Answering a Reader Question #660

Serin Wrote:

Hi Dania,
I love your blog! It's been helping me a lot, but I have another question. I was recently signed to a small, local agency but they asked me to develop a portfolio. They also gave me a list of photographers so I can start shooting with them, but the problem is they asked me to pay for the shoots. Is that normal and should I pay for the shoots to develop my portfolio?
Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it!

Hey, Serin!

I love having you as a reader! :-)

Congrats on getting signed to an agent, that's fantastic! Because your agent signed you first and then asked you to develop your portfolio at your own expense, it is completely normal and legal for them to do this. It would be a no-no if they were to ask you to do that before giving you a contract to sign.

So don't worry, you're on the right path and your agency isn't trying to pull one over on you. However, it doesn't hurt to ask if it's okay to find your own photographers outside of the list they gave you to see if you can find a more affordable approach by doing free test shoots. See what they say/recommend and then go from there.

Here is a link to a blog post I wrote about this subject that will explain this process in more detail:

The Deal With Agencies & Test Shoots for Portfolio Building
But even if you end up having to pay, once you start booking work you will make that investment back plus some. It's all a part of the process of investing in yourself as a business.

When I got signed to Ford years ago, I had to do the same thing as you and spent about $400 total but that included the shoot with the photographer, hair and makeup services, a trip with a stylist to choose my clothes and the cost of printing my book and comp cards (the actual cost you could spend will vary and you might not end up spending the same amount as I did). As long as you're getting a lot for your money that is what's important.

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