Breaking out into the world of modeling is a tough task at the best of times. Why not increase your chances by building a stunning online portfolio that you can send to potential agents and advertisers?
On what is essentially your resume and primary marketing tool, you will need to include examples that show you at your very best. After all, agencies are probably sifting through hundreds of modeling portfolios every month. It’s all about making a great first impression!
How to get your modeling portfolio noticed
Your goal is to stand out from the crowd! To do this, you’ll need to use your photographs to represent your versatility as a model and accurately depict your characteristics.
Here are a couple of things you definitely should avoid when setting up your portfolio:
- Remember that you should not be trying to blow agencies away with your looks. Instead, recruiters want to see how well you can use your looks to convey different moods and ‘characters’.
- Don’t try to exaggerate any of your features, or mislead people by making yourself look taller than you are. This will only lead to confusion on the agency’s part when they meet you in person.
Basics of a modeling portfolio
As a general rule, you want to include 6-20 photographs that demonstrate your talent as a model.
Here are a few ways to get noticed:
- Try to demonstrate a range of ages. A successful model will be able to appear as a range of different ages with effective use of posture, facial expressions and fashion choices.
- You likely won’t get far if you have one facial expression. An in-demand model will be able to convey wildly different emotions depending on the nature of their shoot. Practise looking everything from serious to goofy, and add all of these photographs to your portfolio.
- Do your research as to what kind of campaigns you might be hired for in your local area. For example, a Miami native might expect that their local market would be hiring for models to do plenty of work in sunny and coastal settings. Be sure to include these kinds of photos in your portfolio.
- Focus on the quality of your photos. If necessary, hire a professional photographer and makeup artist to help you look the part in your portfolio.
One last essential tip is to include your basic model details in your portfolio. These include your name, age, height, and all body measurements you think could be relevant.
Be sure to include your contact details – you never know when you might strike it lucky!
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Jack Vale is a writer from Happy Writers, Co. in partnership with online faxing service, Faxage.
