model portfolio.

[Christina]

I was aproached by a young lady wanting to put together a portfolio. I explained to her i was not a proffesional and i asked her if she had seën my work.

She responded that she had and it was ok that i was not a proff. Bc neither was she. And she was just trying to make a small portfolio to start out.

So what consists of a model portfolio? What photos are expectèd?

 

[dpolston]

Usually, it's all about the headshot. No soft filters, no vignettes just simple basic stuff.

I usually start off and charge what I feel is a modest fee (for a newbie... you have to determine that yourself) for around 2 hours work (that includes the time you'll take to pick the portfolio shots). I would give her 10 standard 8x10 glossy's. I know I'll get some heat for this but; you pick the 10 shots. This way you can keep it within the realm of what a portfolio should look like and that should be "Marketable"! The photo that she may feel "boyfriend worthy" may not be the photo "Joe's Coffee Shop" wants to have advertise their business.

This is very basic stuff and make the photos "commercial", don't get too creative. If this is for future work for her, she'll more than likely start off with a small pictorial shot (one pic) in the local free newspaper for the local clothes consignment shop. I doubt that this will spark an immediate "high fashioned" cover for Vogue.

 

[Alex_B]

I just wonder, do you also use Sed Cards in the US?

 

[Christina]

Thats sounds like a good start.

What are sed cards?

 

[Christina]

I dont think so cause i dont know what it is. But i may just be oblivòus

 

[craig]

Before the session starts discuss ask what areas of modeling she plans to target. Hopefully she will have something specific in mind. If not be sure too get some standard flattering shots. After that get creative. Work together on the photos. Show her lots of previews while shooting.

Love & Bass

 

[Nimitz]

This may not be too helpful as I can not remember the title of the book but ... at my local Barnes & Noble there was a book which went into very specific details about creating portfolios for models. Lots of example photos for the types of shots to take. It even discussed things like how to assess a model to identify her flaws and strong points so that you can best flatter her in the portfolio.

I'm sure a quick search will reveal this book plus several others dealing with photographing models - good to have in your library if you expect to do this again which is highly likley if she likes the portfolio you produce - word of mouth is a wonderful thing ...

 

[Christina]

and google and this place has been a wonderful help since i have started photography.

 

[Alex_B]

What are sed cards?

Sed cards where first introduced by Sebastian Sed of the former British modelling agency Parker-Sed. Sed cards are sometimes misspelled as zed cards or set cards and often called Comp Cards.

They are a standardised cards for model agencies where the front side shows a portrait shot of the model and the relevant data. The rear side allows for more photos.