Before a client has ever met you — before you've walked into a go-see or stepped onto set — your comp card and digitals have already spoken on your behalf. In the modeling industry, these two documents carry enormous weight. They are your professional calling card, your silent introduction, and often the deciding factor in whether a casting director reaches for the phone.
Understanding what they are, how to produce them well, and how to keep them current is one of the most practical skills a working model can develop.
Digitals: Showing the Real You
Digitals — sometimes called polaroids — are a set of clean, minimally styled photographs that show exactly what a model looks like without the polish of a full production. Agencies and casting clients use them to assess your natural look, proportions, and bone structure: everything the camera picks up when it is not being asked to flatter you.
Because of this, digitals must be honest. No heavy makeup, no dramatic lighting, no styled outfits that obscure your silhouette. What casting directors want to see is you at rest — your posture, your skin, your eyes, your natural energy.
A standard set of digitals includes four to five shots:
- A straight-on close-up of your face (shoulders up)
- A profile shot of your face
- A thigh-up shot facing forward
- A full-length shot facing forward
- A full-length three-quarter turn
Taken together, these give clients a complete, dimensional picture of your current look — the same information they would gather from meeting you in person.
How to Shoot Digitals That Work
The environment matters as much as you do. Shoot against a plain, light-colored wall — white, cream, or neutral gray. Natural window light is ideal; position yourself so the light falls evenly across your face without casting shadows beneath the eyes or jaw. Avoid direct sunlight, which creates harsh contrast and flattens texture. A shaded spot close to an open window, or outdoors in open shade, is ideal.
Wear form-fitting basics: fitted jeans or leggings with a plain tank top, or a simple, unbranded swimsuit if you are submitting to commercial or swimwear clients. Hair should be pulled back cleanly from the face, or worn in a simple, natural style that does not obscure your features. Keep makeup to an absolute minimum — at most, a light tinted moisturizer and groomed brows.
Digitals are meant to be unedited. Altering them — even subtly — misleads clients and damages your credibility the moment they meet you in person.
Do not retouch. Do not apply filters. Your natural appearance is what you are selling, and casting professionals are experienced enough to spot artificial enhancement immediately. Honesty in your digitals is not a vulnerability; it is the foundation of a professional reputation.
The Comp Card: Your Professional Calling Card
A comp card — also known as a zed card or sed card — is the physical or digital document you leave behind after every go-see, casting call, or industry event. It is typically formatted at 8.5 by 5.5 inches and designed to be compact, polished, and instantly informative.
The front of the card features your strongest single photograph — almost always a compelling headshot or a clean editorial image that captures your personality and range. The back carries three to four supporting images in smaller format, offering variety: a full-length shot, a beauty close-up, and a lifestyle or commercial image that shows your versatility.
Every comp card must include:
- Your name — clearly and prominently displayed
- Key measurements — height, bust or chest, waist, hips, shoe size, dress or suit size
- Agency contact details — name, website, phone, and email
- Social media handle — if your account is professionally maintained
Keep the design clean and minimal. Fashion moves quickly, and a dated layout signals an inactive model. Choose a simple template with generous white space and a legible font. Your photographs are the product — the design exists only to present them clearly.
New Models vs. Experienced Models
New models often use high-quality digitals or test shoot images on their comp cards, and this is entirely appropriate at the start of a career. As you accumulate professional work — campaign images, editorial tearsheets, lookbook photography — update your comp card to reflect your strongest, most recent images.
The guiding principle is simple: your comp card should represent who you are right now, at this stage of your career. An outdated card with images from two seasons ago tells a casting director that you have not been active. Current, polished materials tell them the opposite.
Keeping Your Materials Current
Update your digitals every three to six months, or any time your look changes significantly — a new haircut, a change in your physique, or noticeable improvements in your skin. Update your comp card at least once per year, and more often when you have new professional work that better represents your current range.
Print comp cards in small batches — fifty to one hundred at a time — so you are not left distributing outdated materials after a booking changes your look or your agency updates its contact details. Work with your agent to ensure the design and content reflect how they are currently positioning you to clients.
Always carry at least five comp cards. Opportunities arrive without announcement — at industry events, at fittings, in the elevator after a go-see. The model who is always prepared is the model who books.
A Document That Works While You Sleep
The best models treat their digitals and comp cards as living documents rather than one-time tasks. They stay current, they stay honest, and they stay representative of the professional you are building yourself to become. A great comp card, left behind after a strong go-see, can close a booking days later — long after you have walked out the door and moved on to your next appointment.
Invest the time to get these materials right. In a room full of talented models, the ones with the sharpest, most current, most professionally presented materials are the ones that casting directors remember.