It is often said that to understand a person, you must look into their inner, raw self and not form your judgment on the basis of their outer beauty. And well, that is true, at least in modeling.Â
While the creative shots in a modeling portfolio showcase the beauty that can be artistically manipulated, it is the polaroids that reveal one's genuine, unfiltered essence. These raw self-portraits hold utmost significance, possessing the power to impact one’s modeling career both negatively and positively. Regardless of the exhibition of modeling skills in posed photographs, clients and agencies always turn to polaroids as the standard criterion to assess if a model is the perfect match for their products or projects.
Change is part of being human that’s why it is preferred to update your modeling polaroids every 3 months to depict your accurate self at the time. Sounds like it would be costing you an arm and a leg, right? Not really if you follow these simple steps and master the art of clicking your own polaroids.
Your polaroids must consist of at least 6 pictures, each picture showcasing your different sides. Out of the 6 pictures, 3 are supposed to be headshots and the rest 3 should be full body pictures consisting ofÂ
Blank expressions headshot
Smiling headshot (not compulsory)
Side profile headshot
Front full body picture
Side full body picture
Back full body picture
You can click the pictures with a camera or your phone with high camera quality and image processing. Keep in mind to click the pictures in natural light (early morning and evening before sunset would be preferable as the sunlight is softly reflected at these hours). Try to use minimal flash and avoid shadows on your portraits. Do not edit the photos except for adjusting brightness and color correcting.Â
Use a plain background with no patterns whatsoever with light colors that don’t overpower your presence. Grey is usually the cult favorite color for backgrounds but any earth tones would do the trick i.e. looking appealing and yet not overpowering.
One is ought to wear fitted minimal clothing to accentuate one’s features. Remember the point of focus should be you and not the apparel. The makeup should be minimal or none at all. Accessories are strictly forbidden. If you have long hair then you must tie them or keep them slicked back as hair falling on the face would indicate unprofessionally clicked polaroids as it manipulates the features of the face. Keep your nails clean, natural and short. The whole motive is to look as raw as one can.
Often, the clients demand for certain specific details in polaroids like wearing swimsuits instead of being fully clothed but usually a simple t-shirt, tank top, camisole and a skinny fit jeans would be sufficient. If you wish to add more headshots to your polaroid collection, you can try making silly, quirky and cute faces but make sure they don’t look scary or inappropriate.
Follow these simple steps and click your own polaroids to your own accord without spending a single penny. To learn more about it, click on the link and enroll in our course.