When working as a model, headshots are everywhere. They are one of the single best tools you have to market yourself, which is especially important in the modeling industry. Whether you work for an agency, or are freelancing on your own, the headshot you choose is one of the most important decisions you can make to further your career.
What Are Headshots?
Headshots are like the calling cards that models use when trying to gain work. They are professional photos of the head and shoulders, and are often placed on a “comp card,” which acts as a model’s resume. This comp card includes the headshot as a large photo, three to four smaller photos, your measurements, and all your contact information.
Headshots are essentially the first thing that gets shown to potential creative directors or photographers. They also help you stand out after an audition, once your resume has been placed into a pile of others.
Having a good headshot as a model is a great way to show off your abilities. It is an awesome opportunity to share the kind of work you would like to do, as well as showing the range that you have on your comp card.
Comp Card Formatting
In the modeling world there are no strict formatting requirements for a comp card, but it’s a great idea to base your own after agencies that you admire, or after the models that work out of a particular place that you aim to work with.
The only hard and fast rule is that the largest image should be your headshot. This should be a standard head and shoulders photo of you. You can then also include three to four other pictures that show some additional range, such as full body images or additional headshots featuring other angles and poses.
It’s also really important to include your information. Make sure that your name, the contact details for your agency (if you have one), your email or phone number, and your measurements are all on your comp card for convenience.
You should have both a physical comp card to give out at auditions and a digital comp card. You never know when you might meet someone in the industry worth showing your work to, and with your digital comp card available you can send them your contact details with no fuss right then and there.
How to Take a Good Headshot as a Model
Taking headshots as a model requires some thought. Most models are already quite adept at taking good pictures and have several photos to choose from already. The difficulty lies in picking the right photos to make a cohesive comp card that shows off your capabilities and range.
1. Choose Your Type
There are lots of different styles of models out there. Picking which of those styles you are going to focus on is an important choice. You might want to lean into some of your natural features. For example, you may have particularly bouncy hair due to some errant curls, or perhaps you have a distinct physical feature like a long nose or strong jawline.
Remember that there are all kinds of physical beauty, and many creative directors love unique features to be highlighted in their shoots. You may have freckles decorating your skin that makes you perfect for a particular clothing shoot, or just the right boy next door look for the next sporting goods campaign.
Leaning into the features that make you uniquely yourself is a great way to highlight the differences that will make you stand out in a sea of faces. Choosing the headshots that highlight those features can be an excellent way to help creative directors find the looks they are searching for.
2. Use Emotion in Your Shoot
When you are taking your headshots, don’t just go for a blank, neutral expression. Don’t forget, these headshots are supposed to show off who you are and help you match to specific roles as a model.
Much like actors need to create the emotions they are trying to portray for their characters, models also have to show the emotions they want to achieve for their types. If you want to model for a specific shoot you can also do some research into the company and look at the types of models they have cast in the past.
Make sure to practice your facial expressions before the shoot. You can practice in the mirror, or try your looks out on friends and family. You should try to create a connection between yourself and the person viewing the photo, so that the photo seems more dynamic and has a lasting impact on the viewer.
3. Vary Your Makeup
It’s a good idea to have a range of makeup looks on your comp card, to show how you look both with natural features and a bit of glam on. You can use your side profile photos for the natural look if you want to be considered for beauty shots, and should wear heavier makeup in your main headshot.
Keep in mind that regardless of what job you are going for, a bare-faced look is often an essential requirement. This is particularly true for modeling agencies, as they want to be sure of the features they are working with. So it’s worth taking the time to do a low/no- makeup look, even if you are mainly looking for work where this is uncommon.
4. Plan Your Outfit
Even if it might seem like you are the star of the show, it’s important to think about what you will wear in your headshots. Make no mistake, every little detail of your headshots will be considered when going through your application, so put some serious thought into your wardrobe when planning your photoshoot.
As a general rule, it’s best to steer clear of black and white. White tends to wash out most people, and drain the color from the skin and hair. Black can create artificial shadows by drawing light away from you.
