Models Online Portfolio Website

Models Online Portfolio Website

Whether you’re a model, a fashion designer, a stylist, or a hair & makeup artist, your portfolio is your professional calling card. Your website is a space to show off your skills and experience to potential clients, employers, and fans. Follow our guides for tips on making a website as unique and stylish as you. Once your free trial is done, you can continue using your portfolio website for as low as $8 a month.

Create My Modeling Portfolio

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In a cut-throat world like the modeling industry, a website can give you a leg up on the competition. Though Instagram has become the de-facto platform for models—with thousands of aspiring and working models strutting their stuff on the app – we still believe that investing in a professional portfolio website is the way to go to boost your career to new heights. It’s a way of showing clients and collaborators that you’re serious about your profession.

But how do you make a website that stands out while staying true to who you are? Here, we discuss everything you need to know about creating a killer model online portfolio website, from how to choose the right images for your site to the most frequently asked questions about building a model portfolio website. Plus, we’ll provide you with model portfolio examples for inspiration!

The Advantages of Having an Online Modeling 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.

How to Create a Modeling Portfolio

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.

Strengthen Your Brand

Choosing the Perfect Images for Your Online Model Portfolio

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.

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Create Your Online Modeling Portfolio Website

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!

Modeling Portfolio FAQs

Not quite ready to work on your folio? Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about building a model portfolio:

You can custom build a modeling portfolio using Format. The web site builder makes website creation super easy!

Creating model portfolios on Format entails making sure you have the right photos, picking a theme or web design that complements your work and customizing your site. There is no need to create a theme from scratch too—there are dozens of presets free for use and customization.

And as the sole creator of your website, you have free reign to make it as simple or as fun as you like. Without the need for a web designer, you run on your own schedule. In fact, you can put in changes and edits even on the go, through Format’s iOS app.

When requesting images from a photographer, you must have a list of the following photo sizes:

Beauty shot or headshot. A beauty shot is a model’s closeup picture with minimal makeup and styling. For editorial modeling portfolios, models are discouraged from smiling in their photos. The headshot or beauty shot is a must-have in all model portfolios and should be the first image in a printed modeling book.

Full-length shot. This is a large scale shot that shows off the model’s entire body. Photographers need to do a good job of capturing the model’s proportions, and so the photography and lighting should be bright and simple. You should be modeling tight-fitting clothes at the photo shoot, so avoid big and baggy clothes!

Aside from their best modeling photos, the site must also include important professional information. You’ll need to include stats such as your physical features, tattoos, and clothing sizes. Clients might need to know who you’ve worked within the past too, so be sure to add that as well. Lastly, you could also talk about some unique skills and interests outside of modeling.

Of course, make sure to have contact information and links to your social media as well!

Most modeling agencies are all really looking for one thing: simplicity. They want people who are authentic and real, so be sure to include images that show how you’re like on a regular day.

If an agency wants to see past works, try to include different kinds of layouts and concepts, from high fashion type shoots to commercial projects. You need to show that you’re a versatile model who can pose for almost any picture.

Lastly, steer clear of nude or suggestive photos. If an agency hinted that they wanted something of the sort, it might be best to double-check that they don’t have an exploitative agenda!

Yes! Portfolios are requirements for all models applying at modeling agencies. After all, your job is to sell an image, and a client needs to see just how photogenic you are.

Typically agencies don’t want models who don’t have portfolios since this just indicates a lack of training and experience. The bottom line: it’s essential for any aspiring model.

The matter of paying depends on the modeling agency a model signs with. However, it’s ideal to show up to a modeling agency with a portfolio you already owned and paid for.

model fashion portfolio

Build Your Portfolio Today

Build a killer website that’s sure to rack in talent agencies and clients in no time with Format. The website builder makes putting together a portfolio fast, simple, and easy!

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