Payne takes her modeling career in stride through the hallways of Costa

By Kareena Dhillon

Staff Writer

Senior Alli Payne takes her modeling career in stride through the hallways of Costa. She flaunts her career on her Instagram through pictures and if modeling didn’t interest you before, it will now.

Costa senior Alli Payne has recently started modeling for No Ties Model Management. This includes photoshoots two to three times a month for people trying to promote their photography business, with a professional shoot done in late August in downtown Los Angeles by Livio Mancinelli. 

Scroll through some more of Livio Mancinelli’s photos here. 

“When I first started out I had a lot of people tell me if you go to a photoshoot and they say no it’s not because they don’t think you’re pretty or that you’re a good model, they have an idea of what they want to see and that’s just maybe not you,” Payne said. “I think that’s the hardest part, like you’re judged on your looks. It’s not really like your personality. Your character isn’t the main thing it just helps.”

No Ties Model Management is a modeling agency based in San Diego, employing both female and male models. Payne is a new face at the agency so she is currently doing test shoots. Now that school has started, Payne sticks to doing her shoots on the weekends.

“Alli is a gorgeous girl. She’s young and fresh, and has the potential to be an amazing model,” friend and fellow model at No Ties Management Rosie Reitze said. “I’m so excited to watch her develop and find her look.”

Payne decided to restart her modeling, at age 14 when she moved from St. Louis to Manhattan Beach. In June of this year people from No Ties Management saw Payne and asked her to come down to their office in Manhattan Beach, not long after, Payne was driving to San Diego and signed a two year contract with the agency.

“I’ve been strong on like keeping my confidence and just knowing everyone is different and they’re just looking for the right person,” Payne said. “You just don’t fit their mold. They already know in their head what they want and you just might not be it.”

Currently Payne has two to three photoshoots a month in local places such as Yorba Linda Regional Park and in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. Only occasionally does she have to drive down to San Diego. She works with people that are trying to promote their photography business by shooting models, benefiting both of them, Payne said.  

“I think it’s hard because self esteem and confidence is tough. I’m okay with it like I understand the whole thing of it,” Payne said. “I just think there’s a lot of things that go into it that are hard. I can’t cut my hair unless they “okay” it. I can’t go get my eyebrows done without letting them know.”

As far as pursuing modeling as a career after high school, Payne doesn’t see that happening. Doing it with college would be great, but not as a replacement of college, Payne said. However, wherever Payne decides to go for college No Ties Management will help her find a local agency to work with as well, Payne said.

Take a look at the No Ties Management website for more information. 

“I haven’t been doing it very long but it has been so much fun. Right now I’m kind of in the new model phase,” Payne said. “I’ve also gotten to meet a bunch of new people. It’s something I’ve always been interested in so to finally be able to do it is really nice.”