What a week. If I haven’t said it recently let me just say it now: The fact that I get to live and work in Tokyo doing all of the things I truly enjoy is so beyond. I generally live in a state of feeling lucky, but this week has been especially incredible.
Three amazing auditions: a commercial, a TV show, and a movie. I feel really solid about the work I put out, which means nothing when it comes to actually booking… but still. I did what I could and honestly just feel lucky to be put in front of these opportunities. That’s the truth. Yeah, of course booking is the BEST… I’m not going to lie. One of the biggest achievements for me was actually making it to the commercial audition in Roppongi by myself (usually the agent navigates the crazy Tokyo streets) and slating in Japanese! I’ve never done it before, and now I feel like I can properly address directors and producers in Tokyo who don’t speak English (which is most of them). But slating in Japanese is another post… back to this post… portfolio update time!
My photos came back from the recent shoot I did with Ryo, Luna, and Yuki! I picked a few along with some I took of myself, and some “real” shots to show you the importance of lighting and range, as well as updating your modeling portfolio.
Here’s a screen grab– work in progress…
Look how important lighting is! This is a phone snap taken outside the studio– yeah I have tape on my face and my eyes aren’t made up… but lighting and retouching absolutely transform a photo.
I am so happy to have some moody texture shots. I immediately sent these to the agency because they are so different from anything else I have. Will they book me commercial work on their own? No, but they show range against the other smile-y, “happy girl” shots. Range is important because the photographer or producer wants to know that you aren’t just a “one-trick pony.” And if you are… say you only have one look… you had better nail it to be the specialist in that area. I’m definitely not this kind of actor or model. I have a pretty generic face– good for range but not good for character work.
I love how 80′s this shot is. I bought that blouse for 400 yen at a thrift shop!
Then I sent a few soft shots with my new ombre– this is definitely a look the Japanese clients love: lit-up, soft, feminine, big eyes. I threw one of these up on Instagram with the Mayfair filter for a super glowy look. These are slightly blurry, but well-lit (remember- light is your friend!) and unedited.
And lastly– just to keep it real, here’s a shot of what I look like right now, writing this post. Ha!
Have fun with your test shoots!
