Hi. I'm pretty new to the modeling world and I still get pretty confused by the terms "commercial", "editorial", etc...

Can anyone give me a rundown of all the types of modeling terms?



Thanks!

The terms "commercial" and "editorial" have several different meanings, depending on ccontext and who is using them.  Even industry professionals get confused by them, since they tend to think of their own use as "the" use.

See your PMs for much more information than you thought you asked for.

You didn't give a context, so the full answer is much too long to write out here.  However, if you mean difference between "commercial and editorial photography", here is a definition I wrote for another forum four years ago:

The answer comes in at least two very different forms.

The first is the formal definition of "commercial" and "editorial". "Editorial" is a picture used to illustrate some point that the editor or writer in a publication is making. It may be a picture of a boy with a fishing pole for a story on fly fishing in Upstate New York; a pole vaulter setting a new Olympic record, in a story on the games, or a bean-pole fashion model in a story about designer clothes. Or any of thousands of other things magazines (typically) write about. "Commercial" on the other hand, is a photo used by a "commercial client" for their own purposes. It might be a boy with a fishing pole for a rod and reel manufacturer; a pole vaulter in an ad for the upcoming Olympic Games, or a beanpole model in a campaign by a clothing designer. Or any of a thousand other things that people sell. In addition to advertising, it may also be a picture in an annual report (boy with fishing pole to illustrate the improvements in quality of life for corporate clients after the move of the headquarters building.) Or it might be a public service announcement (an anti-smoking ad featuring a pole vaulter who credits his success to quitting). Or it might be a package/box cover for sweaters: a picture of a bean-pole model wearing a cardigan.

As you can see from the description above, the photo itself doesn't determine if it's "editorial" or "commercial", the use of the photo does.

That's the formal definition. And it largely defines the difference between what a "commercial print" agency does and what an "editorial" agency does (although an "editorial agency" wouldn't stay in business if they didn't do some "commercial" also - editorial doesn't pay well.)

Then there is the "artistic" or "style" definition. As a general tendency, "commercial" pictures for corporate clients tend to be more "mainstream" photography, reflecting the more mainstream corporate values of the client. Editorial pictures (editorial fashion, at least) tends to be more "edgy" or "avant garde" or "different" or, dare I say it, "weird".

Certainly there are no hard and fast rules in that - we see some pretty weird commercial shots, and some very "mainstream" editorial shots. But as a "type" (which is sometimes actually followed in real life) that seems to be the distinction.