Heidi's making a name for herself as a 'model activist' of sorts, making sure that models are well educated in their rights. She starting acting in Texas at age 13, she's worked and trained as an actress in film, TV and commercials for most of her life, as well as working behind the lens on various projects. She's been on the cover of three books ("Hot Rod Pin Ups" by David Perry and MBI Publishing, "How to Be a Dominant Diva" by Avalon Press, and the new "Modern Vixens:World of Winytiki" by Octavio Arizala and Goliath Press) as well as on magazine covers and in countless layouts, features and interviews in counter-culture publications, as well as a few mainstream mags. She's gotten to work with tons of amazing companies and photographers, including original pinup, pinup photographer & living legend, Bunny Yeager- shooting on the same beach where she and Bettie Page made Pin Up history! She also co-runs Pin Up Playing Cards with another friend, the lovely Sabina.
I Wanna be a Pin Up Model! Where do I start?
I started shooting my own pinups with a tripod and a self timer- just like
Bunny Yeager did (and still does to this day!) Being able to experiment with
different looks and poses and being the only one to see when I fail or things
don't work gave me a lot of experience and I learned my strengths and weaknesses,
my best angles, etc. Blessed is the digital age, when trial and error is much
cheaper than it was with just film! If you can't shoot yourself or don't have
a camera with a self timer, get a friend, perhaps someone else who wants to
try pinups, and take turns shooting each other and playing around with photos.
If you really want professional photos- consider investing in a shoot. If
the photographers you wish to work with don't respond to your requests for
TFP, consider saving up some money and paying for a pro session with one of
them. Then you are the client (and can use the images as you wish.) And if
you hit it off with the photographer, they might keep you in mind for clients
and future work.
I wanna do pin up,
but I don't have the "pin up look"!
I hear this one SO OFTEN! If you ask 50 people what pinup is, you'd get 50
different answers. Its my opinion that pin up art is an image of a beautiful
woman. And hey, every woman is beautiful in one way or another! So, a true
pinup celebrates women and any woman can take a pin up photo! True, there
are certain body types and facial features that strike us as more of a classic
pin up look than others, so it may come easier to some women, but I truly
believe that its just about choosing what to focus on! So… concentrate
on focusing the photo on the feature you feel best about. Great smile? Get
a good headshot! Long legs? Take a leggy pinup! Whatever the feature is- flaunt
it! The most attractive thing in any photo is the confidence and emotion that
come out through the eyes and when the model's personality shines through!
How do I get my name
out there/meet other pinups or photographers/become a part of the burgeoning
pinup community?
One of the best ways to integrate yourself into the modern pinup "scene"
(if you will) is to submit some of your favorite photos (self pinups or whatever
shots you have) into pinup contests. Lots of them are out there, among them
are: Java's Bachelor Pad's Cheesecake Contest http://www.javasbachelorpad.com/index.html
- here you can read about and view tons of photos of lots of famous Original
pin up girls as well as modern pinups (like Bernie Dexter, Kay O'Hara and
myself); RetroRadar http://www.retroradar.com/ has a monthly contest with
great prizes, from the folks behind the late, great Atomic Magazine; and sites
like My Vintage Hut.com, Nuclear Wardrobe, Kustomsville, and many more have
similar pinup girl contests. You can also often join contests like these at
car shows and events. Another good idea is to have somewhere online that people
can research you- its great if you can afford a website, but its costly and
if you aren't looking to work professionally, but more for fun and the occasional
job, it isn't even necessary. Build a myspace page, sign up on sites devoted
to modeling networking such as Model Mayhem, One Model Place or Retrokitten,
which specializes in alternative and pinup modeling. Pay attention to people
whose work you like, or keep finding yourself drawn to- keep an eye on who
they work with and what they seem to look for in models and what type of work
they do. Be smart- do your research!
I wanna work with
___(model/magazine/photographer/company)___!
Read their site- some folks take unknown models, some have strict requirements.
