Modeling terms: the words of the modeling world explained

An advance is money or costs the agency pays for the model up front and later deducts from their earnings.

Commission is the share of a fee the agency keeps for finding and handling the job; typically around 20%.

A negative balance arises when advanced costs exceed earnings after commission; the model then owes the agency.

An art director is responsible for how a shoot or campaign looks: the idea, the mood, the composition and keeping the whole team working towards the same result.

Backstage is the space behind the catwalk where models get hair and make-up done before the show, change and wait for their exit.

A beauty shot is a close-up of the face in which the skin, the make-up, the hair or a cosmetic product is the point.

A booker is the agency employee who runs a model's work day to day: pitches the model to clients, negotiates the fee, manages the schedule and passes on castings and bookings.

A booking is a confirmed job: the client and the agency have agreed the date, the hours, the fee and the usage, and the model has accepted.

A brand ambassador is a model or well-known person who represents one brand over a long period: in campaigns, at events and on social media.

A buyout is a one-off fee with which a client buys in advance the right to use the pictures in set channels, a territory and a period.

A call sheet is the page that sets out the whole shoot day: the address, each person's call time, contacts and the running order.

Call time is the hour at which the model must be on set ready to start, not the hour the shooting itself begins.

A callback is the second round: the client invites a shortlist of models back to make the final choice.

A campaign is a brand's seasonal advertising: pictures and video used in stores, online, in magazines and on billboards.

A cancellation fee is what a client pays for cancelling a confirmed job too late, since the model's day was reserved and other work was turned down.

A casting is the selection for a specific job: the client sees anything from a few to dozens of models and picks the one who fits the shoot, the advert or the show.

A casting director selects models for a show, a campaign or a film: reviews agencies' suggestions, runs castings and puts the best candidates to the client.

Catalogue modeling is photographing products to sell: the clothes are shown clearly, on the model, for a printed or digital catalogue.

A catwalk is the long raised platform or path along which models walk at a fashion show; the word is also used for the show itself or for runway work.

A chaperone is an adult, usually a parent, who stays with a minor model at castings, shoots and on trips.

A child model works in advertising for children's clothes, toys and family products; parents decide, sign and stay on set for them.

The client is whoever pays for the model's work: a brand, a fashion house, a magazine, an advertising agency or a store.

A commercial model advertises products and services to a broad audience: in adverts, catalogues, packaging and on social media.

A comp card is a model's business card: a few of the best pictures, the name, the measurements and the agency's details on one printed card.

The day rate is what the client pays for a model's working day, usually eight hours; the half-day rate covers four.

A deal memo is a short written summary of one job's terms: the total compensation, the payment term, the working time and the usage.

A digital replica is a computer-generated or AI-enhanced version of a model that can be used to create new pictures or video without the model.

Digitals are plain, unretouched pictures of a model without make-up that show what the model really looks like.

A direct booking is a job the client confirms without a casting: they choose the model from pictures and bring them in for specific days, often from another country.

E-commerce modeling means product pictures for an online store: the garment on a model against a plain background, from the front, side and back.

An editorial is a magazine fashion or beauty shoot that tells a story or carries an idea, rather than selling one particular product.

Exclusivity means that only one agency represents the model in a given territory, or that for a set time the model works for only one brand.

A fashion photographer creates the shoot's frames: chooses the light, the angle and the moment, and directs the model through the shoot.

Fashion seasons are the collection cycle: spring/summer (SS) and autumn/winter (AW or FW) collections are shown about six months before they reach stores.

A fashion stylist chooses and combines the clothes, shoes and accessories for a shoot, a show or a person so the look fits the idea.

A fashion week is a period of several days in which fashion houses in one city present new collections in shows; the main ones are in New York, London, Milan and Paris.

A fit model is the person on whom designers and pattern makers try and correct garments while they are being developed; their measurements become the collection's standard.

A fitness model advertises sportswear, equipment, supplements and gyms: an athletic body, movement and stamina are what count.

A fitting is the session before a show or a shoot at which garments are fitted to the model and it is decided which look they will wear.

A freelance model works without an agency: finds clients, negotiates fees, signs agreements and invoices by themselves.

A go-see is an introductory visit to a client, photographer or stylist when there is no specific job yet: the model goes to be seen and remembered.

A guaranteed contract is an agency abroad's promise to pay the model a set minimum for the whole trip, even if there are fewer jobs.

Haute couture is handmade, made-to-measure high fashion; in France the name is protected and granted only to houses that meet strict requirements.

A headshot is a picture from the shoulders to the top of the head in which the face is clearly visible; it is used in portfolios, on cards and in profiles.

An intro video is a short clip of the model: name, height, where they are from, a few sentences and some movement, requested by an agency or client instead of a live casting.

