What Are Digitals (Snaps) and How Do You Take Them?

Somewhere in an agency office right now, a booker is eating lunch at their desk and clicking through a folder of new submissions. They slow down on the ones where they can actually see the person. They don't care about the lighting, the stylist or the friend with the nice camera. They care about the person.

That is what digitals are for. Digitals, also called snaps or polas, are simple, unretouched photos of you as you look today: little or no makeup, fitted plain clothes, natural light, a clean background and no filters. They show an agency your face, your proportions, your skin and your hair with nothing in the way, and they are the first thing most agencies ask for when you apply. You can take a good set at home with a phone and a patient friend in about twenty minutes. A strong set of snaps will do more for you than an expensive shoot.

Why are they called snaps, polas and digitals?

Before everyone had a camera in their pocket, agencies photographed new faces on Polaroids. A quick instant print went into the model's file or got pinned to the board, and bookers called them polas. Some offices still do, out of pure habit. Snaps is the casual version of the same idea, and digitals is the modern name, because they are now shot digitally.

All three mean the same thing. Once you are signed, your agency will shoot fresh ones on a regular basis, and clients often look at those alongside your book when deciding whether to put you on hold for a job.

Why do agencies trust snaps more than a professional shoot?

A professional shoot is a collaboration. Someone chose the light, someone did your makeup, someone picked the flattering angle and someone may have retouched the result. That can be beautiful, and it tells a booker what a team managed to make of you on one particular day.

Snaps answer a different question. Is the skin clear today? How does the hair fall without product? What does the jaw do in profile? Do the proportions in the picture match the measurements you wrote on the form? A client is going to hire the person who walks through the door, so the agency needs to know exactly who that is.

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A great portfolio shows what a team can make of you; good snaps show what the team gets to work with.

This is also why you don't need any experience to submit. Bookers look at digitals from people who have never stood in front of a professional camera every single day. The photos are meant to be plain. Nobody is grading your technique.

What should you wear for digitals?

Dress as if you are about to be fitted for something. The aim is to show your shape and get your clothes out of the conversation.

• Top: a fitted, plain tank top or t-shirt in black, white or gray. No logos, no prints, nothing oversized.
• Bottoms: fitted black or dark jeans, or plain leggings. Skinny or straight cut, so the line of your legs is visible.
• Feet: barefoot or simple flat shoes. Some agencies ask women's board applicants for one set in a plain heel. If the instructions say so, do it. If they don't, barefoot is fine.
• Hair: off your face for most shots, tied back or tucked behind the ears, then a couple of frames with it down and natural. Skip the fresh blowout and heavy product.
• Makeup: none, or close to none. A bit of moisturizer, lip balm and brushed brows. If you have a beard, shoot it exactly as it will look at a meeting.
• Extras: no jewelry, hats or sunglasses. Bare nails or a neutral polish.

Some agencies also ask for a shot in a simple swimsuit or fitted underwear so they can see your proportions clearly. Only do this if an agency specifically asks, you're comfortable with it, and you have checked that the agency is real. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian should be involved at every step, and fitted everyday clothes are the standard.

Where and when should you shoot them?

Find a plain wall. White, cream or light gray, with no pictures, door frames or plants creeping into the edge of the shot. Stand about a step or two in front of it so you don't throw a hard shadow onto the wall behind you.

Then find the light. Face a large window during the day, with the light falling straight onto you. Mid-morning or mid-afternoon tends to be softest, and an overcast day is a gift. Avoid harsh midday sun, overhead ceiling lights that carve shadows under your eyes, and standing with the window behind you, which turns you into a silhouette. If you shoot outside, stand in open shade beside a building rather than in direct sun.

For the camera, any recent phone works. Use the back camera, not the selfie one. Turn off beauty mode, portrait mode and any filters, and stay on the standard 1x lens, because the 0.5x wide lens stretches everything near the edges.

A few small things make a big difference:

• Headshots: your friend holds the phone at your eye level and steps back a little, zooming in slightly rather than pushing the phone close to your face, which makes noses look bigger than they are.
• Full length: the phone sits at about hip height, held vertically, with your whole body in frame and a little space above your head and below your feet.
• No friend? Use a cheap tripod and the self-timer. Skip mirror selfies entirely.

