Supermodel Resource

Here is a list of things you should never have in any of your photos in your modeling portfolio:

• You should not be wearing a hat or sunglasses or have hair on your face.
• There should not be any photos that are blurred or grainy.
• The photos should have the right amount of light – not too dark nor too bright
• The background should be simple and uncluttered (a picture of you in your bedroom definitely won’t do)
• Crop the images well so that you are the main focus.
• Do not include any webcam photos at all.
• Don’t edit the photos or add any text to them. It should not have a border also.
• You should not have photos of you looking to one side.
• There should not be any props or pets in the photos.
• The photos should ideally be of you only. No other person in the frame.
• Don’t try and make a collage of photos. Have one in one frame.

Modeling portfolio is all about marketing yourself to make the clients feel you are the best.

Try to do it to the maximum extent to increase your chances of being selected. With all the proper tricks and of course your talent, you can make a name in the world of modeling.

The most important thing to consider is a head shot. Spend much of your time in creating the best headshot. Take your headshot in color picture and see that it is clear and is of best quality. Keep a friendly expression on your face and wear a sweet smile. A good head shot can win you the assignment while a bad one will make you loose it.

Try to keep maximum pictures in the portfolio in color. You may be having a best black and white picture. Of course do include it in your portfolio. But see to it that most of the pictures are in color. The clients are very particular about your looks, color and complexion. Hence sending all the pictures in black and white will not help.

Some photographers use cloth as background. Cloth or muslin if used make your pictures look unprofessional and are rarely used for model pictures. Hence do not shoot with a photographer who uses them.

Choose proper backgrounds to make the photo more natural. You may select some good locations with natural scenery. Some of them may be taken in a studio with proper background which appears like a natural location. It doesn’t matter if one or two pictures have a plain sheet of paper as background. But see that not all pictures are like that.

Most of the photographers provide you with a make-up artist. Shoot with such photographers. It’s never a good idea to do make up on your own, whatever perfection you may have. If your photographer doesn’t provide you with a make up artist, you can get it done by some expert you know or choose some other photographer who can provide you with a make up artist.

Another important factor is your outfit. Never use same outfits in different pictures. Try to use different types of outfits to show how well you look in all types of outfits. Also pose differently in different pictures.

Remember commercial modeling requires you to look natural, just like an ordinary person. So don’t take all the pictures just like a model. Try out some natural pictures as well.

In commercial modeling you may be required to suit various roles, may be doctor, cook, parent, grandparent, teacher, electrician or many more. Hence you can try to take your pictures posing as something else rather than just posing like a model. If you show yourself as a model in every picture, then there are fewer chances of you being selected for commercial modeling.

You may consider the type of company you are going for. Like if you are creating your portfolio for some health product, you can take some pictures posing like a doctor. If you are applying for a company manufacturing shampoos or hair conditioners, you can pay more attention to your hair.

Try to put more of your positive things in your pictures. Like, if you have beautiful eyes, you may take a photo which highlights your eyes. Or if you have very good figure, you can try outfits which display your figure well. You may be having a very sweet smile. In that case you must have a photo posing with a smile.

Hide out the negative things you have. Some drawbacks can be hidden with proper make up. Others, you can avoid showing them in photos.

Take at least one full photo. Mention your height, weight, color of skin, hair color, eye color and all other required information appropriately. But, of course leave some space for the agency to put their logo and sticker.

Through your photographs, try to show the real you. Make the client feel that you are the right model they have been waiting for. Shoot with an experienced person who can get the best out of you and not with a person who just does his job commercially for money. Your faces in the pictures need to make you appear “fresh new face” which can arrest the attention of the whole market.

Moreover, shoot accordingly as per the requirements of the client. Like when you are targeting a cosmetic company, you need to give special preference to skin, hair etc. Else if you are aiming for a garment industry, you can take the photographs with different outfits to show how well you can display the outfits. Needless to say, the pictures you send should appear as if, right out of a top magazine.

You can even take some great shots with a digital camera.

Most of the aspiring models aim for commercial print modeling. Well, the good thing about commercial print modeling is that they don’t need the portfolios at all. Almost 90% of those who aim for commercial print modeling are never asked for a portfolio. Although model portfolios are nice to have and can give a good impression of the model, model portfolios are not considered to be important for commercial print modeling. All that is required is that the model should listen and pose as per the agent tells.

Most of the commercial print agencies like receiving a good composite card usually called comp. These composite cards increase the chances of being selected by the modeling agency. The pictures on the comp are just like those on model portfolios.

Different agencies have different styles of having pictures on comp. Hence you need to have a look at the comp cards of the models of the agency before doing one for you.

Here are some of the helpful tips while applying for commercial print modeling or small market agencies.

If you are looking to make a career in modeling, you may have many times heard about a portfolio. But, do all of you beginners know to create an effective portfolio? Many lose a good assignment just because of a bad portfolio.

The first thing you must keep in mind while creating a portfolio is the main intention behind creating it. Remember where it is to be used, what kind of work you are intending to do and what the positive aspects you have through which you can influence others.

Not all models aim for fashion modeling. Some of them may wish to become glamour models while others may aim for Internet modeling and few others for commercial print modeling. Different types of modeling requires different portfolios.

If you are aspiring to become a fashion model, you need to make your portfolios as good as possible to give the clients an impression of how well you can make a niche in the glamorous world. If you just take a series of photographs by a photographer and just send them, it will definitely not do anything for you. The clients see a lot of portfolios with number of photos and there’s no reason why they may prefer you to others.

• WEAR MINIMUM JEWELRY – Too much jewelry draws attention away from the main face. Also, the same necklace or earrings should not be repeated in different shots.

• WEAR SOLID COLORS – Try and wear single colored clothes instead of printed ones. Prints look fussy and take attention away from the model.
• WEAR WELL-FITTED CLOTHES – The clothes you wear for a shoot should fit you perfectly – not too loose and not too tight. For example, swimsuits should have a snug fit, with no gaps showing when you move.
• VARY THE HAIR STYLE – Sport different hairstyles in different shots. Try wigs for short haired look. You can also try hats but not broad rimmed ones that hide your face.

• MAKE UP – Vary your makeup with the different outfits and hairstyles. This will lend a different look to each photo.

There are various magazines like Seventeen, Elle, Teen Magazine, Teen Vogue and Cosmo Girl that can provide you with good ideas regarding photos as well as headshots and body shots. You can even contact some senior models you know and ask them to have a look at your portfolio. Then you can ask for suggestions for improvement.

The model portfolio you’ve created for the first time may win you an assignment or lose it. If you fail to win, that shouldn’t disappoint you. Failures are often steps to success. You can look into what went wrong with your model portfolio and accordingly work to improve it. Not all create a good model portfolio at the very first go. After a few attempts you are sure to create an impressive portfolio and win an exciting modeling projects.