Model Headshots: What Agencies and Clients Actually Look For
Model headshots serve one purpose: getting you past the first filter. An agency booker, a casting director, or a brand looking through submissions spends two seconds on your photo. In those two seconds, they need to see your bone structure, your skin, your proportions, and your potential. Not your styling. Not your editing. Not your personality.
This is the opposite of most other professional headshots. A corporate headshot sells competence. An actor headshot sells range. A model headshot sells raw material.
Here's what the industry actually requires.
The Clean Headshot: Non-Negotiable
Every model needs a set of "clean" headshots. These are industry-standard photos with specific characteristics:
Minimal makeup. Light foundation, concealed blemishes, groomed brows, clear lip balm. That's it. Agencies want to see your actual skin, not what a makeup artist can do with it. Heavy makeup hides the features they're evaluating.
No retouching. Or extremely minimal retouching, limited to color correction and minor blemish removal. Agencies know what Photoshop looks like and they don't trust heavily edited photos. They want to see your real face because they're booking your real face.
Simple background. White, light gray, or off-white. Nothing that competes with your features. The background should essentially disappear.
Flat, even lighting. Soft, front-facing light that illuminates your entire face without dramatic shadows. This isn't about creating mood. It's about showing your features clearly and accurately.
Straight to camera. Direct eye contact, face straight to the lens. Some agencies also want a 3/4 angle and a profile shot. All three angles in the same lighting setup.
Hair pulled back or natural. Your face shape and forehead need to be visible. For the clean headshot, hair shouldn't obscure any facial features.
This is fundamentally different from a styled or creative photo. The clean headshot is a data point, not an art piece.
What Agencies Evaluate
Understanding what they're looking at helps you understand why the clean headshot rules exist:
Bone structure. Cheekbones, jawline, forehead shape, nose profile. These determine what types of work you're suited for and how you'll photograph in different lighting.
Skin quality. Texture, clarity, and evenness of tone. Not perfection. Agencies know skin has texture. But they need to see it honestly, not through filters.
Proportions. How symmetrical your face is, where your features sit, how they relate to each other. This determines your "type" in the industry.
Versatility potential. Can this face carry different looks? Would it work for beauty work, commercial campaigns, editorial spreads, or high fashion? The clean headshot lets them imagine possibilities that a styled photo locks you into.
Photogenic quality. Some faces photograph differently than they appear in person. The camera adds or subtracts in ways that aren't predictable without a photo. This is what the clean headshot tests.
Types of Model Headshots
Clean/Agency Headshot
Described above. Required for all agency submissions, go-sees, and comp cards. This is your baseline.
Beauty Shot
Close-up of face with professional hair and makeup. Used for cosmetics, skincare, and beauty brand submissions. Different from the clean headshot because styling IS the point. But the styling is specific to the beauty industry, not personal preference.
Commercial Headshot
Warm, approachable, relatable. A friendly smile, casual styling, natural lighting. This is for catalog work, lifestyle brands, and advertising that sells "everyday person" authenticity. Closer to a real estate headshot in energy than a fashion headshot.
Editorial Headshot
Dramatic, stylized, mood-driven. Strong lighting, bold expression, often black and white. This is for fashion editorial submissions, runway casting, and high-end brand work. The complete opposite of commercial.
Comp Card Photos
A comp card is your visual resume. It includes multiple photos: clean headshot, beauty, full body, and one or two styled shots showing range. Agencies provide templates, but the photos are your responsibility.
Getting Model Headshots
Photographer (Industry Standard)
For serious model work, a photographer who specializes in model portfolios is the standard path. They understand agency requirements, know the lighting setups, and can direct you through the standard angles.
Budget: $200-800 for a model portfolio session covering headshots, full body, and styled options.
What to look for: Portfolio experience specifically with models, not weddings or corporate work. Ask to see their test/portfolio work. Check if their models signed with agencies.
What to avoid: Photographers who over-edit, use dramatic lighting for clean headshots, or focus on "creating art" when you need agency-standard documentation.
AI Headshots (Limited Use for Models)
AI headshot generators like Narkis.ai produce excellent professional headshots, but model headshots are one area where the limitations matter:
Where AI works: Generating clean, professional headshots for initial online submissions, social media, and casting platforms that accept digital submissions. At $29 for 200 photos, it's a cost-effective starting point.
Where AI falls short: Agencies evaluating new talent need to see unretouched, unmodified photos of your actual face. AI-generated images, no matter how realistic, don't serve this purpose. The agency needs to know what shows up to the casting call.
The practical approach: Use AI headshots for casting platform profiles and social media presence-building. Use a photographer for agency submissions and comp cards. Both serve different stages of your career.
For a full comparison, see AI headshots vs. professional photographer.
Test Shoots (Free or Trade)
New models often do TFP shoots, meaning "time for prints," with photographers who want to build their portfolios. Both parties work for free and both get portfolio images.
Pros: Free, and you may get creative editorial shots you'd never afford otherwise. Cons: Quality varies enormously. No guarantee the photos meet agency standards. The photographer's creative vision may not align with your needs.
Best approach: Do TFP shoots for creative/editorial portfolio building, but invest in a proper clean headshot session independently.
Preparation
Before the Shoot
Skin: Start a consistent skincare routine 2-4 weeks before. Hydrate. Avoid new products that might cause reactions. No facial treatments within a week of the shoot because redness and peeling are harder to fix than people think.
Hair: Clean, healthy, styled simply. Don't get a dramatic new cut right before. Agencies want to see your current, natural look.
Grooming: Clean nails, groomed eyebrows (don't reshape dramatically), managed facial hair.
Sleep: 7-8 hours the night before. Puffy eyes and dark circles are harder to light away than people think.
Hydration: Drink water. Dehydrated skin photographs flat.
At the Shoot
For the clean headshot, bring minimal natural makeup or no makeup at all if your agency prefers truly bare-faced shots. Bring options for styled shots. Bring multiple simple tops in black, white, and gray for wardrobe variety without visual noise. See what to wear for headshots.
Expression
For clean headshots: neutral or "pleasant neutral." Not smiling, not scowling. Relaxed face, direct gaze, slight engagement in the eyes. Think "alert but calm."
For commercial: genuine smile, warmth, accessibility.
For editorial: whatever the photographer or mood board calls for. This is where you show range.
For posing fundamentals that apply across all types.
Common Mistakes
Over-editing submitted photos. Agencies see thousands of photos. They can spot editing immediately. Heavy retouching signals insecurity or dishonesty. Neither helps.
Only having styled photos. If every photo in your portfolio has full makeup, dramatic lighting, and creative styling, the agency can't see YOU. Clean headshots first, creative shots second.
Using old photos. Your look changes. Weight fluctuation, aging, hairstyle changes are all visible. Update every 6-12 months. See how often to update headshots.
Copying other models' styles. Agencies are looking for what makes you unique, not your ability to replicate someone else's photos.
Skipping the profile angle. Many models only submit straight-on headshots. A profile shot shows your nose shape, jawline, and facial proportions from an angle that matters for booking decisions.
Quick Checklist
- Clean headshot: minimal makeup, no retouching, white background, flat lighting
- Straight-on, 3/4, and profile angles
- Beauty shot with professional hair and makeup
- Commercial shot: smiling, approachable, natural
- Full body shot in simple clothing
- All photos updated within last 6-12 months
- High resolution originals available
For a complete overview of professional headshot types, see types of professional headshots.
