Latvian student and aspiring model Evita Smirnova had always dreamt about becoming a professional model, but at only 5\u20195 she was convinced it was beyond her reach. Luckily, she approached We Are Models before she\u2019d given up on her dream for good and we were able to help her launch a successful modelling career.<\/p>\n
With our help, Evita is now signed with the reputable Norrie Carr agency and has secured her first professional campaign with NSPCC. She\u2019s also been pencilled at the prestigious Audi TV commercial casting, and is getting a lot of brand interest in her images.<\/p>\n
We caught up with Evita to get her thoughts on her journey so far.<\/p>\n
Introducing\u2026 professional model Evita Smirnova<\/p>\n
WAM: Evita, hi! Thanks so much for making time to chat; I know you\u2019ve been busy lately.<\/p>\n
E.S: Hi! Yes, I have \u2013 thanks to We Are Models though so thank you.<\/p>\n
WAM: Glad we could help! So tell us a bit about your background. Was modelling always something you wanted to do?<\/p>\n
E.S: Yes, definitely. It was something I always wanted because I\u2019ve always loved acting and I\u2019m confident in front of the camera.<\/p>\n
My friends and I used to do mini photo shoots together \u2013 I love performing. It was something I dreamt about, but I just never thought I could be a professional model as I\u2019m not the right size or shape.<\/p>\n
Professional model<\/p>\n
\u201cModelling was something I\u2019d always dreamt about, but I never thought I could be successful as I\u2019m not the right size or shape\u201d<\/p>\n
Then I was chatting to the We Are Models team and they completely changed my perspective. Emily explained that there are many different types of modelling, and I could be successful as a professional model if I knew how to present myself in the right way. She explained that although my height would be limiting, it\u2019s a case of applying to the right agencies and showing them what they\u2019re looking for in order to increase my chances of finding representation despite my height.<\/p>\n
WAM: So what were they looking for?<\/p>\n
E.S: As a petite model the We Are Models team explained I would be doing commercial work and mostly TV and online advertising, so video rather than just photographic. They taught me that the ability to show different characters, move well and be commercially aware was key as this is what clients would want to see.<\/p>\n
They also explained what kind of jobs I would be put forward for and how it was important to be versatile as each client would want something different from me.<\/p>\n
I decided to book in for studio time, so I could build the professional model portfolio to show this versatility, but also because I wanted the practical experience in front of the camera. The team explained that we\u2019d be exploring different briefs and practising the professional skills modelling agencies would want to see from me. I knew it would make me more aware of myself on camera and more confident, which was a really important part of the process for me.<\/p>\n
Professional Model<\/p>\n
WAM: What was that like?<\/p>\n
E.S: So much fun! It felt completely customised to me, and invaluable. I learnt a lot about angles, expression and how to move in front of the camera.<\/p>\n
Actually, we ended up doing two photo shoots as one of the looks wasn\u2019t quite right. It was beautiful, but after the images were ready Emily said she didn\u2019t think it was positioning me in quite the right way. She asked me to come back in and we took some more images to make sure my portfolio was as good as it can be.<\/p>\n
I really trusted Emily and the team, especially after that. I think a more dishonest agency would never have asked me to come back in, or would have charged me extra for the second shoot on top [We Are Models offer a unique quality guarantee on your images. If they\u2019re not suitable, we\u2019ll always do them again for free].<\/p>\n
WAM: I\u2019m so glad you enjoyed the experience: we aim to please! What was your favourite look?<\/p>\n
E.S: I liked them all, but it\u2019s more important that the agencies liked them. The look that has been getting me a lot of work is the natural, younger look. I\u2019m 19, but I\u2019ve always been told I look 14 with flash.<\/p>\n
Model Portfolio<\/p>\n
\u201cWe Are Models helped me create a look that would market me to get the most modelling opportunities. I\u2019ve been getting a lot of interest from brands for roles because of my new images\u201d<\/p>\n
We Are Models explained that there are many modelling opportunities out there for female models of 16+ who look around 14, so we wanted to create a look to emphasise that. Those are the images my new agency liked most, and I\u2019ve been getting a lot of interest from brands for roles because of them.<\/p>\n
WAM: It sounds like you got signed to an agency pretty quickly?<\/p>\n
E.S: Yes, I did! I hadn\u2019t really applied to any modelling agencies before I\u2019d worked with We Are Models, because I wasn\u2019t sure my images were right. Applying always seemed really serious and intimidating \u2013 I didn\u2019t have the confidence.<\/p>\n
