred online model casting platforms and agencies. First vetting is done according to the online profiles the models provide to us themselves. Those models that seem to comply with our client’s requirements then are asked to come for a test shoot in CineEye’s own photo studio in London, Aldgate East.

3. Test Shoot

Test shoot is a step which is especially crucial.

Models can sometimes supply online profiles with a selection of images that don’t always represent the model correctly. The photos can be over-edited or outdated. Sometimes a great looking beginner model simply does not have a good professional photos in his/her online or offline portfolio yet. This can make judging the model’s suitability for the specific project harder.

Secondly – not all good looking people are good models. Being a model is more than just good appearance. A model has to be confident, she/he has to be able to relax in front of camera and know how to pose. A model also needs to be a bit of an actor and be able to project all major emotions with his/her facial expression. Thus a test shoot is important not only to double check the physical appearance of a certain model, but also to see how well he/she works in front of camera.  

4. Choosing the Model

Lastly, when the test shoot has been concluded we compile a list of models with photos taken by our own photographer. We also add some notes about modelling skills of each model. This list is then sent over to our client. Now the client can choose a model from a much more reliable list of model portfolios. In this way we make sure there will be no unexpected discrepancies when we go into the production phase of the specific fashion photography project at hand. 

Finally, here we are adding some photos from our latest test shoot:

Latest update on 13 Feb 2019