Professional Vocabulary: Your Guide to the industry; Please learn these terms in order to speed communications as you and your child begin your new journey.

Booker: Your Contact; at your model agency. The booker gives you your agenda for the day and is the link between you and the photographer/client. Their job to send you to casting calls and to see various clients – (Go-sees: note below).

Go-sees: Casting Calls; to meet and greet the photographer, cast director and or the client. Your child (model) auditions for a specific project.

Backup: Another Child; booked for the shoot; an alternative model if any problems occur with the principle model.

At the “Go-see” a professional photographer takes shots of the backups to present the client with options. When shooting newborns to five year olds, backups are mandatory.

Depending on the assignment, editorial, catalog or a national advertisement, photographers tend to book two to three extras – “backups.” Young children are unpredictable For example: the model is perfect at the casting, but, one week later, starts teething or their front tooth fell out.

Professionals cannot risk the client’s expectations under any circumstances. All the models receive their model fee. But the selected model who appears in the campaign, might be rewarded a bonus fee depending on the negotiations.

Shoot: Shooting Session; a period of time at a specific location where you photograph or film the campaign.

Wrangler: Baby/Child Wrangler; Their role is to maintain the safety of the model and to secure a happy studio ambience by keeping the child’s attention and stamina focused while entertaining the model with their goody bag of tricks. As a result, the photographer captures the awaited “magic moment” working as a team. Bingo! Got it!

Set: Designated Area; where the lights and camera equipment are set up for the shooting.

Wrap: The Last Shot of the Day; and the client terminates the shoot. Everyone is satisfied with the results. The photographer announces “It’s a wrap, strike the set” everyone packs up and leaves.

Model release: Legal document; that releases the rights of the photos to the photographer as a signed agreement by their guardian.

Voucher: How you get paid; it is a itemized receipt documenting your job description and negotiated fees. You must secure this receipt for your records, signed by the client or producer. There are three copies: one for the model, one for the model agency and one for the client.