The New Modeling Portfolio- The iPad and Online Portfolios

Is the age of 9 x 12 portfolio books over?  It may be getting there.  Printing 9 x 12 photos can get expensive and some photographers don't format your photos to be printed 9 x 12.  I've found it easier to print everything 8 x 10 and keep my portfolio that size, but that still can be pricey.   


Many agencies are starting to keep online portfolios of their models that they can send out to clients for free and very quickly.


But what do you take with you to castings to show the client???  Good question! You can now follow what Next Company Model Management has done and use your iPad!  They have created a portfolio app for their models, so the clients can flip through their portfolio at castings.  Other "portfolio" type apps are available through the app store.


This sounds like a great idea, right?  Of course it does. iPad's are extremely light, so lugging around a huge portfolio book to a bunch of castings would be a thing of the past.  It would also be extremely easy to update and edit your photos within your portfolio.    


Drawbacks?  iPad's aren't cheap either.  iPad's start at $499 US.  Not "cheap" by any means.  I typically spend $1.99 for an 8 x 10 photo and $3.99 for a 9 x 12 photo.  I could get a lot of photos printed for $499.  Now, that's assuming you're buying the iPad strictly for the purpose of having your modeling portfolio on it, which in almost all cases, would not be the only reason you're purchasing it.  


So, will this be the next big thing in the modeling industry?  It could be.  We could start seeing this more and more with how well the iPad has caught on.  If I had an iPad, I would definitely use this feature.  Will I go out and buy an iPad now, for this reason... probably not.  Would you?


Watch the YouTube video below for a peek at Next Company Model Management's Modeling Portfolio iPad App.