Colby Reynolds came to the studio with a goal a lot of young people share. He wants to model.

Before I turned on a single light, we talked about what an agency actually wants to see from someone just starting out. It surprises most people, because the answer is a lot simpler than they expect.

In the modeling world these are called digitals, or Polaroids, or "polas" if you want to sound like you've been around a while. The name goes back to the days when agencies really did snap them with a Polaroid camera. The camera has changed, but the idea hasn't. An agency wants to see exactly what you look like with nothing added.

Here's what that means:

• No makeup, or as close to none as you can get

• Skip the fake nails and the spray tan

• No retouching and no filters

• Simple, fitted clothes. For guys, a plain tank top with jeans or dark pants is the classic

• For girls, a fitted black, white or gray tank top with skinny jeans or leggings, and plain black heels or simple flats

• Hair clean and natural, and off your face if it tends to hide it

• A plain background

Then a standard set of rather un-Kurt-like boring poses: a straight-on headshot, one from the waist up, a full length from the front, and a full length profile from each side. Some agencies like to see a smile in there too.

Colby's digitals are just that. Black tank top, black pants, sneakers, and a plain backdrop. Nothing fancy, and that is on purpose. When a booker opens his submission, they can see his build, his proportions, his skin, and that great head of curls, all of it honest.

It's tempting to think more polish will impress an agency. It usually works the other way. A heavily retouched photograph makes a booker wonder what they're not being shown, and that can cost you a callback.

What I bring to digitals is the part you don't notice when it's done right. Even light that shows true skin tone. Color that matches the person standing in front of me. Good posture, and a natural smile on someone who may never have stood in front of a camera before. That smile takes some patience and a few bad jokes, and I've got plenty of both. For modeling you don't want it overdone, just the right amount, and it takes an experienced photographer to find that for each person.

When an agency shows interest, or you start booking some work, the conversation changes. Now you need a portfolio, which the industry calls your "book." These are styled and directed images that show what you can do in front of a camera: your range, your expression, and how well you take direction.

Toward the end of Colby's session we switched gears and made a few portfolio frames. Same tank top, same morning. This time I shaped the light, directed his pose and his eyes, and went after a mood. I made black and white versions too, because a good black and white belongs in every book.

Put them next to his digitals and you can see the difference right away. It's the same young man doing two very different jobs.

A good book also shows range, and that takes more than one afternoon. Here are a few other model portfolio images I've photographed.

Look how different they are. A dark backdrop and a jacket with a little attitude. One young woman shown two ways for the same book, close up and then full length in a chair, so an agency can see both her face and how she carries herself. And one made on location in the water with warm evening light behind her, which is something no studio can give you.

A book gets built over time, one strong image after another. Many agencies arrange test shoots once they sign you, so there's no need to show up at the door with a stack of glamour shots. Show up with good digitals.

If you're just getting started, get your digitals done right. That's your application. Once you're in, start building your portfolio.

If you or your son or daughter is thinking about modeling, give me a call and we'll get you started the right way, with real world guidance on how to pose and express yourself in the way that BEST SUITS YOU!

Colby, I'm pulling for you.