In the fast-paced and competitive world of modelling, your polaroids play a pivotal role in showcasing your versatility, and unique qualities. Most casting directors and brands will request/book you directly from polaroids, the reason for this is they can see your natural look which isn’t influenced by lighting/makeup/styling/editing etc.

These can be done on an iPhone or professional camera but make sure that the quality is clear and it’s recommended to clean your lens before taking the image.

 

Guidelines:

• Do not wear any makeup or if you absolutely must keep it super light.

• If necessary, put your hair up or pull it back into a ponytail so that your jawline and cheekbones are well depicted.

• Don’t retouch the images in any way. Pimples and blemishes are fine. Really.

• Try and avoid flash photography (turn the flash off on your camera).

 

Taking the pictures:

• Ideally, do it on a cloudy day where there’s no direct sunlight falling on you, or the background.

• Keep the background simple, for example a simple wall, ideally white. Ensure the background is not too dark.

• Turn the flash off on the camera. If you are too dark, it’s probably because the background is too bright and suggest finding a different location.

• For girls, wear a simple bikini, or bra and panties for half of the shoot and a plain t-shirt and jeans for the second half.

• For guys, wear boxer briefs for a portion of the shoot, no top and jeans for another portion and a plain t-shirt and jeans for the final portion.

 

What you need to take:

• Full body picture (from the front)

• Full body picture (both sides)

• Full body picture (back)

• Portrait (Close-up headshot)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Tips:

• Keep a separation between your limbs when posing for polaroids to create the most flattering shape

• Make sure there’s a good distance between you and the camera; not so close that it distorts you or so far away that the images are blurry

• Take a range of shots, some with your arms and legs straight and some where they’re more angled to better frame the body

• Show more personality and smile in a few – both agencies and clients like to see this

• There is a video HERE for a demonstration if needed

 

Once you’ve taken them:

Send to your agents email via WeTransfer. Sending via email attachment/text can heavily reduce the quality of the image which makes a major difference to our clients and casting directors so it’s important that we have the best quality possible.

Good luck and remember not to beat yourself up if you don’t get chosen for the casting!