Guide 01 · Digitals
How to Take Digitals for Your Agency Submission
Digitals — also called polaroids — are the simplest photos you will ever send an agency, and the easiest to get wrong. They are plain, unedited, minimal-makeup shots against a blank wall: the real you, with nothing between the lens and the person deciding whether to meet you. If glacé editorials are the champagne of your application, digitals are the water — essential, trusted, and instantly revealing when they are cloudy.
Why agencies ask for them
A portfolio can hide a lot. Good lighting slims, good retouching clears skin, good styling reshapes a silhouette. None of that tells an agent whether you match the measurements on your form or what your skin looks like under plain light. As one photographer guide puts it: a portfolio sells; digitals verify.
When we open an application, the digitals are the first thing we look at — they confirm your current look, your proportions and your professionalism before we even read your note. And because a look changes, agencies expect digitals to be fresh: new haircut, new colour, changed weight — new set.
How to shoot a clean set
- 01
Find flat, honest light
Stand facing a large window in soft daylight, or work an overcast day outdoors. Avoid harsh direct sun (hard shadows) and moody, directional side-light — those shape the face, which is exactly what you're not doing here.
- 02
Choose a plain wall
A clean, neutral wall with nothing behind you — no clutter, no frames, no doorway. The only subject in the frame is you. Casting offices swear by this trick: the clean exterior of a garage door works beautifully.
- 03
Dress for transparency
Fitted and simple: a fitted tank top or plain tee with fitted jeans, leggings or shorts — solid black, white or neutral. The clothes show your silhouette rather than hiding it. A note for our applications: we never ask for swimwear or shirtless digitals. Fitted clothing that reveals your true line is enough.
- 04
Groom naturally
Hair down the way it naturally falls, little to no makeup, moisturized skin, clean unpolished nails. No jewelry, no hats, no accessories — nothing competing with your face and frame.
- 05
Get the camera position right
Headshots: the lens at your eye level. Full-lengths: step back two to three metres so head-to-toe fits without a wide-angle lens, with the phone around hip-to-chest height. Close-and-low warps your proportions — the opposite of honest.
Front · Side · Back
Every full-length set starts with these three positions. Stand tall, feet together or hip-width, arms relaxed at your sides — and hold the same posture for all three.
Poses are shown as illustrations: focus on the position and posture. Your own digitals should be real, unedited photographs.
- 06
Include the full set
The standard ask, nearly everywhere: headshot straight-on with a neutral expression, headshot with a natural smile, both headshot profiles, full-length front, back and both sides, plus an optional three-quarter turn. A friend with a steady hand and a big window can produce all of it.
- 07
Don't edit a thing
No filters, no retouching, no beauty apps, no portrait-mode blur, no colour grading. Any editing undermines the purpose and signals you didn't understand the brief. A slightly imperfect but honest digital beats a polished but misleading one every time.
- 08
Keep them fresh
Refresh your set every few months or whenever your look changes — hair colour or length, weight, even a very different tan. Keep a dated folder on your phone so you're never scrambling the day an agency asks for them.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Shoot in bright, even daylight
- Use a plain, neutral, clutter-free wall
- Wear fitted, solid, neutral clothing
- Keep hair, skin and nails natural
- Include a neutral and a smiling headshot
- Step back for full-lengths — no wide-angle
- Label and date your files
Don't
- Use filters, retouching or beauty apps
- Shoot in portrait mode (the fake blur lies)
- Wear baggy, patterned or logo-covered clothes
- Overdo makeup, lashes or styling
- Add jewelry, hats or accessories
- Shoot in dim or harsh overhead light
- Send polished portfolio shots instead
Further Reading
This guide was informed by two excellent industry write-ups:
Photography Shark — "Model Digitals and Agency Polaroids Explained"