How to Become a Model: Understanding the Need of Portfolios

When it comes to the world of modeling, one of the most earliest of steps that you will take will be to make a portfolio that is of course if you are serious about pursuing it as a profession whether full-time or part-time. All the experts in this industry believe that if a model has a good portfolio it does wonders for his or her career and catches the attention of the “big fish” when it comes to modeling agencies and scouts. This is what brings us to the next matter of importance which is that if you are particularly new to this field of work with no prior experience that it can be rather difficult for you to conjure up the perfect portfolio to help take your career to the high road with all the fast cars.

What Type of Model Do You Want to Be?
The first and the foremost matter of priority should be for you to know which type of modeling you want to make a career out of, remember that this is important because it will be rather difficult to change your niche once you are in the game. Decide on this before you book a portfolio shoot. Now, we know you are a little confused at this point so we are going to elaborate a little.

The Debut Shoot for your Portfolio
This line of work needs some kind of investment on your part to begin with. A portfolio consists of pictures of you that would look appealing to modeling agencies so that they will want to sign you on. This portfolios cannot have pictures that you take from your regular cameras which is why you need to book the services of a professional photographer at this point. Use this opportunity to dress up for the kind of modeling that you want a career in and make a portfolio with the help of the pictures you get out of this debut photoshoot.

The Photographer for your Debut Shoot
Don’t hesitate to be creative when it comes to the photographer and don’t even think about settling for one whose work you don’t like. When you hire one, make sure he understands how to get the best pictures and understands the concept of light.

The Quality of your Debut Shoot
This is one of the major factors that play a role in the making of your portfolio. Remember that the sole reason for hiring a professional photographer for your debut shoot is so that you have good quality pictures to work with. If that weren’t the case then there was nothing stopping you from putting up pictures your friends take of you with their mobile phones but that is not what the modeling agencies want to see. This is why we suggested that you hire a professional photographer. Now the problem with this is that you can hardly find one these days as almost every 20 something year-old labels himself a photographer if he owns a DSLR. So, what you need to do is look at the previous shoots that the photographer has been a part of. If he is a well-known photographer then chances are that he will have his own website with his own portfolio for you to see and judge.

Now we know that you see the important for any individual in any sort of profession to have a portfolios where they can display the work that they have been a part of previously so the employers know the kind of work they will receive should they hire those individuals.

Why It is So Important for your Portfolio to be Perfect
You need to remember that if you make a portfolio without having a general idea about the kind of modeling you want to get into, the aftereffects could be catastrophic in a sense that nobody will want to sign you on. A portfolio like that tends to look rather cluttered and messy which is something modeling agencies do not admire in a model. They want confident people who have a vision of precisely what it is that they want out of a career. This is why you need you pay attention to the overall effort you put in while making a portfolio.

The Pictures You Finalize for your Portfolio
Now you have been part of a photoshoot and you know how it feels like to work with a professional photographer which is something you will be doing a lot of down the line but what you don’t know is that there is still a daunting decision that lies ahead for you to make. You probably have a dozen photographs to work with by now which means you have absolutely no idea which ones should be the winners that go into your portfolio.

Imagine this, if the big food franchise Kentucky Fried Chicken was about to have a photoshoot to debut their new line of burgers, would they simply go get one from their branch to photograph? Of course not. What they would do is that they would hire skilled people from all over the world that would make the burgers in a manner that was appealing to photograph and knew how to best work with the lighting to achieve the kind of result that was desired. If they were to go with the kind of pictures that you can take from everyday mobile phones or rookie DSLRS then not you nor anybody else will want to look twice at their advertisement. What we are trying to tell you here is that a lot of factors go into play when one decides what pictures or videos are suitable for one’s portfolio and this isn’t a step that you can simply just “wing it” because that would mean the same would happen to your career.

What you need to do is set your standards high, don’t settle for pictures you don’t like yourself because if you don’t, how will an agency or a client like them?

