Modeling portfolio: the photos you need, with examples

A portfolio is your passport in the modeling world. Whether you need one depends on where you are in your career, but remember what it is for: it is what gets you well-paid work.

This guide shows which photos a modeling portfolio needs, how digitals, test shoots and published work differ, what a shoot costs, how to keep the book current and which mistakes to avoid. Every type of picture comes with an example.

Do you need a portfolio to start modeling?

No. A common mistake is to spend hundreds on a professional shoot before approaching an agency. An agency first needs digitals: plain, unretouched pictures without make-up that show what you really look like. If it sees potential, the agency tells you which pictures are missing and recommends photographers who know how to shoot models. See how to become a model and the Supermodels open call.

Model digitals

Digitals, also called polaroids, are simple pictures taken in natural light against a plain wall: fitted clothes, no make-up, hair off the face, neutral expression. Agencies ask for them when you apply and before castings, and you should retake them every few months or whenever your look changes.

Model portfolio examples: the six photos you need

A career needs good portraits, and for most jobs the client also wants to see your body. That is what full-length pictures in fitted clothes, a leotard or swimwear are for: they show your proportions and lines. Half-body shots, from head to hips, come next. If you have especially good hands, feet, legs or back, shoot those in close-up too.

For a dynamic, versatile book you also need pictures where clothes and expression show your range. You are sometimes competing with thousands of models for the same jobs, so the pictures have to be striking and memorable.

In short, a book must have your face and your full figure, colour and black-and-white pictures, and looks from casual to formal. Anything short of that reads as unprofessional, whoever shot it and whatever it cost.

Digitals, tests and tearsheets

Pictures	What they are	What they are for
Digitals (polaroids)	Plain pictures without make-up or retouching	Applying to an agency and every casting; retaken every few months
Tests	A shoot with a photographer where you learn to pose and make book pictures	The first portfolio, before you have jobs
Tearsheets	Published magazine, campaign and catalogue pictures	Gradually replace the tests and show experience

What a test costs and how to pick a photographer is in our guide to the model test shoot. How to pose so the pictures differ: model poses.

How many photos and what format

Printed books come in standard sizes, most often 9×12 or 11×14 inches (about 23×30 or 28×36 cm). Larger prints look more impressive. A printed book usually has ten pages with pictures on both sides and holds 12 to 30 carefully chosen images, though 12 strong pictures beat 30 average ones: a client flips through in a minute and remembers the weakest frame.

Today the printed book is often replaced by a digital one. Your pictures sit on the agency's website, the agency sends clients a PDF package, and you take a tablet or a composite card to castings, with your best frames and measurements. You can make a comp card yourself at jurgita.cc.

What a portfolio shoot costs

Prices vary widely by market and photographer. Do not spend thousands on your first shoots: you only need clear pictures of your face and body. Photographers and models often work for free in exchange for pictures because both are building a portfolio. If an agency pays for a shoot, the amount goes on your account and is deducted from future earnings, so check the terms in your contract.

Keeping the portfolio current

Edit and update your book with care. As you gain experience and better pictures, replace the old ones. If your look changes, shoot new pictures at once. A client books you on how you look in the book: turn up with a different haircut and hair colour and the people who invested time and money in you will not be pleased. Even very good pictures have to go if they no longer show how you look now.

Put your contact details everywhere: your name, your agency and how to reach it on the first page, so that a lost book finds its way back.

Common mistakes

• Too many similar pictures from the same shoot.
• Heavy retouching, so you no longer look like yourself in person.
• Old pictures with a different haircut or hair colour.
• Selfies and filtered pictures instead of digitals.
• An expensive shoot with a photographer who does not work with models.
• No full-length shot, or hair covering the face.

Supermodels teaches posing for the camera, taking digitals and choosing pictures in its model training.

Frequently asked questions

What is a model book?

It is the model's portfolio: a set of the best professional pictures that the agency shows to clients, printed or digital.

How many photos should a modeling portfolio have?

Usually 12–20. Quality and variety matter more than number: 12 strong pictures beat 30 average ones.

Do I need a portfolio to get signed?

No. Digitals are enough to apply: plain pictures without make-up from the front, in profile and full length.

What are model digitals?

Digitals, or polaroids, are unretouched pictures without make-up, in fitted clothes and natural light. They show what the model really looks like.

How much does a modeling portfolio cost?

It depends on the market and the photographer. At the start many shoots are done in exchange for pictures, and the agency helps build the book.

How often should I update my portfolio?

Whenever your look changes or you get better pictures. Retake your digitals every few months.