A lingerie and swimwear model shows and advertises underwear, bras, swimwear and nightwear.

A look is one complete outfit of a collection: the clothes, shoes and accessories a model wears on the catwalk or in one frame.

A lookbook is a set of pictures of a brand's collection, with each look shown on a model, for buyers, press and customers.

A make-up artist creates the model's make-up and a hair stylist the hair for a shoot or a show; often one person does both.

A mature model is a model over about 35–40 who works in advertising, cosmetics, fashion and lifestyle jobs.

A model apartment is housing rented by an agency in which several of its models live abroad; the rent is deducted from each of their earnings.

A board, or division, is a group of an agency's models by type and experience: new faces, main board, men, commercial, curve and others.

Development is the period in which an agency trains a new model to pose, walk the runway, behave at castings and build a portfolio until they are ready to work.

Height is the first requirement for a fashion model: runway work usually needs from about 172–175 cm for women and 185 cm for men; commercial work is more flexible.

A model's measurements are height plus bust, waist and hip circumference, together with shoe size, hair and eye colour; agencies and clients use them to decide whether the clothes will fit.

A portfolio is the collection of a model's best pictures, from which the agency and clients judge which jobs the model suits.

A model release is a document signed by the model that allows the photographer or client to use pictures of them in the stated way.

A scout looks for new models for an agency: on the street, at events, in schools, on social media and at open calls.

A statement is the agency's account of a model's income and expenses: every job, the commission, the costs advanced and the final balance.

A model's type, or look, is the overall appearance that makes them right for certain work: high fashion, commercial advertising, beauty or a particular market.

A voucher is a short form the client signs at the end of a job, confirming how many hours the model worked and on what terms.

The model walk is the runway walking technique: upright posture, a step from the hip, feet placed on one line, relaxed arms and eyes straight ahead.

A fake agency makes its money not from a model's jobs but from the model: it charges to sign, for compulsory photo shoots or courses, and finds no work.

A mood board is a collection of images and references that shows the idea of a coming shoot: the light, colours, poses, make-up and mood.

A mother agency is a model's first agency, usually in the home country: it discovers and prepares the model, places them with agencies abroad and oversees the whole career.

A new face is a model at the start of a career: signed with an agency, but still without experience, a full portfolio or regular clients.

An open call is a time announced by an agency when anyone who meets its requirements can come in or apply without an invitation.

An option is a client's provisional reservation: they ask the agency to hold the model's time for a certain day until they make a final decision.

Overtime is working time beyond the agreed length of the day, paid extra at a rate agreed in advance.

A parts model is photographed not whole but for one part of the body: hands, legs, feet, hair, lips or eyes, for advertising and product shots.

A petite model is shorter than the usual fashion requirement, typically under about 168 cm, and works in commercial, beauty and petite-line jobs.

A placement agency represents a model in one particular market, such as Paris or Tokyo, and works together with the model's mother agency.

A plus-size or curve model works with larger-size clothing: in campaigns, catalogues, online stores and on the runway.

Pocket money is the weekly sum paid out for food and small costs abroad; it is an advance on the model's earnings and is deducted later.

Posing is the ability to create a frame with body position, movement and gaze: showing the garment, conveying a mood and offering a new variation every few seconds.

A promotional model presents a brand in person at trade fairs, events, shopping centres or launches, talking to visitors.

Ready-to-wear, or prêt-à-porter, is designer clothing made in standard sizes and sold in stores; these are the collections shown at the main fashion weeks.

A representation agreement is the contract between a model and an agency: how long the agency will represent the model, both sides' duties, the commission and how payment works.

In-between collections, resort (also called cruise) and pre-fall, are the collections fashion houses release between the two main seasons; they stay in stores the longest.

A runway model shows collections live at fashion shows, walking the catwalk in the designer's clothes before an audience, press and buyers.

Sample size is the size in which designers make the first sample of a collection for shows, lookbooks and shoots; models have to fit it.

A show exclusive means that during fashion week a model walks only one house's show, often as a new face that house is introducing.

A showroom model presents a collection to store buyers in a brand's showroom, trying on garments and showing them close up during sales appointments.

To smize is to smile with your eyes: the gaze turns warm and alive while the lips stay still; the word was popularised by Tyra Banks on America's Next Top Model.

A tearsheet is a page of published work, from a magazine or a catalogue for instance, that proves the model worked for that client.

A test shoot is a shoot made not for a client but for the portfolio: the model and the photographer create pictures they need to show their work.

TFP stands for "time for prints": a shoot where nobody pays anybody, and the model, the photographer and the team are rewarded with pictures for their portfolios.

Usage rights define where, for how long and in which countries a client may use pictures or footage of the model.