How did I get started in Modelling- Cat Rennie

I get asked a lot about how I got into modelling. So I am going to write a little about my own personal experience and any time people ask, I will direct them to this post! :)

I first had a photoshoot around about February/March 2007. I was so excited I couldn’t wait to be in a studio, have my make up and hair done, and start of my modelling portfolio! I was to travel to London and have a little bit of an experience. And what an experience that was! It was horrific!! I was initially told that this photoshoot would be free and that they would send me information on agencies that will take me into consideration and sign me onto their books. This was not the case at all! Yes I had fun in front of the camera, it was when I was getting changed into my regular clothing and getting ready to travel back home (in Scotland!) that the bombshell dropped...If I was to get my images I had to spend money, and it was a lot of money around the £1000 mark! Because I was excited I had just had my first shoot, I was going to get these images I was willing to pay this. I was young and naïve, didn’t know any better. I didn't know of anyone else who had modelled before or have any other information to me at the time that would lead me to believe that this was a scam. It may seem obvious as you are reading this, and I look back and think to myself “what an idiot!”

They had good sales technique, good pitch, and I didn't feel guilty about paying them.

So when I got home, I started sending them off to agencies, setting up modelling profiles online etc etc. I had a few people interested in working with me, which I thought was great, who wouldn’t be excited?! So I had organised my next photoshoot a little while after this scam shoot, it wasn't the greatest. I felt so uncomfortable! But I pursued onwards and upwards!

I got an email from a photographer who said that they can see the potential in me, but the images I was using from The Blue Rooms (The London Scam Shoot) are not the best. He then went into detail as to why. Things like, they aren’t in focus, they haven’t been edited in the slightest, or the ones that they had edited were horribly done. So I organised a shoot with this photographer and the images I got back were much better than the two previous shoots before, I quickly removed the other images and used these new ones.

After lots of set backs, people not showing up, cancellations, being treated horribly I was going to never shoot again after the photoshoot that changed it all. I owe my little modelling life to this guy! Anyone who knows me, followed my modelling will know exactly who I am on about! Dave (Manipula)!! He changed things around for me so much!! It was the best shoot I had ever had (and possibly ever had, due to it's meaning-fullness) as we both just 'clicked'! It felt like we had known each other for ages and we had such good fun and I would like to think the images showed this too! Dave was to move out of the country a month or two later after this shoot, and since he moved to New Zeland we have worked together again when he was back in the UK, and again, the shoot was amazing, but it was more like catching up with a friend.

So....with Dave giving me my confidence as a model, and as a person..I went out and made sure people knew I was there! I had many set backs but I didn’t let this stop me! I got more and more into photoshooting, and even a few catwalks too! I moved away from Arbroath to Edinburgh, where I was doing more and more photoshoots, working with different companies and getting my name out there. I was then signed with an Edinburgh based agency, although this may be debatable as I, and other models never seemed to get any work from them, or ever been able to get in contact with them. I was still able to book my own shoots off my own back, and I was a finalist in Miss Edinburgh 2010!

I then moved from Edinburgh to my current location, near Newcastle. I concentrated more on settling in and getting used to my surroundings, I didn’t do any photsohoots for a while. It was a big move for me and I was totally out of my comfort zone. But I did do a couple of photoshoots, and then I found out I was pregnant!! I took a year out to concentrate on me and my little family and then I decided to get back into it when I was feeling happy and confident about myself again.

I decided to work with someone who I had worked with before, and as I was going to be travelling up to Scotland to visit family, I chose Burfly who I had worked with numerous times and I knew they would help me feel relaxed and comfortable throughout. The images I got back were wonderful and I adored them...with this I was signed by my current agency, Boho Models, who are fantastic and I have received quite a bit of work through them. And the rest, they say is history!

This is just a little outline of my experiences so far, if I was to go into detail about it all, I don't think it would make for very good reading. The things I have learnt are to be totally thick skinned. People will put you down, people will be horrible to you, but you have to pick yourself back up and move onto the next thing. It is such a small little industry and with the wonders of social networking online, it can make things easier to show your work and to network with other like minded people. Always remember, getting and maintaining a good reputation is what you should be aiming for, you can crash and burn and your reputation is crumbled so easily as it is such a tight knit industry, people will and do talk!

So there we go...blog post done!! if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me :) I may of left things out that people would like answered, or may of rambled on a bit that I have confused you all!! :)