Test shoots and portfolio images for new and working models.
Pricing
Shooting and retouching are both £95 an hour, so you know the cost before you book.
Unretouched images the same day. Retouched images within three working days, by WeTransfer.
No. I photograph people taking their first pictures for an agency as well as working models updating their book. I’ll direct you through every shot.
It depends on how long you book. Bring a few more looks than you think you’ll need, and we’ll pick the strongest on the day.
There’s no waiting area, and the session starts at the booked time. Come ready, or count hair and make-up as part of the session.
£95 an hour, with the studio and every image included. Retouching is £95 an hour too.
More about
A test shoot is a session built around you rather than a product: a set of clear, varied pictures to send to agencies or add to your book. I shoot new faces starting out and working models who need fresh images, at Studio A in Kentish Town.
We agree the looks before the day. A useful spread is something simple and fitted, something with more character, and one look that shows the kind of work you want to be booked for.
A portfolio has to show what you really look like before it shows style. Keep at least one look plain: very little make-up, hair away from the face, close-fitting clothes in a solid colour. Agencies want to see your face, skin and shape without anything hiding them.
After that, range counts for more than volume. Head and shoulders, three-quarter and full length. Still and in movement. A light background and a darker one. The studio’s ten backdrop colours change at the press of a button, so the mood can shift between looks without a long reset.
Every frame from the session is yours, not a shortlist. That matters for a model: the picture an agency picks is often not the one you would have chosen, so it helps to have the whole set to send.
Bring your clothes steamed and on hangers, with the right shoes for each look. Plain underwear close to your skin tone stops lines showing under fitted pieces. Clean, tidy nails matter more than people expect in close-ups.
If you’d like hair and make-up, I can suggest artists to contact. Allow about an hour for it within the session. Two lit mirrors in the studio make it easy.
Don’t worry if you’ve never posed. It’s easier than it looks: I’ll guide you shot by shot, so all you need to do is relax and enjoy it.
Tell me what you need, and I’ll come back with a quote.
Thanks. Speak soon.
I’ll reply within 24 hours with availability and a quote. — Paul
