Models 1, the modeling agency that sponsored the Face of Ascot competition I won in June, recently booked me for a test shoot.
Test Shoot in London
The day before the shoot, I was given an address and the names of two French photographers. I was told to wear no makeup and put nothing in my hair. Other than that, I knew nothing.
The shoot was at a location in Hackney, an up-and-coming London neighborhood.
When I arrived at the building where the test shoot was to take place, I was relieved to find myself standing in front of a gated complex that housed trendy lofts for the new crowd of achingly hip Londoners that call Hackney home.
The photographers were mysteriously out sunbathing at a nearby park when I arrived, so I waited outside for a few minutes until they got there.
They showed up with their friend, with whom they were staying and in whose flat we were going to do the photo shoot. A bit bizarre, but I went along with it.
The flat itself looked like something straight out of a design magazine. Exposed concrete counter tops and a retro red refrigerator were posed next to a shelf of architecture books and a line of high-top sneakers.
In the center of the room was a giant backdrop for the test shoot and a huge sound system playing something reminiscent of a Buddha Bar soundtrack.
Test Shoot
Despite the trendy music, it was the tune of “One of These Things Just Doesn’t Belong” that was running through my head as I put down my un-hip bag and sat on the sofa to get my makeup done.
The photographers didn’t have their makeup with them (apparently the agency was supposed to tell me to bring my own), so they improvised a bit with what they had. I was a little disappointed.
The makeup done, the first photographer rifled through her friend’s closet, presumably to find something for me to wear. Strange.
She simultaneously yelled at the second one in French to find the mascara tube. He never did. I was tempted to tell them I spoke French, but was curious to hear what they would say about me in their native tongue.
The photographer finally settled on some clothes and I went up to the loft to change.
The outfit was a pair of brand new jeans that were about ten sizes too big–I literally had to hold them up–and a black sweater. I waddled down the stairs feeling not-quite-glamorous.
Models 1 Shoot
When the test shoot began, the photographer took only head shots in the first outfit. I was glad about that since I don’t think shots of me holding up a pair of gigantic jeans would have looked very good.
She then had me change into another pair of trousers which were still too big, but not as bad as the last ones.
For the top, she took a scarf from her bag and wrapped it around me in a way that only a French woman could pull off. More photos followed.
The next outfit was a fairly shapeless black dress. She had me lie down on the sofa for those pictures, which made me feel like I was a seductress in a bad made-for-TV movie. I couldn’t stop laughing.
The last outfit of the test shoot was a white silk slip with a giant men’s blazer on top. I’m pretty sure she raided her friend’s closet for this one.
She took a bunch of photos while the other photographer moved my hair around. “Elle est belle, non?” she kept saying to him. Now it was my ego’s turn to be up-and-coming.
I got to see a few of the photos before we finished up. From the tiny screen on the back of the camera they looked fine, but I couldn’t really tell.
The photographer said that she would get the test shoot photos to Models 1 within a week, so hopefully I’ll see them soon.
Another Test
In the meantime, Ascot Racecourse asked me to attend a black tie charity event at Lord’s Cricket Ground in October. It’s a far cry from Hackney, and it will be a test of an entirely different kind. I’m excited!
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