Which shots do agencies actually want?

Always read an agency's own submission instructions first, because some have a specific list. If they don't, this standard set covers it:

1. 1Headshot, front, neutral. Face straight to camera, mouth relaxed, eyes into the lens, shoulders up.
2. 2Headshot, smiling. A real smile, with teeth if that is how you naturally smile.
3. 3Profile, left and right. Turn your whole head 90 degrees and keep your chin level.
4. 4Waist-up. Shows your shoulders, arms and torso.
5. 5Full length, front. Head to toe, arms relaxed at your sides, feet roughly hip-width apart.
6. 6Full length, side. Shows your posture and the line from shoulders to heels.
7. 7Full length, back. Not every agency wants it, but many do.

Shoot plenty of frames, then send your best four to eight. A booker opening an email with forty nearly identical photos will not enjoy it.

Once you have a clean set you're happy with, you can start your application the same day. Snaps are meant to be current, so there's no reason to wait for some better version of yourself.

How should you pose for digitals?

Barely. Stand, don't pose. Put your weight evenly on both feet, let your arms hang, drop your shoulders away from your ears and keep your chin parallel to the floor. A slight lift through the top of your head is fine. Hands on hips, head tilts, pouts and the smolder you practiced in the mirror all belong somewhere else.

The hardest part is the face. Neutral is not the same as blank. A blank stare reads as nervous or bored. Try thinking of something mildly funny, or breathe out gently through your nose just before the shutter goes. Your face relaxes and your eyes stay alive. Take a lot of frames, because the difference between a stiff shot and a good one is often a fraction of a second.

What gets snaps passed over?

Most weak submissions fail for the same handful of reasons:

• Filters or beauty mode, even subtle ones. Smoothed skin is obvious to anyone who looks at faces all day.
• Old photos. If you've cut your hair or grown a beard since, the photos are already out of date.
• Baggy clothes that hide your shape.
• Busy backgrounds: an unmade bed, a bathroom mirror, a crowded kitchen.
• Cropped feet in full-length shots.
• Heavy makeup, contour or lashes.
• Hands near the face, sunglasses or hats.
• One angle only, usually the flattering one.
• Group photos with friends cropped out of the frame.

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If a booker meets you and doesn't recognize you from your snaps, no amount of good lighting can fix that.

Do digitals look different depending on who you are?

The rules are the same for everyone, and that is the point. A few notes:

• Curve and plus-size models: fitted clothing matters even more. Don't hide in a loose shirt. Agencies need to see your proportions clearly.
• Older models: there is no need to soften lines or reach for flattering light. Commercial and lifestyle clients book real faces.
• Tattoos, scars, freckles, gray hair: show them. Agencies have to know what they are booking, and plenty of clients want exactly that.
• Shorter models: don't use low angles to add height. Shoot straight on and give honest numbers.
• Kids and teens: a parent or guardian takes and sends the photos. Plain clothes and no makeup at all.

What happens after you send them?

If an agency is interested, the next step is usually a request for more snaps, a short video, your measurements (our model measurements guide explains how to take them properly) or an invitation to meet. If they sign you, they will shoot their own digitals and use them alongside test shoots to build your portfolio and your comp card.

One firm rule: legitimate agencies don't charge to sign you, and they don't make you buy a photo package before they will look at you. If someone insists you pay for professional digitals before they'll consider you, walk away. Here's how to spot a scam agency.

You can submit through agency websites one by one, or send your profile to agencies through Get Scouted, which shares it with agencies around the world. Each agency decides for itself, and nobody can guarantee representation.

How often do you need new ones?

Take new ones every time something changes: a haircut, a new color, a beard grown or shaved, braces off, a new tattoo, a noticeable change in your body. Otherwise, refresh them every few months. Signed models get updated digitals regularly, often before each new season, because clients notice the difference.

Keep a dated folder on your phone. The next time an agency writes back asking for current snaps, you'll have them ready to send.