There are many photographers of model portfolios who are making a very solid living taking photos of models and hosting portfolios of these shots on the Internet. Assembling a professional looking portfolio is an essential part of getting your work to stand on its own and to attract clients. If an aspiring model likes your work, he or she might want to contact you and have you do a photo shoot with them. This article highlights some examples of how photographers of model portfolios are presenting their work on the Internet. It will also give you some tips on how to create your own portfolio.
Examples of Photographers of Model Portfolios
The Internet is obviously a visual medium, so use that fact to your advantage. If your site has a creative way to make viewers really engage with your photos you are more likely to attract more work.
The following online portfolios illustrate a variety of styles that different photographers have employed to make their work stand out. Notice that the way the photographs are presented on each website is another factor to the portfolio.
- Scott Young: Scott Young's photographs go beyond the typical headshot. He places his subjects in settings that help accentuate their style. His website also uses a simple technique of fading between each image, and each image takes up the entire page, so you can easily get absorbed in the scenes that you are looking at.
- Bob Pardue: Bob Pardue has examples of model portfolios for teens, females, and males. The portfolios contain images that are a combination of headshots and action shots and each model has a brief bio that lists his or her interests. This site also features modeling tips and a free mini-model course so you can get an idea of the types of services that you could include in your own portfolio.
- Ken Weingart: The portfolios on Ken Weingart's site are arranged in categories like location, studio, beauty, movement/dance, and body. The site uses an attractive way to present the images in the portfolios. For example, the main shot takes up the majority of the screen while the other shots in the portfolio are arranged on the side of the page, so you can see at a glance what the rest of the portfolio looks like.
Tips For Creating Model Portfolios
Viewing the work of others is a great way to get ideas, but when you're putting together your model portfolios, you should also consider the following simple tips to insure you are getting the most out of your efforts:
- Make sure you understand the kinds of work the models you are shooting are interested in doing. If the model is primarily interested in doing swimsuit photography, don't spend a lot of time shooting fashion shots of them. Rather, specialize the shoot to meet the model's strengths.
- Take a variety of shots of the models. Most agencies like to see headshots, 3/4 length body shots, and full body shots. Discuss your ideas with the models and make sure you get a wide variety of images without shooting too many unnecessary poses.
- For model photography, make-up is of paramount importance. If you're not comfortable applying make-up, be sure you have someone you trust do so. Make-up can take a lot of time and effort to apply, so being confident of your plan before the day of the shoot is essential.
Build as You Go
If you only have a few images so far, go ahead and start your portfolio. It will evolve as you go, and you will learn while updating it. More people will contact you if you have a web presence than if you don't, so don't wait around - start today.
