Model Book: How to Build One and Choose Test Shoots

Model Book.

A true must-have as a model, your model book. Back then, it was a physical photo album with your best photos from jobs and test shoots printed on paper. Today, you carry your digital book on a tablet or, when you need to be quick, on your smartphone. During castings for jobs and when visiting agencies, your model book is a real support. Even when you meet other models, you'll always take a look at each other's books.

In your model book, you present a collection of your best photos from jobs and test shoots. This allows clients and agencies to quickly get an overview of you as a model, your facial expressions, expressions, and posing strength. In everyday life, you may not need your book often in the beginning, but as you take on larger jobs or work internationally, you will need it quite often.

In everyday life, many models ask me what matters when clients look at their own model books during castings. Especially new models are very interested in knowing which photos have the best chances of convincing the clients. How does it work? Ideally, you need a book that shows how versatile you are as a model. By showcasing variety and diversity, you show the client that you can assume different roles. No campaign is the same. The more diverse your images are, the more versatile you are obviously for the client and their campaign. The client knows that you work in different shooting sets.

The best images in your book should always be at the beginning. When it gets hectic during castings or when there are many models present, clients often don't have the time to look through the entire model book. Therefore, always place your strongest photos directly at the beginning.

Do you need a full book as a new face? No, it is perfectly sufficient to show just a few good photos that present you optimally. Not all pages need to be filled. Quality is more important than quantity, as always.

Quality of the shoots.

Since I started the book, my favorite topic has been quality. You should not try to forcefully include many photos in your book. It is more important to have a selection of good photographers and good photos. Clients only want the best for their brand or their clients, and you should keep that in mind. From each test shoot or job, you only include one or two photos in your book. Once you have the first ten photos together, you can already start sorting out the initial tests to maintain high quality. As a new face, you can always honestly say during castings that you are still in the process of building your book.

Once you are with an agency and have had your first test shoot with a good photographer, you will automatically receive requests on Instagram and other platforms. Of course, it is an absolute compliment for you at first. In the next moment, you need to start selecting carefully which test will benefit your development. Naturally, you will also receive good options from your agency. However, as a model, you will always be actively searching for test shoots yourself.

As mentioned before, it is not recommended for aspiring models to shoot with every photographer. Of course, it is tempting for models to do many photo shoots in the beginning. However, you quickly diminish your exclusivity if you constantly appear on Instagram or other platforms and media, or if you work with different photographers in unpaid projects. This rapidly lowers your market value as a model. Your goal should be to shoot with selected photographers to improve the quality of your book, rather than just adding more and more photos. With this strategy, you will achieve the best results as a model. Only by taking the time to build a qualitative book will you establish yourself as a model in the long term and get to see much of the world. That's why we'll now look at how you can convince photographers of your worth.

Photographers.

How do you find good photographers for your test shoots? As a model with an agency and management, you don't search for photographers yourself. You will receive all offers directly from your agency. This way, you have a direct entry with good photographers. This allows you to have your first shoots to work with. If the photographers, the agency, or you post the photos, you quickly get new inquiries from many photographers. From now on, quality is key. Quality over quantity.

For many models, it is considered a prerequisite to have as many shoots as possible. Is that really the case? For example, if you go to many different photographers as a young model, you will initially have a lot of material for your model book. However, you will most likely not need much of it. The time for planning and the shoot itself is wasted. Afterwards, there is a lot of material of you to see, for example, on social networks if photographers publish the series. If there are constantly free shoots with you, why would someone pay high fees for you?

As a new model, you need to be careful to only do selected shoots to build your portfolio. The level should always improve. You should focus and maintain your exclusivity as a model. This also applies to jobs. As a model, you should carefully choose your photographers and clients. Model agencies pay close attention to whether the clients are a good fit for you. As mentioned before, for example, many jobs at trade fairs or music video shoots are not covered by model agencies.

It is important for a model to have a diverse portfolio. A good model management will provide you with contacts to good photographers so that you can gradually build and improve your model book with selected photographers. No one becomes a star overnight. Even the top models started small and worked their way up step by step. You must also approach your dream of modeling in the same way.

