Practice is extremely important when you are trying to memorize poses and flawlessly move from one pose to the next in Chicago or in general to be honest. Modeling is a skill where the more you practice the better you are and practice after all makes perfect. Your ability to pose or strut down the runway is what differentiates you from a model and a professional model as you start your career in Chicago. Try setting up a simple studio in your home—all you need is a tripod and a camera or phone, set the self-timer on, and you can start documenting your poses in front of the camera and be aware of how your body moves.
You could even try different locations too when you go to practice, try going to a park, convenience store or a library even. Have a friend go out with you and help you take the photos, that way you can take and look at all the pictures that have been taken to see what poses are working for you and how you can improve them, with a friend to give unfiltered advice as well. You have to have a certain awareness of your own body as a model and while it can take a moment to develop; the benefits of this awareness can be endless as you begin your modeling career.
Before you actually do the photo shoot, you’ll want to be prepared for it. Photo shoots tend to take a long time, even with professional models, so you won’t want to waste time figuring out how you should pose during studio hours in Chicago. Make good use of the internet to research about the type of photos that models in a particular category typically have in their portfolio. Make sure you have a full-body mirror with you and practice doing a wide variety of poses with your head, hands, arms, legs, and feet. You may also want to try out different facial expressions as well, to add a good arsenal to your poses. Doing this in front of a mirror may seem a little self indulgent but really it is just another way of becoming more aware of how you move and what you would look like in one pose vs the other.
Fashion is a little more forgiving, as you can usually do a wide range of poses with your entire body and with your body covered in places it can take the harshness out of what would otherwise be an awkward pose. This can make being a fashion model somewhat easier to work as when it comes to getting the poses just right. Take note of your favorite poses and get comfortable with new ones, so your confidence can be translated into your images later on in Chicago and be a good fit to your modeling portfolio.
