How to Set Up a Portfolio or Magazine Shoot
By The Shaman of Sexxxy Abel Carv
In the modeling world, having a decent portfolio as well as a resume are essential. To build the resume and portfolio, the traditional route is to do photoshoots. The bonus to shooting to try to get into magazines is no matter what you will have some photos in your portfolio, but if you are published you now have more on your modeling resume. In this article, I will outline how I feel a model should go about setting up a shoot.
Step 1. Identify Theme
The first step should be to identify how you want to be shot. If you are looking to be published in a magazine, look for magazines that would fit the type of modeling you want to be in and see what they are looking for as well as their technical requirements. If you are just trying to build your portfolio, identify what genre of modeling you want to do, then look up photos for inspiration, but do NOT plan to imitate them.
Step 2. Find a Photographer
The next step should be to find which photographer you would like to use for your shoot. You should take into account the photographer's posted schedule if any, their rates if any, as well as their style. Check their reviews, but take them with a grain of salt, everybody is an "expert" these days and will review out of malice. The most important thing of all that you should be checking for is their style. I cannot stress this enough, check the photographer's style! You want the photographer to be shooting one of their genres that they do best, in an environment that they work best in so that the photos are most flattering.
Step 3. Negotiate and collaborate with the Photographer
Communication is one of the key components to have a great photoshoot. You want to make sure that you and the photographer are on the same page about date, time, duration, theme, props, clothing, make-up, and photographer compensation. Yes, that is correct, PHOTOGRAPHER COMPENSATION. Do not assume that a photographer will shoot you free, it is ok to negotiate rates, but don't expect to be given a free service unless they come to your job and ask you to provide yours free. Once you have negotiated the shoot, try to create an outline or creative brief outlining the specifics such as poses and emotions for the shoot. Plan as much as you can to make sure there are no ambiguities before you shoot.
I have outlined my process for building a shoot in three easy steps. These are purely my opinion and what works best for me from my experience. They may not work best for you, but they are worth trying. What do you do? Do you agree or disagree with me? Let me know below in the forums.
I have outlined my process for building a shoot in three easy steps. These are purely my opinion and what works best for me from my experience. They may not work best for you, but they are worth trying. What do you do? Do you agree or disagree with me? Let me know below in the forums.