Family models make up a big chunk of the modelling industry. Our talent and modelling agency knows this because we’ve connected many families to clients who are looking to hire for their campaigns. Whether it’s been as a large family unit, or sub-divisions such as mum and child duo (trio or quartet), granddad with grandchildren or aunties, uncles, cousins and blended families, it’s definitely a large niche to launch into.

What’s great is clients tend to hire real families because they know the natural connection, rapport and history of love and communication between family members can translate seamlessly into digital forms.

So with the temperature rising again, the summer is a perfect time to get snapping and building a lovely collection of your family models.

Before you begin snapping away, give a heads up to everyone involved that you’ll be taking in-the-moment snaps so it doesn’t feel forced or orchestrated. This way everyone will get a chance to be in the zone, prepare to strike a pose and connect with their inner model.

Here are some of our tips for winning family modelling photos:

Plan ahead

It’s perfectly fine to be spontaneous and take snaps when everyone least expects it. Those spur-of-the-moment moments can be the most memorable and showcase the best feelings and emotions at the time. However, if you’re getting ready for a night in or a day out, you can plan ahead and think of when and where you’d want to take a pic with all your squad.

If, for example, you’re going out for a picnic, let everyone know that you’ll start taking snaps as soon as everyone chooses a spot to sit, and you’ll continue up until the mat and food have all been placed down. The snaps you’ll whip up during this time will be simple yet amazing – everyone in action (hopefully) helping to get the Tupperware out, plastic plates seated and drinks on standby.

Make use of the natural light

When the sun pops out and stays, early morning till late afternoon is a great time to take photos as the light is softer and more complimenting. So bye-bye squinting eyes, eye discomfort, awkward expressions and harsh shadows because you’re snapping in the wrong light!

Composition – where will everyone be?

Make sure everyone is clear and visible in images. Blurry, fuzzy, out-of-focus images are a no-no even if the snap looks quite exciting. If it’s smudged, keep it for you but not your family portfolio.

Use a selfie stick

If you’ve got shaky hands, don’t want to rely on someone else to take your pics or looking to capture you and your family from a different angle or wider range, then grab a selfie stick to help you. If you don’t have one, they can range from £5 and above.

The more the merrier

Don’t hesitate to keep hitting that take-a-pic button so you have multiple shots to choose from. One image isn’t enough, family models. Take lots and shortlist them according to what you and your family agree on.

Enjoy yourself

Despite the tips provided by our expert Models Direct team, it’s important to have fun and enjoy yourself whilst building your family models. Quick recap: plan ahead, make the most of the natural light, consider composition, use a selfie stick and take loads of snaps!

We’re looking forward to seeing your family snaps on your ePortfolio!

Over the years, you might have had some time to reflect or reevaluate some aspects of your life and if one of your priorities has been to spend more valuable and quality time with those you care about then we hear you! When it comes to ways of spending time with those who you love, what pops into your mind might be to pick up the phone more often. We’re living through wondrous times because the dimensions of communication are extraordinary (although we see them as being quite ordinary), and multifaceted. The way in which you can keep connected has been lifted higher with chat apps and video calling services. The availability, convenience and ease are making it easier for you to stay in touch so you’d be right to think that reconnecting or staying connected is achievable…because it is!

It could be to have a night out together, kick off your shoes and of course sing along to Sister Sledge and other old school hits. Spending time might even be a relaxing staycation or jam-packed summer vacay. Whichever way you see yourself spending time with your clan, there is another way we would suggest. It is totally out-of-the-box and far from the ordinary and conventional ways of sharing moments.

Drum roll, please.

It’s family modelling!

Yup! We’ve got your attention, we hope! One of the many lovely things Models Direct have seen over the past 30 years in the modelling industry is the bond between families when they come in for a casting, photoshoot or on a film set. It’s an undeniable, sweet, and very natural way that people bounce off each other that can’t really be replicated by professional models that have been placed together to form a camera-ready family. We don’t deny that this doesn’t happen in the industry though – it does. Sometimes clients wish to place certain models together to portray their story or message but ideally, speaking on the behalf of ourselves, Models Direct love it when a family modelling application lands in our system. Our dream team – our amazing staff who work behind the scenes, and where amazing things couldn’t happen without their hard work – then move these applications forward to the forefront so that clients on the lookout for families are ready to see who our serious contenders are over a manufactured family unit. We’ve got some amazing reviews you can read right now or in your own time, about the adventures our models have had, and earning them money for their skills and time.

