Am I supposed to have to pay to create my portfolio? It seems like that is what every agency is saying I need to do.. "You need to invest some money into your career." But it isn't just "some" money, it seems like $1,000 is the least I'll spend. Is this normal? It seems a bit ridiculous, especially if "A real agency won't ask you to spend any money"... I don't know what to do. What did you do to build up your portfolio?
Hi, Anonymous! I would recommend that you read my blog post about this subject, which explains the ways agencies operate when it comes to the process of having newly signed models put together their portfolios:
The Deal With Agencies & Test Shoots for Portfolio Building
$1,000 is really high and not an amount you need to pay to get quality images. Most models typically spend anywhere from $200-$600 ballpark but those fees include much more than just hiring the photographer that takes your picture--at least it does if you do your research and choose the right professional(s) to work with. I would go into more detail about this but the link above pretty much covers all the main points.
As for myself, I paid for shoots in order to create my modeling portfolio for my agency in the beginning of my career but now that I've got experience, including tearsheets, I don't really need to pay for shoots to build my portfolio anymore. Whenever I want to update my pictures, I'll reach out to the network of photographers I know/have worked with. Since we have an established working relationship, they'll almost always do free test shoots with me so it saves me money and we're both able to add new photos to our portfolios.
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