You should avoid wearing anything that displays a brand logo, as well as anything that has a busy or vibrant pattern. This will help to avoid drawing attention away from your face, or inspiring any competition in the industry.
However, make sure to pick clothing that suits your coloring. You should go for bright or vibrant solid colors that suit your skin and hair and bring out the color of your eyes. This helps to brighten your face and make you seem more awake, while also showing that you have a good sense of style.
Choosing the right background for your headshot can also be an important consideration, as it can change the overall tone of the picture and impact the quality of the lighting or draw attention away from the focus of the photo. Try coordinating the background to the color or theme of the shoot for a cohesive, professional look.
5. Quality over Quantity
Your comp card should only have a maximum of five photos. This helps to ensure that you don’t overwhelm the creative directors with photos, or use photos that are too small and don’t adequately show off your abilities.
Your modeling portfolio can have more pictures in it, but you should ensure that each one of them is of the same high quality as your headshot. You want to always show off your best work, so update your portfolio often, and remove any older work that doesn’t represent you anymore.
The most important thing is the quality of the photos, so it’s a good idea to get your pictures professionally taken. Many modeling studios use commercial-grade cameras and equipment, so they are looking to ensure that you’ll photograph the same under their cameras as the pictures they are looking at.
How to Find a Photographer
Finding a professional photographer can be a bit of an ordeal so here are some of the best tips and tricks for how to get in touch with someone who can work magic for you and get you the best professional headshots for your modeling comp card.
1. Referrals
Many photographers work through referrals, so try asking your modeling friends to find out who they used for their headshots. Almost every model will have used a professional photographer for headshots at some point, even if they now get them taken at their modeling agency.
It can also be a great idea to do some research on the photographers that work with brands or models that you admire and would love to work with in the future. These photographers are likely to have some inside knowledge on the best theme for your shoot, and may be able to help guide you in the right direction.
2. Decide on a Budget
Professional photography definitely has a high cost associated with it. However, as a model, it is a bit of an entry requirement so it is something you just have to bite the bullet on. Most professional photographers cost anywhere from $400 to $1500 for one session, but this can change depending on the length of the session, the number of looks and pictures, the amount of post-session editing required, and the experience of the photographer.
If you do decide to go with a specific photographer because they are associated with a brand that you really want to work with, you can expect that cost to go up a significant amount.
3. Discuss Preferences
Once you’ve gotten in touch with a photographer, it’s important to have an in-depth conversation about what you both want from the session. The photographer might have specific requirements like working from a particular place like their studio, or hard limits on the amount of time they have to work with you on certain looks.
You should also be very clear about how many looks you hope to get from your session, and how you want your photos to be retouched or edited after the session is over. This may require an additional fee, so it’s important to discuss the details before starting the shoot itself.
AI as an Alternative to Traditional Photography
Most models work as contractors, with each shoot as an individual contract that they get paid a set amount for. This means that the amount the model gets paid per year varies depending on the amount of work they are able to get.
It can be quite frustrating to come into some money through modeling work, only to have to turn around and spend it all on updating your headshots. So using AI as a lower cost option for headshots is a great choice, particularly for freelance models who don’t have an agency to help them out with the cost of headshots.
AI image generators can be used to create headshots through using a variety of your pre-existing photos. It learns your unique face through an algorithm, then uses that data to create new images for you.
As a model, you likely have hundreds of photos of yourself from different angles. Uploading these photos into an AI image generator can help you to create high quality, professional headshots to include on your comp card.
However, you also have to worry about protecting your personal data as a model, particularly images of yourself. Your personal images are your way of making money, so you need to be really careful with the AI image generator you select.
Portrait Pal
Portrait Pal is a great choice for an AI image generator as a model. They can guarantee your privacy, because they delete all images of you after generating your headshots. This ensures that no photos of you can even be leaked onto the internet without your permission.
Portrait Pal is also great because it is an inexpensive option for getting a load of high quality images. The basic bundle provides 20 professional images in five different poses, with five background and outfit options.
You can also choose to upgrade up to 100 images to create a whole portfolio of headshots to select from. This is an excellent option for models just starting out who need a wide variety of images to show their range, and to get plenty of options for their comp card.