Then Emily gave me a list of 5 tailored agencies I should apply to, and explained exactly what I should do. What I really like about We Are Models is that they helped me with each application, showing me who I should apply to and with which images, and what to expect from each. They just make everything so much easier, and stop you wasting time by applying to hundreds of agencies you\u2019re not right for.<\/p>\n
As soon as I applied, I signed up with Norrie Carr and am already getting a lot of interest for those \u2018young\u2019 roles.<\/p>\n
Modelling Career<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I really like about We Are Models is that they helped me with each application, showing me who I should apply to and with which images, and what to expect from each. They just make everything so much easier\u201d<\/p>\n
WAM: What type of work have you done so far?<\/p>\n
E.S: My first casting was for the Audi TV commercials, so that was pretty exciting \u2013 but scary too. I knew what to expect because We Are Models had talked me through everything, but I was still very nervous!<\/p>\n
I was put on the spot immediately because as soon as the camera was on, the casting director told me to make-up and act a 1-minute scenario with another professional model. It was like, \u201cpretend this is your mum and you\u2019ve got some sort of problem you want to talk to her about\u2026 and ACTION\u201d. I\u2019ve never had to think so fast!<\/p>\n
I thought it hadn\u2019t gone that well because it was my first casting, but I was pencilled for the role so that was amazing.<\/p>\n
I just did a shoot for NSPCC actually, and that was great. I played a 14-year old girl with problems with abuse, and I just had so much fun on set. It\u2019s about making a vision come to life \u2013 I find it so interesting.<\/p>\n
WAM: It sounds like it\u2019s all been pretty exciting, but do you have a favourite moment so far?<\/p>\n
E.S: The moment I found out my We Are Models images had been featured in Vogue was unbelievable! Emily called me and said I was the Model of the Month so we were going to do another photo shoot. She\u2019d mentioned that the last Model of the Month was featured in Vogue, but I didn\u2019t really think about it because I never thought it would happen to me!<\/p>\n
Professional Model\u201cThe moment I found out my We Are Models images had been featured in Vogue was unbelievable!\u201d<\/p>\n
Then a few days ago, I found out that my images were going to be in Vogue Italia. I just can\u2019t believe it\u2019s happening. Can you imagine that a couple of months ago I was just sitting at home doing nothing, and now I\u2019m in Vogue and have this huge opportunity to build a career as a professional model?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll never forget where I started from though. I\u2019ll always be grateful to Emily and We Are Models for this opportunity and this journey. It\u2019s completely amazing.<\/p>\n
WAM: You definitely sound like you love being a model, Evita!<\/p>\n
E.S: So much. I love meeting different people with these different views on fashion, on photography. You\u2019re working with people who have a vision, being surrounded with creative people and changing your experiences and perspectives. Also I love that you can be yourself, but also you can be something completely different and special too. I feel like modelling is my thing \u2013 I really like it.<\/p>\n
WAM: Evita, thank you so much. You\u2019ve been amazing! Good luck with everything and I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll see your face popping up in some pretty exciting campaigns in the future.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019d like a helping hand to get your modelling career off the ground, you can get in touch with We Are Models now, or check out our membership packages HERE.<\/p>\n
Otherwise, stay tuned for our next professional model success story in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Latvian student and aspiring model Evita Smirnova had always dreamt about becoming a professional model, but at only 5\u20195 she was convinced it was beyond her reach. Luckily, she approached We Are Models before she\u2019d given up on her dream for good and we were able to help her launch a successful modelling career. With […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":10859,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1550,997,85,1548,771],"class_list":["post-10858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-evita-smirnova","tag-interview","tag-models","tag-professional","tag-vogue"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10858"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10860,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10858\/revisions\/10860"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/map.model.world\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}