Some people are just good on camera

Some people are just made for the camera. My ex-roommate Amina was amazing on camera. Haidar is also great with his constantly changing poses. Shiraz, too, is interesting as a subject.
And then there are others who, no matter how hard they try, are terrible on camera. A. is one of them. His poses are always the same, and his body is always frozen in space. My other best friend, L., is also terrible on camera. Her smile refuses to surface.
This all makes me wonder...back in the days of high art, how did painters choose their subjects? Did they look for a beautiful lady to model for Venus, or Nike? Or did they just pick their mistresses? Could a lady volunteer to be a model?
Oh how much I would love to be somebody's muse!