It's almost two decades since Linda Evangelista famously – or perhaps infamously – commented: "I don't get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day."

But it continues to define the image of modelling, which is perceived as being dominated by glossy, gazelle- like supermodels with earnings as large as their egos.

At Mustard Models, they know different.

For while there are some exquisitely beautiful faces on the books of this leading Bristol agency, there are also others with wrinkles.

Mustard Models does not only represent the sort of stunning snake- hipped superbabes that could bring the traffic on the M32 to a halt.

The agency's models also include the sort of people that would probably attract barely a second glance in the street because they look so ordinary – which, managing director Martin Callingham points out, is precisely the point.

"The sort of people you'd expect to be models – super-slim 20-something girls – aren't necessarily suitable for a building society like Cheltenham & Gloucester which needs models who will represent its customers," he explains.

"So there's also a need for real people – often they are actors or people who have modelled for most of their lives and are still doing it.

"The market for 'classic models' is growing all the time, as we're living longer and companies are doing more marketing to older people."

Martin, 36, started Mustard Models about nine years ago, he says: "I felt there was a bit of a gap in the market in Bristol. There were a lot of ad agencies and design agencies in the South West that were having to book models from London or Birmingham.

"We were in the right place at the right time, and that has probably been a factor in the growth of the agency. The bulk of our clients are ad agencies, design agencies and photographers who work for them. Recent clients have included Honda, Sony, Cheltenham & Gloucester building society and Tourism Ireland. Some are looking for more classic models, others such as Sony want something with a bit more of an editorial edge."

Why did he decided to call his agency Mustard?

"At that time, model agencies had names like Elite and Storm. I wanted something a bit different that people could remember, and mustard is a word associated with being keen and hot."

Mustard now has about 400 models on its books, including what are known as "classic" – or older – models; fashion and photographic models; child models and family models. There are also about 400 people in Mustard's casting division for actors and presenters.

"When we started, we were grabbing people off the street," recalls Martin, who has two bookers, Jenny Clark and Beth Foreman.

"I don't do much scouting now, and if I do, I'll go with Jenny or Beth because it's a bit easier than me approaching someone on my own. But now we've been going for nine years, we've got enough of a reputation that people approach us.

"We get about 100 applications every week from people who want to be on our books.

"If someone sends us photos and we think they show potential, we'll invite them in for a meeting, and if that works out and we think they've got a look that's bookable, we'll get some shots of them."

Martin says that while a model's appearance matters, there are also other key factors. "Personality is very important, whatever type of model they are, because if we find people are easy to work with on a personal level we're more likely to book them again and clients are more likely to ask them back."

Mustard Models is at The Media Centre, 1 Riverside, St Anne's Road, Bristol, BS4 4ED. Tel: 0117 903 0327; www.bigmustard.co.uk

The "classic" model – David Christian, 77, lives near Bridgwater, Somerset. He says:

I trained at Rada (The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) for two years from the age of 16, and then started work as an actor, but later became a professional singer because there was more money in it. A few years ago, I went back to acting and someone suggested to me that I should also do a bit of modelling, so I went to Mustard Models and Martin gave me the opportunity.

Over the past two years, I've done about 20 different shoots, which have varied enormously.

Some of them are like acting, like when I had to be photographed as an Alzheimer's sufferer for a pharmaceutical company. That wasn't just grinning for the camera – I had to get the message across through my expressions.

I've done some holiday shoots for hotels – there was one in Weymouth that was rather pleasant as I was playing golf and going bowling.

Others have been for Oakhouse Foods, Nationwide building society and the Royal British Legion playing the part of an elderly man having to book into one of their homes.

I had to do one shoot with a mobility scooter. I'd never been on one before, and I was driving it around a garden centre, up and down the aisles. I had a bit of fun with that.

I'm so lucky. I'm doing work that I love and getting paid for it. My wife Patricia and six sons are really pleased I'm doing something I enjoy.

Family models – The Phillips family: Jason, 37; Michelle, 26; Chloe, 11; Louis, 10; Callum, nine; and Luca, nine months. Jason says:

When I was 16, a lady came to my school looking for kids to model clothes. I was one of those who got involved, and when I went to university in Cardiff to study graphic design, I started modelling in fashion shows.

