How To Be A Male Model, As Told By The Guys Of "America's Next Top Model"

Because we don't all have Tyra Banks guiding us along the way. After sharing behind-the-scenes secrets from this season of Top Model, Don Benjamin, Chris Schellenger, Mike Scocozza, and Marvin Cortes gave us tips on finding the light, cheating your face, and smizing.

1. Cheat your face.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"Say I’m holding a book trying to make it look like I’m reading, I’ll hold a book up so you can see the cover, and then I’ll act like I’m looking at the words, but I’ll cheat my face a little bit towards the camera, to where it looks like my eyes are still on the book but you can see my full facial features." - Don Benjamin

2. Get lost in the moment.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"I try to channel myself sipping a nice cup of Folger’s coffee in the morning. Or Dunkin Donuts. ... Modeling is like telling a story but through a photo. It’s like, whatever you can do to capture that feeling in a picture is cool." - Mike Scocozza

3. Be comfortable with your body.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"You gotta be comfortable with your body. Luckily I’ve been in the gym. ... With a towel, you want to make sure the logo is shown while your abs or your arms are being shown, too, so you’re selling a little bit of sex appeal along with the logo." - Don Benjamin

4. Find your light.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"You’ve got to find the light. It’s tough when we’re inside a building with not that much light, but you’ve really got to find the light. That’s your job." - Mike Scocozza

5. Make sure the product shines.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"When you’re modeling with something else, I know a lot of models are into themselves. I try to forget that I’m modeling. A lot of people like to outshine the product. For me, I like to make sure the product is getting all the light. I try to sell myself as the product would want me to." - Marvin Cortes

6. Let your pose match what you're modeling.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"You want to create an image with whatever piece of clothing you’ve got. If you’ve got a hoodie on, you kind of want it to be fun or you kind of want it to be relaxed. You don’t want to try to do something Vogue with a hoodie on." - Chris Schellenger

7. Be mindful of the sun.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"Finding your light is so simple. You just see where the light hits your face. So right now we’re outside and it’s kind of overcast but on the right side is the sun, so I want to face my face to the sun while still looking at the camera." - Marvin Cortes

8. Don't squint.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"That’s the hardest thing to do. You just kind of have to close your eyes, let them adjust, and then open and go, go, go, go, go." - Chris Schellenger

9. Imagine the photographer is someone who has taken you by surprise.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"When I’m against the wall, and I’m posing, I usually do the, I’m leaning, I’m looking like I see somebody coming that I’m interested in, and then I give a little concerned look off to the side in the distance. Or if you’re leaning on the wall and you look dead in the camera, you’re like, 'Oh, hey, how you doing? You just caught me off-guard.'" - Don Benjamin

10. Keep it casual.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"You want to look kind of casual like you’re kind of chilling, like you’re waiting for a bus to come, but still cool. If a hot girl comes by, she wants to approach you, rather than you have to approach her." - Don Benjamin

11. Don't mind the weather.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"We’re always off season, so if it’s summertime we’re shooting winter clothes, so you can be in a parka in 100 degree weather. You just have to suck it up. It’s part of being a model." - Chris Schellenger

12. Make sure to own the shot.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"I definitely take charge of the scene, so whatever that means. If that means that I’ve gotta be the tallest, if that means that I’ve gotta have the most energy, if it means that I’ve gotta be the most into the shot, I’m gonna take it there." - Chris Schellenger

13. Walk with confidence.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"I usually do like I’m on the runway, so I have a confidence walk, chin up, back straight, and then maybe still smize a little bit, looking off in the distance." - Don Benjamin

14. Be slow and deliberate with your motions.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"When you’re walking, you want to make sure you’re going at a slow pace, because you’ve got to think about the photographer. You want him to catch what you’re doing, so you want to slow, slow it down. Also you want to make your movements very dramatic." - Marvin Cortes

15. Let your eyes convey your energy.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"Throw as much energy at the camera as possible." - Chris Schellenger

16. Widen your eyes and squint at the same time.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"My secret to smizing is, I tighten my cheeks a little bit, and then I act like I’m making my eyes really wide but then squint at the same time. It’s like a weird pull-back effect." - Don Benjamin

17. Think happy thoughts.

Louis Peitzman / BuzzFeed

"The smize technique for me, and I think Tyra said it, think of something pleasant, so kind of freeze your facial features, but your eyes should show what you’re thinking. So right now I’m just thinking of Renee. Think of something that’s pleasant and it’ll show in your eyes." - Marvin Cortes

America’s Next Top Model airs Friday at 9 p.m. on The CW.