BUILDING A MODELING PORTFOLIO
Let's talk about what makes a portfolio. In the good old days, you simply carried a book around with big pictures. Well, in the modern digital world, your portfolio can very easily be digital. The fact of the matter is that your images are what people will consider when they make the decision to book you. The better your portfolio is, the better work you are going to get.
To start off, have someone take the following images of you:
These are just the first images you will need to build a portfolio. These are the images you can send to agencies along with your stats. I recommend submitting your snapshots to local agencies in addition to putting them online.
Once you have these images, get out your tape measure and measure your height, bust, waist, and hips. Be honest when you do the measuring. You can't lie about these things because other people will measure you too to make sure your measurements were accurate.
For a first shoot, ask the photographer if its OK for you to bring a friend to the shoot. This is important as your friend can make you feel more comfortable and the last thing you want is a stressful shoot. If the photographer does not want you to bring a friend, find another photographer.
Look at top model portfolios and magazines and try to emulate them, but add yourself to it. Take what they have done and expand on it. You need to study. Get magazines and books; play with makeup and clothing; and take the ideas to the photographers. Get involved and get their feedback.
You may also need a makeup artist and a stylist. The photographer will be able to provide this usually, but it may cost money. I highly recommend makeup artists and stylists unless you know how to do it. Go to the mall and ask the makeup reps to help you and teach you. MAC is really good for this. Get some books about how to do it and educate yourself so that when you test, you can do basic makeup if there isn't a makeup artist available.
The only way to be a good model is to work. So go do your homework and enjoy it.
What is TFP / TFCD ?
It's a cooperative way for models, photographers and make-up artists (MUA) to work together to produce a mutually beneficial result. TF stands for "Trade For". TFP is Trade for Prints, TFCD is Trade For CD. The photographer will take the photos, MUA does the make-up and the model models for the shoot. Nobody gets paid (no fee or commission) and all get a copy of the photos.
Detailed tips:
1, Look through fashion magazines and clothes catalogues and find poses you like. Practice in front of a mirror. Practice different facial looks in the mirror and select a few that really works well for you. Use these in the photo shoot.
2, Decide on a number of looks you want to do. Ideally, you should pick at least three and they should demonstrate a wide variety (so not all jeans and t-shirt shots!!). If you have a special skill, such as ballet, you may even want to consider taking some photos in your ballet outfit and even making a pose. The photos in your portfolio need to show your best body features so your cloths need to bring out these features as much as possible.
3, Keep your hair, skin and nails in good condition in the run up to the shoot. If you need a hair cut, get one.
4, Once you have decided what clothes to wear, make sure they are clean and put to one side for the shoot well in advance. Ideally, you should have decided upon your outfits and have them ready at least 3 days before the shoot.
If the shoot is outdoors, practice changing at home from one outfit to the other. There may not me a private place to change so be creative when switching outfits.
5, 24 hours before the shoot, TEXT or email your photographer and make-up artist to make sure everything is still ok. DON'T miss a shoot as the photographers may not work as well with you next time.
6, The day before the shoot, make sure you get a good night's sleep and stay away from alcohol. Your face needs to look very relaxed.
7, The morning of the shoot, double check that your bag is packed and that your transportation is OK. Aim to arrive 10 minutes before you are due (and make sure that time has accounted for applying make-up!). Carry the photographer's number on you and give them a call if you realize you might be late. Very important.
If the shoot is outdoors, TEXT or call the photographer 1 hour before the shoot to confirm that the shoot is a go. Rainy weather usually cancels the shoot.
8, Discuss what sort of looks you want to go for with the photographer. After this, you will probably have your make-up applied.
9, Enjoy your photo shoot! Listen carefully to what the photographer wants. Try not to be nervous but do acknowledge that feeling as normal...even models who have been working for years upon years get nervous. Feel free to make suggestions on poses and if you want a particular look, you need to speak out.
10, Once the shoot is over, pay your fees as required and write a thank you note to the photographer and your make-up artist.