Over the years, we’ve had so so many success stories – we’re proud to have the Goldings, the Friends, the Karlsens and the Burtons as some of the families in our books that have made it on print and film. Could your family be the next to join our network?

Yes! It’s really simple, and just means initially filling up an online application form and submitting two images for our team to review. We want to see your family setup and we’re certain you’ve got some great images in your gallery or reels already. If not, no problem. Just get clicking and with the sun out at the moment, all the more reason to get together with your network, get conversations in about family modelling and get snapping. We hope we see you soon!

You may well have been juggling looking after your family with work and home schooling over recent weeks – and on top of that you are probably missing seeing friends and family.

Well, as the weather improves and lockdown hopefully eases in careful stages, try to find a little time just for you and set yourself a few goals that might help you to feel better in the long-run.

Here are a few suggestions from the Models Direct team:

Try to find a little time for yourself

We know this is easier said than done and that at the moment you are limited to who you can leave the children with and what space you can claim for yourself within the home. But, if you have a partner, suggest you might have at least one evening a week, where they cook, put the children to bed and leave you to enjoy your evening as you choose. Read a book, talk to your friends on the phone or Zoom or pamper yourself with a long bath. Suggest that this might happen on the same day (or even days!) of the week. Then you will have something to look forward to.

Plan some exercise

Getting yourself moving with an exercise plan is never easy but it really does pay dividends! Once you are on your way with it you will start to feel so much better physically, mentally and emotionally. If you can leave the house, think about downloading a couch to 5K app. These are very gentle – they start with walking – and will help you to improve your fitness at a level that is manageable for you. If you find it hard to leave the house for any reason, consider doing Joe Wicks or looking for another high intensity interval training workout to do on YouTube every day or every other day at home. These are short yet will quickly help you to feel fit and healthy.

Enjoy the fresh air

As the weather improves, try to get out and about a bit more. Sit in the sunshine in your garden if you have one for 10 minutes with a cup of tea every so often and aim to go for at least one walk every day. While restrictions are still in place, why not arrange to walk with a friend at the same time on the same day every week? Regular arrangements are harder to talk yourself out of and you will benefit from the socialising as well as the fresh air and exercise.

Join a class of two

Look for some online classes that are local and that you might be able to continue with face-to-face once restrictions are lifted. Look for dance classes, for example, that are fun and will give you a good boost. Alternatively, find a cookery or craft course that will give you new skills and be something to look forward to every week.

Make some plans

We all know how hard it is to plan at the moment – and how let down we feel when the situation with the virus changes and we can’t see our plans through, but there’s no harm in mulling over a few ideas of what you’d like to do in the future. Look up theatre shows and other events you might like to go to later in the summer or the autumn if they are permitted. Consider investing in one or two tickets, if you are sure you will get your money back or the dates will be rearranged if they can’t go ahead. Make some plans for things you can do in the future, regardless of what happens with the pandemic. Think about redecorating a room in the house, creating a new seating area in the garden or planting out a few colourful pots that will cheer you up when they blossom in the summer.

Of course if you think now might be the right time to launch your modelling career or perhaps you’d like to venture into an exciting new challenge click here and you can speak to one of our agents today

Models Direct work closely on a plethora of modelling categories and we’re always on the lookout for real people to represent our clients’ brands, this is especially the case with maternity modelling, the demand for ‘real’ pregnant models is forever growing!

Having children is an amazing and unique journey that every parent will tell you is an enchanting roller coaster ride full of ups and downs. However, taking on the role of parenthood has to be one of the best things that can ever happen to a person.

