What makes a strong Mai Faces application.

We review every application by hand. Roughly one in every twelve we read ends up on the roster — not because we're cold, but because the right fit for Mai Faces is specific. Here's what we look for, and what tends to lose otherwise-promising candidates.

Six photos do more work than twenty

The application asks for 3–8 photos. The strongest portfolios usually sit around six. Beyond that, signal-to-noise drops fast — and we start to notice repeated angles instead of new information.

What we want to see across those six:

• One clear face shot. Natural light, no heavy filter, looking at the camera. This is the picture brands scroll past on directory pages — make it count.
• One full body shot. Standing, neutral pose. Not a runway shot — we just need to see proportion and posture.
• Two to three lifestyle frames. These tell us what kind of work you'd cast easily into. A candid coffee-shop frame says something completely different to a posed editorial frame.
• One or two test-shoot frames. If you've done a real photoshoot, include the strongest two. If you haven't, that's fine — a phone in good light beats a mediocre studio shot every time.

Bio is short or it's wrong

The "tell us about yourself" field is 500 characters. Use 300. The best ones we've seen all share one trait: they specify what you'd be excited to shoot, not a CV. Compare:

"I have 3 years of experience and have worked with brand X, Y, Z. I am available weekdays."

"I move easily on camera and read younger than my age. I'd love to shoot more editorial — anything that lets the styling do the work."

The second tells a creative director something about how to use you. The first tells us nothing they can't get from your tags.

What we don't weigh as heavily as you'd think

A few things candidates over-index on:

• Follower count. Useful context, but we book faces — not audiences. We've signed faces with 800 followers and rejected faces with 80,000.
• Agency history. Mai Faces works alongside other agencies, not against. Listing where you've signed before doesn't change our read.
• Editing. Lightly-retouched is fine. Heavy filters, smoothing, or face-altering apps actively hurt because we can't tell what you actually look like in person.

What gets you a yes

Three things, in order:

1. A face that has a specific quality — not a generic one. Distinct features beat "conventionally attractive" every time we score applications.
2. Recent photos. We won't sign off composite cards from 2022.
3. A response time under 48 hours when we follow up. Half the applications we'd otherwise take end up parked because the candidate doesn't reply when we reach out for a quick chat.

If you've been waiting to apply — that's the bar. Six honest photos, a short paragraph about what you'd want to shoot, and an inbox you actually check. Send us your application.