11, Once you have your photos, sort out the ones you like from the ones that aren't so good. Enlist family and friends to help out. Remember that less is more - if you only find 5 magical shots, use these and stop. That's far better than using 25 which are just "ok". The photographer should give you a copy of the photos on a memory stick so start to edit the photos on your computer. If you don’t know how, download paint.net and use this simple editing program. Get friends to help you.
12, Put the best photos on your memory stick and get prints 8x10 or 5x7 made at wall-mart etc.
13, Buy a folder to put your photos in. Sort out your portfolio in to the order which best presents you as you want to be presented as a model. Try different combinations until you feel satisfied you have found the right one.
14, Remember to keep updating your portfolio as you begin to work as a model.
Mirror Work
Do you do it? Do you know what it is? If you answered “no” to either of these questions – you shouldn’t be calling yourself a model. Top models practice daily and Mirror Work is how they do it.
Athletes, Musicians, Singers, Actors – they ALL practice to become good at what they do.
So what IS Mirror Work? It is “Muscle Memory”
If you have ever played organized sports – your coaches talked to you about “muscle memory.” I’ll give you an example – in the sport of Baseball, players take batting practice before every game. Before each at bat – the player stands in the On Deck Circle and swings the bat over and over again. All of this practice is for the purpose of training the body and its muscles how to swing the bat.
Think about it – when a ball player is standing at home plate with someone throwing a ball at them at more than 90 miles per hour – they don’t want to be thinking about how to swing the bat – they need to think about where the ball is and where it is going.
This same principle applies to a piano player or a guitar player – they practice and practice the chords and locations of keys and strings, because when they are playing they need to concentrate on the tempo and music.
Models need to do mirror work for TWO reasons
The first and most obvious is posing:
A smart model learns quickly that nobody has a perfect body. You must learn your best as well as your worst features and more importantly how to make them work for the camera. It is important to learn the basic bikini pose and more importantly understand why it makes the body look so good.
Every model should have an arsenal of at least 10 poses that they can do well and have the confidence of knowing that their body looks great in these poses.
Your goal while practicing in the mirror is not just to find attractive poses – but to concentrate on “how does your body feel” when you are doing a pose correctly. Remember that when you are in front of the camera, you don’t have a mirror in front of you to look at.
The second and most important reason for doing mirror work is facial expressions:
Modeling is acting and your face is your MOST important communication tool.
First and foremost a model must learn how to smile. It is natural for people to tend to squint their eyes or show too much gum when smiling.
Mirror work allows you to learn how your face “feels” when you smile correctly. It also allows you to learn how your face feels when you do a big look of surprise or anger or the classic open mouth smile.
The purpose for all of this practice is just like that of the athletes and musicians – so that these skills become second nature. When you get in front of a camera if you have to think for just one second, “Does my smile look ok?”, “Does this pose make my butt look big?” then you have blown the shot. When you are in front of the camera you have to be thinking about the character you are portraying and the personality that is needed to sell that idea.
A few quick pointers for successful mirror work:
Do it alone – nobody else in the room, radio and TV turned off.
No more than 5 minutes at a time. Good mirror work takes lots of concentration. If you stay at it too long – you will start looking at the pile of wash that you see behind you or the books on your desk that are waiting to be read. (Feel free to do mirror work several times a day if your schedule permits – but still only for 5 minutes at a time.
Only work on one pose or expression in each session. Remember – anybody can look in the mirror and do a perfect smile in 2 seconds – your purpose is to learn how that smile feels. Keep your sessions short and focused.
When working on poses – be sure to do your mirror work in the nude from time to time. There is no better way to see how your body looks when posing then when you are naked. Additionally – it is a great way to learn how to pose your hands. With no clothes on – you have no place to put your hands.
(I challenge you to come up with poses that DON’T include placing your hands on your hips!)
Be critical but constructive. Nobody has a perfect body or perfect face. Don’t watch yourself in the mirror thinking that you are “all that” and don’t look in the mirror and totally tear yourself apart.
