Model Portfolio Photography

Your images are the first audition.

Make them count.

Before an agent reads your name. Before a casting director hears your voice. Before you walk into a room and prove what you can do — they have already looked at your photographs and made a decision.

That's not cynical. That's the industry. And it means the quality of your images isn't a vanity consideration. It's a career one.

Appeal to the Decision Makers

At McAnerin Studios in Calgary, model portfolio photography is built around one question: what does the decision maker looking at these images need to see? Not what looks impressive on a screen. Not what flatters you most. What gets you the meeting, the callback, the signed contract.

That means understanding the difference between what an agency wants in a set of digitals versus what a casting director looks for in a headshot versus what makes an editorial test shoot worth adding to your book. These are not the same image, and they're not made the same way. Getting it right requires someone who knows the industry from the inside — not just someone who knows how to operate a camera.

Whether you're submitting to your first agency and need a clean, honest set of digitals, building a comp card that leaves a lasting impression at go-sees, or developing the editorial range that takes your book from thin to compelling — this is where that work gets done.

Your Modelling Career in Calgary

Calgary's modelling scene is smaller than Vancouver or Toronto. That's not a disadvantage. It means the bar to stand out is lower, the opportunities are real, and the right images can move you through this market faster than you think.

Most people who book a session here have never worked with a professional photographer before. Some have never considered themselves a model at all — they're actors, or dancers, or people who've been told enough times that they should be in front of a camera that they've finally decided to find out if that's true.

You don't need to arrive knowing what you're doing. You need to arrive. The direction, the posing, the lighting — that's Ian's job. Yours is simply to show up.

Let's Talk

☆ Are you an Agent or Agency? Contact us to arrange for an agency discount + referral fee for all your models ☆

Here's what each session produces, what it costs, and how to figure out which one you need first.

Keep scrolling for an all-in-one option.

Model Digitals

Also called polaroids

 

$185

  • non-refundable $50 deposit
  • balance due before session
  • payment in 4 installments available

 

Session Length

30 Minutes
  • Show up wearing little/no makeup
  • Wear simple clothing - blue jeans and tank top most common

Style & Look

Simple, clean, minimal
Plain background. No heavy makeup. No elaborate styling. Natural light or simple studio light. The point is honest representation.

Retouching

- None or minimal
Agencies specifically want to see the real you. Heavy retouching defeats the purpose and erodes trust.

When You Need It

Before agency submission
Also when your look changes significantly — new hair, weight change, age. Agencies expect updated digitals every 6–12 months.

Images Produced

  • 6–12 images
  • 1 mini video
Full-length front & back, headshot, profile, 3/4. Minimally edited or unedited. Digital delivery, usually 1-4 business days.

Comp Card

Also called a zed card

 

$550

  • non-refundable $150 deposit
  • balance due before session
  • payment in 4 installments available

 

Session Length

2 hours
  • Including hair & makeup, shoot, and outfit changes
  • Greeted with an elegant glass of champagne - or your preferred alternative beverage

Style & Look

Polished but versatile
One strong hero shot on the front (usually a headshot). Back shows 3–5 varied looks: full-length, different hair, commercial vs editorial.

Retouching

✓ Light to moderate
Clean skin, colour-corrected, professionally finished — but still recognizably you. Not fashion-editorial level.

When You Need It

After agency sign or update
Once signed to an agency or when your current card is outdated. Reprinted when your look or measurements change.

Images Produced

  • 4–6 selects for print
  • Digital layout file for printing.
Lightly retouched hero headshot + 3–5 varied shots. Digital delivery, 8-10 business days

Model Test

Also called a test shoot. (Free Test Shoots)

 

$950

  • non-refundable $300 deposit
  • balance due before session
  • payment in 4 installments available

 

Session Length

Full day: 5-6 hours
  • Including hair & makeup, shoot, break, and outfit changes
  • Greeted with a charcuterie board and an elegant glass of champagne - or your preferred alternative beverage

Style & Look

Creative and editorial
Full styling, wardrobe, makeup. Treated like a magazine shoot. The goal is to show range, versatility, and  ability to work with a team.

Retouching

✓✓ Full editorial retouch
Fully retouched to the standard of published work. This is what goes in your book and gets submitted to clients.

