A well-prepared model portfolio is where an agency and a client see you for the first time. This guide helps you build it step by step.
A model’s first contact with an agency, a client or a casting director is often not face to face. That contact happens through a handful of images. These images come in three basic forms: digitals (still often called “polaroids” in the industry), the portfolio, known in the industry as the book, and the comp card, which sums them up. None of the three can stand in for another, because each answers a different question. In this guide we have drawn on what agencies say on their own websites and on principles published by industry bodies, to set out what each is for and how to prepare it.
If you are just starting out in the profession, we recommend first taking a look at our guide What It Takes to Become a Model, because here we only cover the visual file side of things.
Digitals: the first thing an agency wants to see
Digitals are plain photographs that show a model exactly as they are on the day. The aim is not to take a beautiful picture, but to let the agency see facial structure, skin and hair condition and body proportions honestly. That is why the rules are surprisingly simple.
- No filters or retouching. On its application page, Storm Management asks you to send photos in their natural state, without filters or retouching. It also does not accept selfies.
- No make-up, natural hair. The same page also recommends not wearing make-up and leaving your hair natural. Don’t smile or pout when posing. Keep your expression neutral.
- Simple, close-fitting clothes. Both Storm and Switzerland-based Metro Models recommend fitted clothes that don’t hide the body. Metro Models also writes that the standard set consists of straight shots taken from the front, in profile and from behind.
- Professional photos are not required. London’s Premier Model Management states that two photos are enough for a first application: a clear face shot taken in daylight and a full-length shot. No portfolio, experience or paid course is needed.
In practice, then, you can take these shots on a phone in front of a plain wall in soft, shadow-free light. What matters most is that the person in the photo is the same person who walks through the door. A retouched shot causes disappointment at the first meeting and damages trust.
Separate rules for under-18s
The BFMA (British Fashion Model Agents), the professional association of UK agencies, is clear on this, as its best practice guide shows. The guide does not consider it appropriate to take any measurement other than height from under-18s. Nor does it consider it appropriate to ask people of this age for digitals in swimwear, bikinis or underwear. Taking or sending such photos is also unacceptable. Storm likewise requires that applications from candidates under 18 be made by a parent or legal guardian, with their consent. The same care should be taken in Turkey, because any “agency” that asks otherwise is immediately suspect.
The portfolio (book): the file that shows your range
Digitals show “what you look like”; the portfolio shows “what you can do in front of the camera”. The book is made up of the best shots selected from test shoots, editorial work, campaigns and catalogue jobs. Curation matters more than quantity here. Ten shots taken with the same light and the same expression are of little use. A smaller number of strong photographs, each telling a different story, works much better.
A good book usually carries the following variety: a close-up beauty portrait and a full-length fashion shot, plus an outdoor shot with movement and a few editorial examples showing different style worlds. A book for a model aiming at commercial work (catalogue, e-commerce, advertising) is built differently from one aiming at runway and editorial, because your agency arranges the selection according to the market you are heading for.
Today most of the book is digital: the model page on the agency website, a tablet presentation or a PDF. Even so, some clients and castings may want to see a printed book, which is why many people keep both formats up to date.
Beware of anyone asking for money for a portfolio
In an article it published, Premier states that it does not charge models any fees at application, at registration or at any point in their career. It also stresses that requests for a “registration fee”, a “portfolio package” or a “training course” are warning signs. After all, agencies earn their income from commission on the work a model does. You can also see our guide How to Spot a Fake Model Agency, where we cover this subject in detail.
The comp card: a one-page business card
The comp card is the double-sided card a model leaves at a casting and an agency sends to clients. In some countries it is also called a “sed card” or a “composite”. The front carries a large portrait, and the back a few different shots selected from the book. The card also includes the following information:
- Name (usually first name only or a stage name) and agency contact details.
- Height; for women, bust, waist and hips; for men, jacket/chest size, waist and inside leg.
- Shoe size, eye and hair colour.
There are two established standards for size. In the US, 8.5 x 5.5 inches is the norm. In countries using the metric system, A5 printed on both sides of thick card is the norm. The format’s origins are interesting too. According to sources, Peter Marlowe printed the first “model composites” on A4 paper in London in 1965. The card was then reduced to A5 in 1972 to make filing easier.
A comp card should not include a personal phone number or home address, because contact goes through the agency. For freelance models without an agency, however, a business email address is enough.
Updating: your file should change with you
Digitals, the book and the comp card are only useful when they are up to date. For example, if you have had your hair cut or changed its colour, refresh your file. Refresh it too if your measurements have changed or if you have done a strong new job. A mismatch between the person who walks into a casting and the person on the card wastes both the client’s and the agency’s time.
Respect is also essential when measurements are taken. The BFMA guide requires agencies to respect privacy and the individual when measuring a model. It also requires agencies not to ask models for unrealistic measurements that are not suited to their bodies.
Finally, let’s finish with a short checklist. Are your digitals unretouched and recent? Are there any repetitive shots in your book? Do the measurements on your comp card reflect how you are today? Do the contact details belong to your agency? If the answer to all four questions is “yes”, your file is ready for castings. You can also find out which agencies you can apply to in Turkey on our Turkey Model Agencies Guide 2026 page.
Keeping a model portfolio up to date
A comp card is a promotional card left with agencies and clients that brings together a model’s or actor’s best photographs and key measurements. For a general definition of the term, you can see the comp card entry on Wikipedia. A model portfolio, on the other hand, uses a wider selection to show what you can do in different styles. Refreshing both whenever your haircut, hair colour or measurements change is the simplest way to make the right impression at every meeting you go to.
Once your file is ready, the next step is meetings. We have covered what you need to know when going to a casting in a separate guide.
Sources
- Storm Management — Apply
- Metro Models — Model Polaroids
- Premier Model Management — What Do Modelling Agencies Look For?
- BFMA Best Practice Guide (PDF)
- Wikipedia — Comp card
Image: A historic photography studio preserved at the Beuren Open-Air Museum (representative image) — Roman Eisele, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0