Let's talk about what makes a portfolio. In the good old days, you simply carried a book around with big pictures. Well, in the modern digital world, your portfolio can very easily be digital. The fact of the matter is that your images are what people will consider when they make the decision to book you. The better your portfolio is, the better work you are going to get.
To start off, have someone take the following images of you:
- Full length front – jeans/shirt
- Swim suit or lingerie
- Full length back and side
- A close up of your face straight on with smile and no smile
- Other photos showing off your best features and poses.
These are just the first images you will need to build a portfolio. These are the images you can send to agencies along with your stats. I recommend submitting your snapshots to local agencies in addition to putting them online.
Once you have these images, get out your tape measure and measure your height, bust, waist, and hips. Be honest when you do the measuring. You can't lie about these things because other people will measure you too to make sure your measurements were accurate.
For a first shoot, ask the photographer if its OK for you to bring a friend to the shoot. This is important as your friend can make you feel more comfortable and the last thing you want is a stressful shoot. If the photographer does not want you to bring a friend, find another photographer.
Look at top model portfolios and magazines and try to emulate them, but add yourself to it. Take what they have done and expand on it. You need to study. Get magazines and books; play with makeup and clothing; and take the ideas to the photographers. Get involved and get their feedback.
You may also need a makeup artist and a stylist. The photographer will be able to provide this usually, but it may cost money. I highly recommend makeup artists and stylists unless you know how to do it. Go to the mall and ask the makeup reps to help you and teach you. MAC is really good for this. Get some books about how to do it and educate yourself so that when you test, you can do basic makeup if there isn't a makeup artist available.
The only way to be a good model is to work. So go do your homework and enjoy it.
What is TFP / TFCD ?
It's a cooperative way for models, photographers and make-up artists (MUA) to work together to produce a mutually beneficial result. TF stands for "Trade For". TFP is Trade for Prints, TFCD is Trade For CD. The photographer will take the photos, MUA does the make-up and the model models for the shoot. Nobody gets paid (no fee or commission) and all get a copy of the photos.
Detailed tips:
1, Look through fashion magazines and clothes catalogues and find poses you like. Practice in front of a mirror. Practice different facial looks in the mirror and select a few that really works well for you. Use these in the photo shoot.
2, Decide on a number of looks you want to do. Ideally, you should pick at least three and they should demonstrate a wide variety (so not all jeans and t-shirt shots!!). If you have a special skill, such as ballet, you may even want to consider taking some photos in your ballet outfit and even making a pose. The photos in your portfolio need to show your best body features so your cloths need to bring out these features as much as possible.
3, Keep your hair, skin and nails in good condition in the run up to the shoot. If you need a hair cut, get one.
4, Once you have decided what clothes to wear, make sure they are clean and put to one side for the shoot well in advance. Ideally, you should have decided upon your outfits and have them ready at least 3 days before the shoot.
If the shoot is outdoors, practice changing at home from one outfit to the other. There may not me a private place to change so be creative when switching outfits.
5, 24 hours before the shoot, TEXT or email your photographer and make-up artist to make sure everything is still ok. DON'T miss a shoot as the photographers may not work as well with you next time.
6, The day before the shoot, make sure you get a good night's sleep and stay away from alcohol. Your face needs to look very relaxed.
7, The morning of the shoot, double check that your bag is packed and that your transportation is OK. Aim to arrive 10 minutes before you are due (and make sure that time has accounted for applying make-up!). Carry the photographer's number on you and give them a call if you realize you might be late. Very important.
If the shoot is outdoors, TEXT or call the photographer 1 hour before the shoot to confirm that the shoot is a go. Rainy weather usually cancels the shoot.
8, Discuss what sort of looks you want to go for with the photographer. After this, you will probably have your make-up applied.
9, Enjoy your photo shoot! Listen carefully to what the photographer wants. Try not to be nervous but do acknowledge that feeling as normal...even models who have been working for years upon years get nervous. Feel free to make suggestions on poses and if you want a particular look, you need to speak out.
10, Once the shoot is over, pay your fees as required and write a thank you note to the photographer and your make-up artist.