Make sure you know what type of stuff they shoot before you tell them how
much you love their work! Then, send them an email! Express your interest
to them, send photos of yourself and a link to your site or online portfolio!
Then be patient. Most of the time, they will keep you on file until a shoot
comes up that you'd be right for. Stay in touch- but don't be a pest! You
want to let them know that you are interested, not desperate! When the time
is right, they'll reply. Sometimes people wait until you've shot with someone
they know, and then suddenly several people at once are asking to shoot! It
takes time and often is about building relationships, like any other business.
What the heck is a
release form/what does my contract mean?
Get it in writing! (And read before you sign anything!) The sad truth is,
most likely any dispute over a pinup shoot would not be worth suing over-
no matter how badly it goes! Getting everything in writing at least helps
avoid most problems that could arise. When you are first starting out, you'll
likely be asked to sign release forms. This is a sticky situation- you need
to do TFP work in order to build a resume and portfolio and get some experience
and exposure, yet signing away your rights means your image could be resold
and used anywhere. Just because you and the photographer share common interests
or aesthetics, doesn't mean you see eye to eye on what sort of end result
the images should be used for. One way to fix this is to include/add- on to
your contract or the release form they provide, details that would ensure
certain provisions are included, such as (from my release form/contract):
"No images may be used in or in conjunction with any adult product, services, websites or 800/900 numbers and the like."
Some people will have no problem, some people will be strict in their terms- know what you are willing to bend on and what is not flexible- and whatever you do, be sure to communicate your needs/guidelines to the photographer/client IN ADVANCE! On set is not the time to negotiate terms! Make sure you BOTH sign the release form and that you BOTH get a copy!
What are some safety
tips for shoots?
I have read online many photographers who claim to not allow escorts on shoots,
but to me, this is a huge red flag! No one wants someone on set that will
be a distraction or disrespect the shoot in any way, and over-protective parents
or jealous boyfriends are sure-fire disasters, but anyone who tells you you
can't bring an escort/friend seems fishy to me. Once you have worked with
someone, you usually feel safer and know if there is a makeup/hair artist(s)
on set with you, and its not usually necessary after the first shoot to bring
an escort, but having a friend come along to make sure you are okay is smart
the first time around. Paid agency work is the only exception to this in my
book, as they are most likely legit companies with lots of paperwork filled
out through your agent in advance. On every shoot, you should ALWAYS, NO MATTER
WHAT, leave the address of where you are shooting and names of people you
are working with both at your home and with someone you trust. You'd much
rather be the girl who is overly cautious rather than another one gone missing!
Err on the side of caution on this! Your life is too precious not to!
What are the limits
of pinup? Can/Should I do topless/nude/implied/etc?
First off- if you are under the age of 18, stick to cheesecake, my dears!
No nudity or even implied nudity, and beware the sexy poses! It doesn't matter
how grown up and mature you feel, it's the weirdos looking at you with wrong
intentions that underage modeling unfortunately promotes. Stay with the cute
headshots and vintage dress shots until you are legal! Doing otherwise invokes
nuthin' but trouble and kiddie-p o r n freaks!
Setting limits on nudity is a personal choice- one for each -adult- person to decide on their own- but keep in mind that your pictures will be out there forever once they're taken. Know before a shoot what is expected of you- and make sure you are clear with the client/photographer on what your limits are (No nudity at all, implied only, topless, etc.) Deciding in advance what is okay with you and sticking to it is easier than going with the flow and submitting to any kind of pressure on set. Know that- sad, but true- nude photos are more sell-able, so if they can talk you into losing your top, it just means more $ for them. Don't do anything you don't feel comfortable with! These pics will likely be around longer than you are, so make sure you are agreeing to what you want to do, not just what they ask of you.
Also*** Not taking your
top off will NEVER result in you getting "black listed" or not having
a career, or any other bullsh*t excuse anyone tries to give you. There are
tons of girls who do well without doing nudity, and there are tons of girls
who specialize in it- and if nudity is what they wanted for the shoot, they
could have easily hired someone who openly does it. NEVER feel pressured!***