This is precisely why you need to ensure that the winner pictures that make it into your portfolio are the ones that have the ability to wow the judges and make them stare at it for a while before they yell out that you are perfect for whatever runway or photoshoot project they have at hand.

If you let a single bad image make it into your portfolio, believe us, the agencies will never forget and neither will they let you.

There are only two kinds of pictures that should make it into your portfolios, the ones that are great and the ones that are amazing. Place the ones that are great on the left hand side and the ones that are amazing on the right hand side of your portfolio.

First Impression is the Last
Drill it in your head that like in every profession it is so, your first impression as a model will be your last. Your impression in this industry will be your portfolio and if it fails, people won’t even look at you twice and what you do want is for them to know your name by the kind of first impression that you leave.

When you apply to a particular modeling agency the first and the foremost thing that they and your potential clients will do is look at the pictures in the portfolio that you submit and whether or not they decide to sign you on for projects solely depends on how impressive your portfolio is. This is why it is so important that your portfolio looks perfect because it could either make or break your career.

Questions You Need to Ask When Making a Portfolio
It is no secret that people often hire the services of professionals when it comes to making portfolios for their modeling careers as it is a gamble they think is too risky to take on by themselves and you can do the same but there are a few questions that you need clarify the answers of before you get the process started and they are as follows.

What Will the Dimensions of the Photographs be?
Sizes for portfolios usually vary, whether it is 9×12 or 11×14, you need to figure out which ones are a popular trend so that you can design your portfolio accordingly. You see, things like these you can’t possibly know on your own which is why when you hire the services of professional portfolio makers, you can be assured that they have the answers to all your trend related questions and everything else for that matter. Remember that the size of the photographs decide how many get to be in your portfolio so don’t make it so there are too many cluttered on each page and are so small that the modeling agency can’t decide whether you are worth signing on or not. Too many pictures in every possible angle present on your portfolio makes you look kind of desperate and though at this point you are because you are a beginner, we don’t want the agencies and clients to know that.

How Many Pictures Should There Be in My Portfolio?
At this point you might have dozens of beautiful pictures that you feel should be in your portfolio but remember that when it comes to modeling, the agencies prefer quality over quantity which is also what you and the service you hire to make your portfolio should focus on.

The important thing to remember here is that the sole reason for making a portfolio is to show the modeling agencies and potential clients that you are physically able to portray new characters, ages and can pull of any kinds of clothes that the client wants you to model in which is why they are looking to hire you or any other model in the first place. This is what your portfolio should focus on. You do need expert opinion on this matter which is why it is best advised that you ask this questions to your portfolio makers so they can work accordingly.

All you need is four good pictures out of which two can be headshots and two can be full length pictures that show them your figure and you are golden.

Is One Photographer Enough or Do I Need to Work with Two?
What you need in your portfolio is a variety of pictures that portray you in not one but in several characters, what better way to do that than to hire more than one photographer? Any good portfolio making company will tell you the same. Do this if you have enough resources to spare as the benefits will be bountiful.

Every photographer comes with a set of skills and a vision which is why you need more than one working with you on your debut shoot. The reason for this is in the future when you are a successful model, you won’t be working with one photographer but rather many which is why it is so important that you are captured by different photographers so they agency can see new sides of you and can tell that you are a diverse model capable of handling hardships down the line.

Do You Do B&W Pictures?
Black and white pictures are the most common type of pictures found today. The express elegance and sophistication which is why if you are hesitant about including some great B&W pictures in your portfolio, don’t be. As you know not all ads on TV are in color, many people have made great advertisements in B&W only. Don’t be afraid to add a couple of B&W shots into your portfolio, just make sure that the photographer on your project is more than capable of taking them.

Now that we are clear on why it is so important to create a portfolio and how you can create the best portfolio, we know that you are ready. If you decide to take on the project of creating your own portfolio, just remember that the risks are rather great whereas if you take the help of a professional portfolio making company then the results will be guaranteed. Remember to pick a reputable company so your portfolio is a success.