11, Once you have your photos, sort out the ones you like from the ones that aren't so good. Enlist family and friends to help out. Remember that less is more - if you only find 5 magical shots, use these and stop. That's far better than using 25 which are just "ok". The photographer should give you a copy of the photos on a memory stick so start to edit the photos on your computer. If you don’t know how, download paint.net and use this simple editing program. Get friends to help you.
12, Put the best photos on your memory stick and get prints 8x10 or 5x7 made at wall-mart etc.
13, Buy a folder to put your photos in. Sort out your portfolio in to the order which best presents you as you want to be presented as a model. Try different combinations until you feel satisfied you have found the right one.
14, Remember to keep updating your portfolio as you begin to work as a model.
Mirror Work
Do you do it? Do you know what it is? If you answered “no” to either of these questions – you shouldn’t be calling yourself a model. Top models practice daily and Mirror Work is how they do it.
Athletes, Musicians, Singers, Actors – they ALL practice to become good at what they do.
So what IS Mirror Work? It is “Muscle Memory”
If you have ever played organized sports – your coaches talked to you about “muscle memory.” I’ll give you an example – in the sport of Baseball, players take batting practice before every game. Before each at bat – the player stands in the On Deck Circle and swings the bat over and over again. All of this practice is for the purpose of training the body and its muscles how to swing the bat.
Think about it – when a ball player is standing at home plate with someone throwing a ball at them at more than 90 miles per hour – they don’t want to be thinking about how to swing the bat – they need to think about where the ball is and where it is going.
This same principle applies to a piano player or a guitar player – they practice and practice the chords and locations of keys and strings, because when they are playing they need to concentrate on the tempo and music.
Models need to do mirror work for TWO reasons
The first and most obvious is posing:
A smart model learns quickly that nobody has a perfect body. You must learn your best as well as your worst features and more importantly how to make them work for the camera. It is important to learn the basic bikini pose and more importantly understand why it makes the body look so good.
Every model should have an arsenal of at least 10 poses that they can do well and have the confidence of knowing that their body looks great in these poses.
Your goal while practicing in the mirror is not just to find attractive poses – but to concentrate on “how does your body feel” when you are doing a pose correctly. Remember that when you are in front of the camera, you don’t have a mirror in front of you to look at.
The second and most important reason for doing mirror work is facial expressions:
Modeling is acting and your face is your MOST important communication tool.
First and foremost a model must learn how to smile. It is natural for people to tend to squint their eyes or show too much gum when smiling.
Mirror work allows you to learn how your face “feels” when you smile correctly. It also allows you to learn how your face feels when you do a big look of surprise or anger or the classic open mouth smile.
The purpose for all of this practice is just like that of the athletes and musicians – so that these skills become second nature. When you get in front of a camera if you have to think for just one second, “Does my smile look ok?”, “Does this pose make my butt look big?” then you have blown the shot. When you are in front of the camera you have to be thinking about the character you are portraying and the personality that is needed to sell that idea.
A few quick pointers for successful mirror work:
Do it alone – nobody else in the room, radio and TV turned off.
No more than 5 minutes at a time. Good mirror work takes lots of concentration. If you stay at it too long – you will start looking at the pile of wash that you see behind you or the books on your desk that are waiting to be read. (Feel free to do mirror work several times a day if your schedule permits – but still only for 5 minutes at a time.
Only work on one pose or expression in each session. Remember – anybody can look in the mirror and do a perfect smile in 2 seconds – your purpose is to learn how that smile feels. Keep your sessions short and focused.
When working on poses – be sure to do your mirror work in the nude from time to time. There is no better way to see how your body looks when posing then when you are naked. Additionally – it is a great way to learn how to pose your hands. With no clothes on – you have no place to put your hands.
(I challenge you to come up with poses that DON’T include placing your hands on your hips!)
Be critical but constructive. Nobody has a perfect body or perfect face. Don’t watch yourself in the mirror thinking that you are “all that” and don’t look in the mirror and totally tear yourself apart.