How to build a modelling portfolio from scratch

A portfolio (often called a "book") is the collection of images that shows clients what you look like and what you can do in front of a camera. Many new models believe they need one before they can approach an agency. In most cases the opposite is true: agencies want to see you first, and the portfolio grows once someone is guiding it.

This guide explains where to start, what a good early portfolio contains, and how to avoid paying for something you do not need.

Start with digitals, not a photoshoot

Before any styled photography, you need clean, recent, unretouched photos: a headshot, both profiles, a full-length shot and a three-quarter shot, all in daylight against a plain wall. Our guide to taking modelling digitals walks through each one.

Digitals are what agencies use to judge your look, proportions and skin. A heavily edited photo, however beautiful, makes that harder. If you only have a phone and a friend to hold it, you already have everything you need to apply.

Alongside your photos, take accurate measurements. Our explainer on model measurements covers what to measure and how, and the size converter helps if a client lists sizes in a system you are not used to.

What a test shoot is, and how to find one

A test shoot is a session where a photographer, a model and often a stylist or make-up artist work together to create new images for everyone's portfolio. It is how most models build their first real pages.

Tests are arranged in a few common ways:

• Through an agency. Once you are represented, your agency usually suggests photographers whose style suits the work they want you to do. This is the most reliable route, because the agency knows which images will help you get booked.
• Collaborative tests. A photographer, stylist or make-up artist who is also building their own book agrees to shoot with you. Nobody pays anybody; everyone gets images.
• Paid tests. You pay a photographer for their time. This can be legitimate, but it is rarely necessary at the very start, and you should be wary if anyone insists it is the only way in.

Whichever route you take, agree in writing before the day: the date, location, number of looks, who will be present, how many edited images you will receive, and how each person may use them.

What a strong early portfolio looks like

A new model's book does not need to be big. A small set of strong, varied images is far more useful than a long scroll of similar ones. Aim for:

1. A clean beauty or headshot image that shows your face and skin clearly.
2. A full-length image that shows your proportions and how you hold your body.
3. Movement. One or two frames where you are walking, turning or interacting with clothing.
4. Range of mood. Something soft and something stronger, so clients can see you are not limited to one expression.
5. The kind of work you want. If you are aiming at commercial and e-commerce work, include warm, approachable images. If you are aiming at fashion editorial, include more styled, graphic frames. Our overview of the main types of modelling can help you decide.

Leave out anything blurry, years old, heavily filtered or wildly different from how you look today. A client who books you from your book expects that person to arrive on set.

Safety at test shoots

Most photographers are professionals who want a good result as much as you do. A few people use "portfolio building" as cover for something else. Keep these habits:

• Research the photographer first. Look at their work, and ask other models who have shot with them.
• Bring someone with you, especially to a first test or to a private studio or home. Under-18s should always have a parent or guardian present and need their consent to shoot at all.
• You decide what you are comfortable wearing. A genuine test never requires nudity or underwear, and you can stop at any point.
• Be cautious of anyone who says you must buy a specific photography package before an agency will consider you.

Verallia never charges application, registration or portfolio fees, and never asks for nude or underwear photos. If someone using our name tells you otherwise, read our recruitment warning and report it.

Printed book, digital book, or both?

Most portfolios today are digital: a PDF, a page on an agency website, or a carefully curated set of images you can send by email. Some clients and agencies still like to see a printed book at castings, especially in fashion markets.

If you are just starting, focus on a tidy digital set. Name your files clearly, keep them in a sensible order, and update them as soon as you have a better image. A printed book can come later, ideally with your agency's advice on layout and sequence.

Keep it current

Your portfolio is never finished. Hair changes, faces mature, and your strongest images will change as you work more. Review it every few months:

• Replace your digitals whenever your hair, weight or look changes noticeably.
• Remove older images once you have a better one that does the same job.
• Ask for honest feedback from your booker or from experienced people you trust.

Your next step

You do not need a finished book to apply. Send clear digitals and accurate measurements through our free online application. If we see potential, we explain what happens after you apply, and for the models we represent, portfolio development is part of our talent management work, at no cost to you.