After I left university, I started working in graphic design but also did some modelling and started up an entertainment agency.

I met Michelle when I was holding auditions for a Steps tribute band. She looked gorgeous and was a great vocalist, with a great figure and personality.

We started modelling as a family with our nieces Sarah and Shannon when they were about seven and three.

All I did was take a snapshot of us all together and sent it off to a model agency one Monday. The next day we got a call, and on the Wednesday we were doing a shoot for Suzuki.

Now we've got our own children – Chloe, Louis, Callum and Luca – we've done modelling as a family in locations including Barbados, the Maldives, Ibiza, Majorca, Holland and France. We also sometimes use Shannon, who's now 14, and occasionally some of our other nieces and nephews.

It's incredible that we're actually getting paid to go to these fantastic places. I can't stand it when we sometimes hear some of the other models moaning. I feel like telling them to try life in the real world and working from 9am to 6pm day after day. But it's also hard work having to pose again and again for photos.

We did a shoot at the roller coaster ride at Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire and had to go on it 12 times in a row for the photos. The first two or three rides were brilliant – I'm like a big kid about these things and so's Michelle – but after about the sixth or seventh go we were both starting to feel queasy, and by the time we got to the 10th or 11th it had all got a bit much. But the kids were still having a great time and wanted to go round again!

We've done shoots for companies ranging from Pampers nappies to Argos. It's very busy and varied, and we could find ourselves modelling for breakfast cereal in the morning and for a holiday park in the afternoon.

The kids are so used to modelling that they know not to pose or to look at the camera unless they are asked to. They all have trust funds that their fees go into.

We sometimes go to shoots where they've put together another family who aren't related and don't know each other – say, a mum from Blackpool, a dad from Birmingham and kids from London. They have to spend the first couple of hours getting to know each other, but we don't have that problem.

The parts model – Kayko Andrieux, who was previously a model in New York. She says:

Years ago, I was doing a shoot in New York for Cosmopolitan magazine and the make-up artist who was doing my hands told me I had very good hands, legs and feet and suggested I get into parts modelling, so I decided to give it a try.

I was with the Ford model agency in New York, and I ended up in both its commercial photography division and in its parts division doing hands, legs and feet modelling.

I've done shoots and showroom modelling for all sorts of leading names – Saks 5th Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Gucci and Prada – but it's not as easy as it sounds.

I might have to stand on one leg for ages or hang off a pole. I used to be a gymnast and I've had a photographer making me do handstands for 10 minutes trying to get a good shot with my legs in the air. I get good manicures and pedicures, and I'm careful with my hands and feet, but not nearly as obsessively as I was in New York, where I used to wear metal-toed boots because one time I was in a club and this girl in Jimmy Choos stepped on my foot so hard that my toenail came off. I was unable to work for seven months and it still hasn't grown back like it used to be.

I've been doing a lot of promotions on the QVC shopping channel. Before I do any hand modelling, I sleep with loads of Vaseline on my hands and big white cotton gloves.

A lot of people saw me on the BBC Three programme Body Doubles.

I moved to the UK because I was tired of New York and signed up with Mustard a few years ago. They're a great agency – Jenny's like a friend to me, and Martin's like a brother.

Photographic model – Lauren Robson, 26, a medical student at the University of Bristol. She says:

I'm in the third year of medical degree as a mature student and I've still got two years to go. I'd already done a BSc in biomedical science at Manchester University, so I'm not entitled to any funding as I'd already had a grant for my first degree.

It's quite a juggling act trying to fit in modelling work with lectures and a hospital placement I'm doing at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, as with modelling you have to go to a lot of castings in order to get work.

I've been modelling since I was 18. I started off because I had a friend who worked for Toni & Guy in Leeds and I used to model for hairdressing competitions. Then I got an agent and it went from there.

After I finished my first degree, I had a year off in which I did modelling, and when I came to Bristol in 2006 to study medicine I signed up with Mustard.

I've done all sorts of fashion shoots, including a campaign for Reebok recently. Others include L'Oréal, Cheltenham & Gloucester building society, DFS furniture and Nationwide building society. I've also done catwalk modelling for Harvey Nichols.

Modelling work is helping me to support myself throughout my medical studies.

A lot of my friends have been working in hospitals as health care assistants to earn some money, and I think that can be quite tough.