At Models Direct, we appreciate the beauty (and birth) of life. We never ignore requests from our extensive range of clients for maternity modelling. We really enjoy matching real life mums-to-be, both newcomers and existing, for marketing and advertising campaigns targeted at pregnancy, motherhood and fatherhood – we didn’t forget you dads to be!

We’ll pass on the fake bumps though – we promote real pregnancies. If you’ve been modelling for some time and are now an expectant female model, don’t think that your work will grind to a halt. On the contrary, modelling assignments continue throughout all stages of pregnancy and beyond.

Prenatal modelling work can entail showcasing products and services such as a healthy lifestyle, fashion in pregnancy, skincare and hair products and supplements.

Post birth modelling work can include jobs that showcase you and your gorgeous newborn. Plenty of work that gets tasked to our models are of parents and babies for fashion purposes, commercial modelling, and even promotional work.

Maternity model Natalie from her shoot with Fitta Mamma

Our female models have worked with some top brands including Aptimal, Fitta Mamma and British Lion Eggs.

Our lovely model, Marta, shared her feedback about how her egg-tastic assignment went. Read it here:

“That was an absolutely lovely day shooting for British lion eggs latest campaign, I enjoyed it a lot, it was a lot of fun and the people I met were very nice and helpful. Atmosphere was great, overall a great experience! I hope I get a chance to do this again in the future! I will recommend Models Direct to all my friends!” – Marta

Maternity modelling is there for the duration of the pregnancy which is why there is a high influx of models that come through our doors for this category. If you’re a newbie to the world of modelling and are pregnant, get in touch with our team of modelling enthusiasts and experts. We know all the insider knowledge when it comes to our favourite topic – modelling of course. We know the ins and outs of the business as we’ve been a part of the industry for 30 years now.

We’d love to hear from you and take your modelling career to the next stage. Congratulating you on your pregnancy and soon the birth of your baby from all of us at Models Direct! (Or babies if you’re expecting more than one bundle of joy)

Follow us on our Instagram and social media pages to keep up-to-date with all the latest work through our agency. 

The Models Direct bookings team were contacted by production agency, The Gate Films, who were looking to source a ‘real’ model family to feature in a commercial for an incredible new luxury chateau by travel company Oliver Travels. The family were to experince the amazing service and accomodation this Chateau and travel company offers. The MD team were delighted to be able to put a selection of our model families forward for the client’s consideration and of course to be able to offer this once in a lifetime opportunity to The Golding Family was fantastic!

Coral and her family have done several assignments with Models Direct and are experienced in the modelling and social media industry, so we knew they would be perfect for such an exciting job.

Coral and her family flew from Gatwick and were transported to the Chateau which was a total surprise! The production team were already at the Chateau and the large team started four days of filming with the family.

If you follow Models Direct on Instagram you will have seen the coverage from the shoot on our stories, it will of given you a great insight into the shoot and the fliming experience The Golding family had.

Coral’s feedback from the assignment:

“We have just got back from the South of France where we filmed a commercial as a family for ‘Oliver’s Travels’. It was a truly amazing experience! We stayed in an unbelievable villa and saw some beautiful sights! Thank you so so much Models Direct for getting us this job!! We absolutely loved it! ” – Coral Golding

Huge congratulations to The Goldings for doing such an amazing job, we can’t wait to see the final edit of the commercial!

Models Direct are on the look out for more model families, so if you would like your family to be considered for modelling assignments click here.

The Models Direct Assignments Team often receive modelling jobs asking for real families. But what’s it like modelling as a family?

“Yet again another fab day on an assignment for Models Direct. We have had a brilliant day on our photo shoot for a pensions brochure. Meqele, Ben and Simon all looked after us really well and made the day so much fun. We started our day in a home environment, baking and having fun in and around the house. We then moved on to the Battersea Park zoo, the kids thought it was amazing, especially feeding and petting the animals. We finished off with ice cream and playing ball in Battersea park. What a fun filled day, very tiring but lots of fun. A big thanks to Marie from Models Direct for putting us forward for the job. We look forward to more adventures soon.” – The Burton Family

If you are interested in getting your family involved in modelling click here

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