Common mistakes models make when taking digis

If you've been in the modelling industry for a little while, you're probably pretty familiar with the idea of digis (if not, head straight over to our other blog explaining what they are and how to take them here). As a model, digis are some of the most important photos you will take as they are often what you will send out to agencies and brands to try and secure work! This means, it's really important that your digis are working for you - not against you.

Unfortunately, too often we see digis come through that are just missing the mark, and most of the time, the same mistakes are being made over and over again. So, we thought we'd share some of the most common mistakes we see and how you can fix them!

Lighting

This is by FAR the most common mistake we see when it comes to digis. Bad lighting completely ruins a digi and will really damage your chances at getting an opportunity! 

Things to avoid:

• Standing in the full sun during the middle of the day
• Being inside with all the windows closed and only an overhead light
• Ring light only
• Unnatural light

Best lighting options:

• Start or end of the day where the light is softer and on an angle
• Natural light only if possible
• Slightly overcast day
• If taking the photo inside, be sure to be facing a window with natural light coming through!

Outfit

When you're picking your outfit for your digis, you need to remember the two golden rules: figure hugging + black! If you don't quite get your outfit right, it can detract from, obscure, and hide your figure - which you definitely don't want to do! The whole point of a digi is to show you as you really are!

Things to avoid:

• Baggy shirts or pants
• Coloured clothing
• Overly high heels

Best outfit options:

• High waisted skinny jeans (ideally, in black)
• Tight singlet (ideally, in black)
• Simple heel in black or nude (4 inches or less)
  
  

Background

Be very aware of the background of your digis! Although not the most important thing to think about, your backdrop will either enhance your image or make it look really unprofessional!

Things to avoid:

• Rooms in the background
• Too much colour
• People/pets

Best background options:

• Plain white wall - this is the best option!
• Wall (brick/concrete always look great!)
• Garage door
• Fence
• Plain pathway

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Posing

Okay, we'll admit, posing for digis is a bit tricky. It's really hard to strike the right balance between being too underposed and too overposed. But, this is an important balance to find because it will speak volumes for your talent and ability as a model.

Things to avoid:

• Being so underposed it looks like a mug shot!
• Looking like you are having a high fashion shoot.

Best posing options:

• Simple commercial poses
• Ensure your face is always ON meaning pulling a teeth smile, no teeth smile, model face, or fake laugh. Don't EVER just give a neutral face - remember, you're a model after all!

Image quality

There's no point setting up the perfect digi if you image quality is terrible! Although digis don't need to be taken on a professional camera, make sure that the camera you're using isn't going to take grainy/blurry photos. 

Things to avoid:

• Grainy photos
• Blurry photos

Best camera options:

• Smart phone with a high quality camera 
• Digital camera
• Professional camera (if you have one!)

Want to see an example of the PERFECT digis?

Rhiannan

Chelsea

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