Portfolio Shots for Models

Images for a model’s portfolio have a different set of needs vs. headshots for business (yes, modeling is a business too). There are some basic setups that are generally good to have for a model’s portfolio, along with many options depending on the personality of the model, the type of clients and the look(s) the model is going for:

A Beauty Shot

As the name implies, this image is designed to highlight the beauty of the model’s face – much like a typical headshot, however there are more lighting and background options. For example, a more dramatic look with shadows on one side of the face against a neutral background vs. a bright, evenly lit look with a washed out white background, or a colored background that closely matches something like the model’s makeup (for female models), eye color, etc..

A Full Body Shot

For clothing, and other applications, clients want to see the model’s shape/body, and how the model looks in a similar environment as the client is looking for. Again here it’s important to understand what types of modeling/clients you’re targeting – clothing, environmental/corporate, commercial/advertising, etc..

For example, model’s who are looking for specific types of clients who are advertising clothing would want to have a full body shot in that type of clothing. Or, if you’re targeting corporate/environmental modeling, having shots in a similar environment would be helpful.

A more casual shot

Having images that also show the more casual side of you is also a good selling tool, particularly for gigs that are less stylized. There are many options here in terms of backgrounds, lighting, pose, etc. – but the idea is to show more of your personality to allow the client to get to know a bit more about who you are.

Your portfolio can contain more than 1 shot of each, again depending on the type of clients/gigs you’re looking for. You also don’t need to show every client your entire portfolio – tailoring your submissions based on what the client is looking for will help bring your name to the top of the pile.