Models Online Portfolio

What is it about portfolio websites that make them so essential to a model's career?

Brings increased visibility and a wider reach. Compared to a printed portfolio or even a digital folio, a website can be accessed by anyone, anywhere, and at any time. It's easy to share, look up, and pass to managers, talent agencies, and casters.

Customizable and easy to update. Unlike a printed or PDF book, a website can be updated and customized in literally just a few clicks. The minute you score the photos from your latest project, you can instantly upload them to your website and cross-post to your social media!

Professional. While social media does widen your reach and is easy to update and customize as well, the website still reigns supreme in terms of professionalism. Think of your website as your virtual office. You can organize your projects in order of relevance, provide an in-depth look into your story, skills, and achievements, and make connections with collaborators—all in one place. 

Ready to build your website? If you're completely new to the game, you'll need to go out of your way to start from scratch—this means staging your own shoots so you have something to show potential clients. Here's what you can do to get started on that:

Pick a few genres you'd like to work in. Are you looking to get into high fashion or commercial modeling? Are you up for some swimsuit modeling or do you prefer going the fitness route? Pick a lane or two that you're comfortable in and design your shoot concept around these. You don't have to box yourself in just one genre, but you can highlight your strengths in the ones that you really want to do.

Get a photographer. Don't just get a friend with a camera—commission a photographer who's had ample experience in fashion and commercial photography. You can strike up a deal where you both allow each other to use the photos in your own portfolios. An up-and-coming photographer trying to build their own portfolio would likely be happy to have a willing subject for their own work.

Prepare a variety of layouts and angles. Aside from styling your shoot to suit the genre you're going for, you should also aim to get a variety of shot sizes and angles. Every model website should include headshots (smiling and neutral), 3/4 shots, and full-length shots.

Now that you have your photos, it's time to pick the best ones. Typically, you should use between 10 to 20 of your best images—these are the photos that complement your best assets while exemplifying what you're all about as an artist. Be sure to include clean and simple layouts too, as most casting agents prefer "blank canvasses" that can be molded into something that suits the client's brief.

Another thing to consider is the ordering of your photos. It's best to use a website builder that lets you organize your projects into galleries or even custom pages for different styles of work. If you already have some client work under your belt, put these at the beginning of your site.

With Format, any up and coming model can build a professional website in six easy steps.

1. Sign up for a 14-day free trial. Don't worry, you don't need to connect a card or pay for anything just yet.

2. Pick from any one of Format's fully-responsive themes. Optimized for all devices and platforms, Format's themes are perfect for viewing on the go. Make sure your theme fits with your brand and your work too.

3. Pick 10 to 20 images and organize your work! Format lets you create galleries so you can keep things neat and orderly.

4. Customize your site. With Format, you can customize site navigation, add pages, and create an About section where you detail important professional information such as your physical features, clothing size, and unique skills that could come in handy in a shoot.

5. Personalize your website. The website builder lets you change up fonts and background colors, add custom logos, and tweak your website until it's uniquely yours.

6. Optimize and integrate! For today's model, Instagram is a major platform to showcase their work and connect with clients and fans. With Format, you can easily integrate social media into your website, as well as place an array of other add-ons, such as a blog and even a store!