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Your Portfolio
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| You will find some general advice about modelling, portfolios, and castings on our model advice page. This section is intended to help our registered models build their portfolios. |
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| Portfolios |
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| Every model needs a portfolio. It's how models show everyone else how they photograph, what work they've done, and how experienced they are. |
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| So, what is a portfolio ? |
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| Actually, 'Portfolio' is the name given to a presentation case containing documents or photographs. In the photographic and modelling industry, over the years the word Portfolio has come to mean the collection of photographs inside the case as well. |
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| Finding the right sort of shots to put into a portfolio is really difficult. |
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| A model's portfolio is their 'shop window'. The photographs in a model's portfolio are what 'promote' or 'sell' them. These photographs show how the model works in front of the camera, and how experienced they are. |
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| If you've had some shots taken, your friends and family will probably like of all the photographs you show them. The photographer who took your shots will probably tell you they're great too. |
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| The problem is though, the people you need to impress - professional photographers, magazine editors, advertising executives and creative directors are all very experienced, and probably look at photographs of models every day - It's what they do for a job. |
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| If you want these people to book you and pay you to work for them - to appear in their magazines or appear in their adverts you will need to convince them you're good enough. |
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| The photographs you (or your agent) use to promote you are the first thing your potential clients will see. Whether they're put on a website (like this one), Sent via email, or sent to the client as a print through the regular postal service, the pictures used to promote you need to be really great. |
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| It's obvious - The models with pictures that really 'sell' them are the ones who are going to be asked in for castings. And are most likely to be the ones who get the jobs. |
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| What sort of shots do you need ? |
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| There are 3 basic shots you need. |
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| 1. A good clear headshot |
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| 2. A 3/4 length shot in either swimwear or lingerie |
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| 3. A full length shot |
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| You do not need nude shots unless you intend doing adult work - in which case Sabotage Model Management would not be interested in representing you. |
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| What's so special about these 3 shots ? |
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| Well, a good clear headshot showing an attractive face is the best way to sell a model. |
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| The 3/4 length shot - sometimes called a body shot - shows a bit more of your figure and proportions. |
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| The full-length shot shows your overall proportions. |
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| Most professionals in the industry should be able to get a good picture of what you're like by looking at these 3 shots. |
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| If possible, as well as these basic shots you should aim to include in your portfolio: |
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| * tear-sheets of any published work you've done |
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| * copies of shots used in advertising campaigns (which might not have been published yet). You can try asking the client if they would mind you having a copy. |
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| * a selection of Polaroids from recent work you've done |
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| * any other shots where you look fantastic. |
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| Do NOT include any shots where you don't look 100% fantastic - because second-best pictures will always make you LOOK like a second-best model. |
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| What should I do if I'm new to modelling and I've only been shot a couple of times ? |
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| This shouldn't be a problem if you've managed to get some good basic shots. However you should avoid choosing dozens of pictures off the same session and trying to make a portfolio out of them. Lots of pictures taken on the same studio backdrop, or wearing the same clothes make you look inexperienced. |
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| It's better to have ONE fantastic shot that sells you, than 200 very average shots that don't sell you. |
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| All my pictures are on CD ROM - what should I do ? |
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| This is a common problem. Many female models who are contacted by amateur photographers via the Internet do free shoots for them and then end up with a CD of the whole shoot. |
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| You need good quality prints for your portfolio. The models who you are competing with for professional work ALL have excellent portfolios and if yours isn't up-to-scratch it's going to be difficult to get professional modelling work. |
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| Firstly we would recommend contacting the photographer who took the pictures and asking him or her for prints of any of the shots you're really pleased with. The chances are, you were offered FREE prints in return for doing the session - so it's only fair that you should receive them. |
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| If you're not sure which pictures to choose, then you should ask your model agent for help. Agents have plenty of experience knowing which shots 'sell' a model. |
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| If you're not sure how to tell if a photographer is an amateur or professional photographer click here. |
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| I've only got a couple of good shots do I still need a proper portfolio case ? |
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| YES - however good your pictures are, there're not going to be displayed at their best if you present them in a tatty brown envelope. How you present yourself AND your portfolio can make the difference between winning a professional modelling assignment and missing out. |
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| There's a lot on this site about working with professional photographers - what's so important about professional photographers ? |
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| Well, for a start they're likely to be the ones who will pay you a proper fee to work with them. They're also likely to be the people who photograph you for professional assignments like magazine or advertising shoots. |
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| Getting seen by professional people in the Photograpic and Modelling Industry is how you are going to get work. If you get the offer of a 'test shoot' (see model advice page) with a professional who specialises in the type of work you want to do - and it's free - take up the offer, the pictures you get will almost certainly be worth it. |
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| What are the 'Right' shots for my portfolio ? |
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| In truth, this is a difficult question to answer. The simple answer is you need - Pictures that 'sell' you - Pictures that get you noticed - Pictures that get you work. |
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| Finding these pictures is the hard part. Some models struggle to get noticed for months even a year or so. But all the time they're working on their portfolio until one day it starts working for them. |
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What is probably easier for us to say is the type of shots you don't need.
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| In this section we're going to show you some shots that are really successful at getting our models noticed - and some shots that are completely unsuitable. |
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| For the unsuitable shots we've blanked out the models's faces because we're not here to cause embarassment to anyone. However, remember these pictures have all been 'given' to models by photographers who told them they are suitable as portfolio shots, and in turn the pictures have been sent toSabotage Model Management to 'promote' those models. |
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| We genuinely believe that many models are being conned into working for free by photographers promising them shots for their portfolios - Sabotage Model Management is currently compiling a list of photographers we would advise models to avoid working with. Please contact us for more details. |
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Portfolio Pictures
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full length
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close head shot
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wide head shot
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3/4 length
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Unsuitable Portfolio Pictures
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nude shots
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awkward poses
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hidden faces
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make-over shots
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| All of the photographs used on the Sabotage Model Management website are copyright their respective photographers. And used with either the model's or the photographer's permission. Please respect their copyright. |
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