When You Need It

When your book is thin
Early career to build range. Also used by experienced models entering a new market or trying a new genre (e.g. moving into commercial).

Images Produced

  • 10–30+ finished images,
  • 1+ mini videos
Depends on scope and number of looks. A single-look test might yield 10 selects; a multi-look full-day shoot yields 25–40. Digital delivery, 10–14 business days
UPGRADE PATH

Clients who purchase a Comp Card or Model Test session within 90 days of purchasing Digitals will receive a $50 credit.

Clients who purchase a Digital or Model Test session within 90 days of purchasing Comp Cards will receive a $100 credit.

À La Carte Add-Ons

Hair & Makeup

  • $120 (30 Minutes)
  • $285 (All day)

Professional artist on-site for the full session. Includes blow-dry style and full glamour makeup application.

Additional Images

$55 per image
Select additional retouched files beyond your package allowance.

Print Run

  • 25 comp cards: $200
  • 50 comp cards: $275
  • 100 comp cards: $360
Physical printing and delivery of the comp cards.

Getting Agency Ready

 

Getting signed — or getting cast — requires three things the industry will ask for before anything else: digitals that show your honest baseline, a comp card they can take into the room, and editorial test images that prove you can deliver on set.

Most people book these separately. That means three different sessions, three separate preparation days, three invoices, and three sets of scheduling — often spread across weeks or months while your career waits.

Agency Ready combines all three into a single, fully produced session day. Your digitals are captured first — clean, natural, honest. Then we move into the comp card looks. Then the editorial test, with full styling and creative direction, producing the portfolio images that show the industry what you're genuinely capable of.

One day. Every image type you need. No redundant setup costs. No gaps in your book.

When you leave, you have what a working model or actor is expected to walk in with: a complete, professional, agency-standard set of images that represents you at every level the industry looks for.

This is the package you book when you're done waiting and ready to be taken seriously.

Agency Ready

Everything the industry needs to see. Done in a single day.

 

$1,485

  • save $200 over buying the 3 packages separately
  • non-refundable $500 deposit
  • balance due before session
  • payment in 4 installments available

 

What's Included

  • Model digitals — 6–12 clean, agency-standard images
  • Comp card selects — 4–6 polished, print-ready images with digital layout file
  • Model test shoot — 25–40 fully retouched editorial images
  • Expert posing direction throughout
  • Single-day session — no repeat setups, no rescheduling
  • Private password-protected online gallery
  • Personal use licence for all images

Session length: Full day, 5–6 hours

  • Including hair & makeup, shoot, break, and outfit changes
  • Greeted with a charcuterie board and an elegant glass of champagne - or your preferred alternative beverage

Images delivered: 35-60 images across all three formats

Retouching: Minimal on digitals (industry standard) · Light retouch on comp card selects · Full editorial retouch on test images

Digital Delivery: 10–14 business days

Agency Ready sessions are limited to four per month to ensure full creative attention for each client. Early booking is recommended.

UPGRADE PATH

Clients who wish to upgrade to Agency Ready from Digitals or Comp Card within 90 days can apply the fee they have already paid, PLUS still get the $200 package discount!

Let's Talk

No pressure. No obligation. Just a chance to figure out what's possible.

The Practical Things

A few things worth knowing before you reach out.

Studio Location — McAnerin Studios is attached at the rear of the property at 722 Coventry Dr NE, Calgary. Street and alley parking is readily available. Private and designed with your comfort in mind. Alternate locations are available for more variety.

Your Privacy — Every session is treated as entirely confidential by default. No images are ever shared, displayed, or used for any purpose without your explicit written consent. This applies to every session type, without exception.

The Consultation Is Free — The initial conversation costs you nothing and commits you to nothing. It's simply a chance to ask questions, get a feel for whether this is the right fit, and figure out what kind of session would serve you best.

Turnaround Time — Finished images are typically delivered within 7–14 business days of your session, depending on session type. Rush options are available.

Payment & Booking — Sessions are confirmed with a deposit. The remainder is due before the session. Flexible payment options are available - just ask.

You Don't Have to Know Exactly What You Want — Most people don't, at first. That's what the consultation is for.

Let's Talk

No pressure. No obligation. Just a chance to figure out what's possible.