Find out how to build a modeling portfolio. What’s a strong portfolio and how do you get it? We have some answers and offer a solution.
You want to pursue modeling as a career but you are unsure how to build a modeling portfolio?
What Kind Of Model Are You?
First you need to determine whether you want to pursue a career as a:
- commercial model (e.g. catalogs)
- fashion model
- live model (e.g. events)
- runway model
- stock photo model
and your portfolio needs to reflect your choice.
What Is A Portfolio?
Your portfolio is basically your resume yet just having a resume doesn’t mean you get hired. Similar to your resume, your portfolio needs to show all your skills and accomplishments.
Your portfolio speaks a thousand words.
It’s not just about having a portfolio with pretty pictures; you want a “strong” portfolio to enhance your chances of getting hired.
Clients will book you if they can see you can do the job well. And how can they see if you are a good fit for the job? Because you showcase your skill variety and accomplishments to them with your portfolio.
Hence your portfolio will consist of 16 – 20 pictures to start with so you can show your variety / versatility as a model.
What’s a Strong Portfolio?
Most important is the overall quality standard of the pictures. Quality is a pre-requisite for a successful career and comes at a price.
“Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten” – GUCCI
The day rates for photographers & artists depend on the amount of work required, expertise of the artist, equipment needed and location of the production.
Take a look at Day Rates For Photographers & Artists.
In other words, if it was so easy to produce quality pictures, pictures that sell, then everybody was doing it.
The photoshoots must be on a professional level otherwise the quality will be inferior to what professionals in the industry are used to.
Variety
Variety is a close second and comes into play in various ways:
- looks
- poses & moods
- single & group shots
- picture formats
How many different “looks” do you show in your portfolio and what’s the quality of the wardrobe?
Does your portfolio feature the latest trends in fashion, hairstyling and makeup?
How many different poses & moods (e.g. sensual, happy, serene, etc.) can you execute well? How many hours do you practice in the mirror?
Can you swim or do underwater shots? Are you comfortable “smoking” or doing “nudity” or “implied nudity” shots?
Do you only have shots of yourself or also group shots? Or do you have shots with different genders & ethnicities?
Do you have shots showing your personality so potential clients see what makes you stand out from the other models they may be evaluating?
Do you also showcase your versatility as a model in different formats, such as portraits, full-body, headshots and medium shots?
Portraits & headshots are good for beauty / product brands, medium shots & full-body are best for fashion clients.
How Do You Get a Strong Portfolio?
In theory you can do 20 TFP (time for pictures = no $$$ = test shoots) shoots and be ready. In reality you may end up with 1-2 high quality shots in 20 months.
At this rate you are doing photoshoots for 10 years before you have a strong portfolio.
In short, you pay and do photoshoots with the purpose of building a strong portfolio. There are 2 options available:
- You direct the shoot
- Prestige Artists Model Portfolio Shoots
You need to produce pictures that are produced with the sole purpose of benefitting you, the model.
You Direct The Shoot
If you feel confident enough to direct your team this option may be for you. It means you need to be much more involved.
On the one hand, when you take charge and direct your own shoot you may save some money.
On the other hand, all the responsibility to produce high quality pictures is on you and you need to invest more time and effort.
It means you’ll need to setup your own shoots with a professional level:
- photographer
- hair stylist
- makeup artist
- wardrobe stylist
- nail technician
In terms of money you need a budget of $1,000 / shoot as a minimum according to Day Rates For Photographers & Artists.
Time-wise you are looking at 28 hours of work. Take a look at Professional Level Photoshoot: How It Works.
Prestige Artists Model Portfolio Shoots
You work with a team of professionals like Prestige Artists. Because we are professionals we have a proven track record (you can take a look at the pictures we produce) and connections others don’t have.
Apart from the know-how of working 20 years in the industry we have developed connections allowing us to have access to agents, managers, artists, wardrobe and equipment others don’t have.
But it doesn’t stop there. What’s the point of having a strong portfolio if nobody sees it? Because of our connections we know who to send your portfolio to for paid jobs.
The rest is up to the client. They have the money and they decide who they want for their project.
We do all the pre-production work and facilitate the professional photoshoot from beginning to end.
In terms of money you need a budget of $350 – $2,500 / shoot depending on your needs and level of artists.
Contact Prestige Artists for more information if this interests you – email: Miami@Prestige-Artists.com
Photoshoot Options
We offer 5 photoshoot options:
- Headshots
- Starter
- Economy
- Standard
- Premium
Headshots
Starter
Economy
Standard
Premium
Credits
Written by Sophia Lenore
Photographer: Phil Halfmann
Creative Director: Sophia Lenore
