📸 Skai Chan Photography

How to Make a Stronger Modelling Portfolio

Along the journey to become a model, you probably have already done some photoshoots. However, some people may advise you that your photographs aren't good enough and you're probably thinking of how to make a stronger or better modelling portfolio.

Indeed, it's important for a model to own a good portfolio, which showcases both her talent and professionalism. Not only should the model appears good inside the photographs, the quality of the photographs, including the lighting, composition and post-production work, but will also give the viewer the overall impression of the portfolio.

It takes two hands to clap and in the case of modelling, being talented isn't enough to ensure the photoshoot will produce good work; a photoshoot is a team effort after all. Although the model's experience can improve the result tremendously, there's a limit to what a new photographer can do. In a photoshoot where a make-up artist is involved, there will be more uncertainties to the quality of results, unless the talent is very experienced.

I have a large number of freelance model friends in my Facebook friend list and I get to see new photoshoot work often. Thus, I've my fair share of viewing less-satisfactory quality work. The most common problem is the lack of experience of photographers who have turned the model's face flat due to the lighting or overdone PhotoShop work to turn the model's face blurry or look like plastic. The next common problem is the makeup either done by the model herself or an inexperienced makeup artist. Often, in order to make the nose look sharper, lots of contouring powder is used, which eventually makes the nose look like plastic.

The trick to building a strong portfolio is to work with good photographers and makeup artists.

Unfortunately, most people are not able to differentiate between good and bad work, and they are likely to adore work that is actually less impressive. Many photographers are better at boasting than producing high-quality work. Good marketing skills may make them look fictitiously professional. Perhaps, the marketing part may help new models to gain more exposure, except that it may be in a negative way. I've heard stories of some photographers who would approach aspiring models and boast that they can help new faces to become famous. I also know a few potential models who continue to upload work taken by weird photographers, and over time, I've grown sick and started filtering off their photographs on my newsfeeds on social media accounts.

The most important skill you should possess is the ability to judge the quality of photographs and that will help you to choose the correct photographers to work with.

It took me lots of effort and time to pick up the skill of judging photographs, partly because I didn't set a budget to buy fashion magazines. To improve on the skill, one trick is to see more work from other good photographers while not being tempted by photographs that simply show boobs. As a photographer, my skill in judging portfolios progresses tremendously as I practise more on photoshoots and compare the results to see the differences. Unfortunately, not many people are talented and thus, it will take time for their eyes to mature, unless they work extra hard.

Perhaps, before you decide to work with any photographer, you may like to have a few of your good friends who are into photography to vet through the photographer's work before deciding whether to work with him/her or not.

As a guideline to what is good work, you should look through my portfolio and understand that my work isn't even the top quality work although they are probably better than the work of more than half of the photographers' you can see online. My point is if you are looking to build a strong portfolio, you should judge the photographer's work and make sure that they are more presentable than mine. Otherwise, you can just take it as a practice session with the photographer and lower your expectation of the results.

The final step is to get your photographer. If you have the budget, it would be easier of course since you can approach any good photographer to get a full portfolio photoshoot done.

However, most potential models are at a young age and may not have the financial power. It's not the end since the secret is that most professional photographers, similar to professional models, are open to doing TFCD shoots if they happen to meet the "right person". That means if you have the looks and personality that the professional photographer is looking for, especially if you suit a certain theme in his mind, he may collaborate with you when he has an empty timeslot. Perhaps, you've to be extremely sincere.

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