Understanding How A Kid’s Modeling Portfolio Should Fundamentally Differ From Adults
First of all, it is important that parents understand that the casting director and other industry professional expectations for a child’s portfolio are different from what they are used to seeing when viewing adult models' resumes. Adult models may focus on a more specific niche field of modeling, e.g., artistic high fashion modeling, or quite the opposite - commercial modeling, aspiring kid models should keep all their options wide open. This means the child’s portfolio goal is to showcase their own natural, unique and authentic looks and personality, as well as such things as being photogenic, the ability to follow the directions of industry professionals over the course of the project, and the range of age appropriate emotions and movements.
What Are Headshots, And What Should They Be Like For A Child?
Since an upstarting child model won’t have much of an experience to list - more on that below - headshots for the majority of age groups is the primary source for first impressions when the kid has been applied to modeling casting calls. The main focus of headshots for a child’s modeling headshots is yet again to emphasize their natural looks and expressions, so they should clearly show the respective kid’s face, eyes, and hair. Parents should certainly avoid having their child appearing in the photos with heavy, if any at all, makeup, sporting unusual clothes or overly styled hairstyles, as they can serve as a serious distraction for the casting staff reviewing them, and do not give the necessary insight on what the kid casting call candidate actually is like, including giving a tired or even looking older than their age impression.
Despite their young age and initial low-stake modeling aspirations, it is still very highly advisable instead of doing it on their own to hire a professional to take the headshots of the young model. A professional photographer will almost certainly have a better understanding of the modeling industry standards and the technical aspects necessary for headshots, including providing a photo studio setting, utilizing various lighting techniques, and even avoiding seemingly minor details that may end up misrepresenting the way the photo subject is actually looking, and creating appropriate framing and composition for the photos thus avoiding distracting backgrounds or strange cropping decisions, amongst many more things like suggesting poses that fits the aspiring kid model the best and completing the final picture editing following the photo shoot.
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Headshot Of A Smile
This type of headshot is typically a close-up of the model’s face with a natural looking, open-mouthed smile, thus giving a happy and approachable vibe.
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Headshot Of A Thoughtful Gaze
This type of headshot portrays a somewhat serious expression of a model, giving off vibes of contemplation. The subject may be looking away from the camera in this shot.
Are There Other Types Of Photos Besides Headshots To Include In A Modeling Portfolio?
For models, another important type of photography to include in the portfolio is full-body shots. The purpose of these shots is to show to casting directors what the child looks like physically and get a better insight how they may appear in the respective project, so these shots should feature the aspiring models in natural movements and poses.
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Full Body Shot In A Casual Outfit
Continuing the headshot approach of avoiding distracting visual choices, the shot of a child model standing naturally in their hands crossed or in pockets preferably should be in a classic outfit, such as t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.
Adding so-called lifestyle shots to the modeling portfolio can also really make the kid stand out amongst their competition. Such shots take the subject out of the studio with the neutral background and seemingly puts them straight into the action, e.g., playing, reading, or taking part in other age group appropriate activities. It allows viewers to receive an extra impression about the model’s authenticity and their potential for commercial settings beyond the traditional headshots.
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Lifestyle Shot Of Playtime
Capturing age-appropriate activities of the kid model, including their natural movements and positive expressions, for example, during a run with a kite.
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Lifestyle Shot Of A Home Environment
Often, kid models will be hired to portray family-friendly, relatable settings. This is why a lifestyle shot of them, for example, reading, or putting together a puzzle, at home is a great way to showcase how well the young model can convey such cozy and calm vibes.
Does A Kid Modeling Portfolio Require Additional Information?
Of course, the modeling portfolio can not consist only of visuals. It also requires all the basic information about the kid model, as well as additional facts and details.
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Basic Information About The Kid Model:
Full Name; Date of Birth; Gender; Ethnicity/Racial Background; Nationality; Physical Measurements, incl. Height, Weight, Clothing Size, Shoe Size, Hair Color, Eye Color.
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Basic Information About The Parent Or Guardian
Full Name; Relation To The Child; Contact Information, incl. E-Mail And Phone Number.
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Special Skills And Talents Of The Model
Listing all and any skills and talents that the kid model has can significantly help their chances of getting cast as the casting directors may find them relevant to the respective project. Amongst those may be: bilinguality; acting, dancing, or singing, athletic skills; musical skills.
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Model’s Experience
Even if there are no modeling credits to the child’s name, this section should still list at least the aspiring model’s comfort level while being in front of cameras, understanding of the processes involved in modeling, as well as other relevant information.