Inquiries after the first shoots.

I want to go into more detail on this point. When young models are accepted by agencies and the first photos appear, you automatically receive many inquiries from photographers via Facebook, Instagram, and the like. Of course, you are excited at first, but eventually it becomes too much. From the beginning, you should forward all inquiries to your agency. They have experience and know who is reputable and who is not. This also shows that you are not working around your management.

You will even receive more inquiries, for example, for jobs. However, they are rarely reputable. For example, job inquiries through Instagram are usually from companies that want to save money and exclude working hours, don't sign contracts, or never pay usage fees or buyouts for extending the usage. It is always to your disadvantage.

Managers have the task of showing young models patience above all else. It is a challenging task because even the smallest jobs are interesting for new faces. However, offers come and go. But it is a special art to receive profitable offers for yourself. Ultimately, with quality, you will be successful as a model in the long run and be able to demand good fees. This applies to clients, media, as well as your photo series. Too much of a good thing quickly diminishes your value as a model.

What is a test shoot?

Test shoots are unpaid photo shoots. However, the term is more commonly used in the amateur sector. Internationally, they are called tests. What does that mean? Both the photographer and the makeup artist and model work without compensation. All participants use the resulting images for their own portfolios. Here, photographers and models can create images that they still lack in their own portfolios and that have not yet been covered by jobs. With new shots, you attract new clients. Test shoots are essential for new faces as they provide the first professional images for the model. Later, as a model, you may also get paid for test shoots.

Facial expressions during the shoot.

After a few shoots and working with good photographers who help you improve, your skills as a model will quickly develop. During the first test shoots or when taking Polaroids at the agency, you may still be a bit unsure about what to do when the photographer is shooting. Many models get nervous and only think about posing. In the process, they quickly forget about their facial expressions. The body moves, arms swing, hands touch the face, shoulders are raised. However, the facial expression remains unchanged. In the end, every photo looks the same because your facial expression is always the same. At your first set, it may still look cool, but by the second one, it becomes boring.

That's why many clients for commercials and advertising campaigns conduct castings. Here, they see live or on video whether a model is convincing or boring. As humans, we always pay attention to a person's face, whether it's during the first meeting or on large advertising billboards in the city center. Facial expressions, facial expressions, facial expressions.

Tips for facial expressions.

Before your first photo shoots, prepare a few moods for posing. This way, you have direct inspiration during the shoot on what you can do with your body. The same applies to your facial expressions. Moods help you vary them. As a model, like actors or presenters, you can practice poses and facial expressions in front of the mirror at any time. However, facial expressions always come before posing. If you have your moods, you can recall them repeatedly and spontaneously add new ones.

In test shoots as well as jobs, you will always shoot with different outfits. The location is often changed as well. If you have a certain sequence in mind, the photographer will capture different looks, expressions, and poses from you in each individual set. The photos will become more diverse, expressive, and ultimately better. So always refer to moods during your first shoots and practice different expressions and emotions in front of the mirror, which you can then repeatedly evoke during shoots.

Checklist for simple changes in facial expressions.

Lower your head, then look up from below and focus on the camera. Play with your lips. Similar to point one, but look from left or right, outside towards the camera. You can close your eyes and feel. Imagine kissing your friend. Imagine eating the best pizza you've ever had. Imagine standing on the summit of a mountain and breathing the air. The felt emotions will help you. Now you can appear gentle or lovely. Contrast the constant, strong, and intense fashion expressions many models have during their first shoots. Sweet glances followed by a smile. Don't forget, also move your body, and you will have a small mix of different poses and expressions.

You can always expand your portfolio of facial expressions by practicing new looks in front of the mirror. Train your facial expressions and gestures at home in front of the mirror, so you will feel more confident on set because you have already practiced everything once. If you hear the photographer say, "Wow," or, "Nice," during a shoot, remember the facial expression and pose you were doing at that moment. You can repeat them in future shoots and achieve top results more quickly. This increases your chances of repeat bookings because clients will say that you were great. Eventually, you will have a strong gaze and poses that you can effortlessly evoke.