Modeling Digitals: What They Are & How to Take Them

What are modeling digitals?

Modeling digitals — sometimes called polaroids or snapshots — are plain, unretouched reference photos that show exactly what you look like at the moment you submit them. A standard set is two images: a clear face photo and a full-body photo, taken in daylight against a plain background, with simple clothing, natural hair and little or no makeup.

Their whole purpose is accuracy rather than impact. A casting team looks at digitals to answer one question — what does this person actually look like today? — which is why they are deliberately unstyled and why they are not the same thing as portfolio images.

How to take model digitals with a phone at home

For an initial KASREN submission, a professional photographer is not required and offers no advantage. A phone camera and daylight produce exactly what a casting review needs. If someone tells you that you must pay for professional photos in order to be considered, that is not a KASREN requirement.

The whole process is: stand facing a window, put a plain wall behind you, prop the phone at chest-to-eye height on a stable surface, use the self-timer, and take one face frame and one full-body frame. Check that both are sharp and correctly exposed, then stop. The sections below cover each of those choices in turn.

Face and full-body digitals

Current face photo

Head and shoulders, facing the camera, hair away from your face, neutral or lightly relaxed expression. Eyes visible. No sunglasses or hat.

Current full-body photo

Head to feet in frame, standing straight, arms relaxed at your sides, camera far enough back that your whole body fits comfortably with a little space above and below.

Light

• Stand facing a window during the day — soft, even daylight is ideal.
• Avoid harsh direct midday sun, which creates strong shadows across the face.
• Avoid a bright window directly behind you, which turns you into a silhouette.
• Avoid single overhead ceiling lights and colored lighting.

Background

Plain and uncluttered: a blank wall, a door, a simple hallway. Nothing distracting behind you, and nobody else in the frame.

Camera position and framing

• Hold the camera at roughly chest to eye height, level rather than tilted.
• Avoid extreme low or high angles — they distort proportions and make the photo less useful.
• Keep the whole subject in frame with a small margin; do not crop tightly or awkwardly.
• Use a timer or a stable surface instead of an arm's-length selfie for the full-body shot.
• Check that the image is sharp and correctly exposed before you send it.

Represent your current appearance accurately

Take the photos recently — within the last few weeks if you can. Skip beauty filters, skin smoothing, reshaping tools and heavy editing. Natural makeup or none at all is fine. If your hair length or color has changed, the photo should reflect how you look now, because that is what the shoot will be planned around.

What to wear for modeling digitals

Simple, normal, fitted clothing so overall proportions are visible: a plain t-shirt or top with jeans, leggings or shorts works well. Revealing clothing is not required or requested for a submission. Avoid bulky coats, baggy layers, busy prints and large logos, which hide shape rather than showing it.

Keep shoes off or wear plain flats, skip statement jewelry and hats, and leave hair down and natural rather than styled. The clothing should be the least interesting thing in the frame.

One optional extra image

If you want to add a third photo, a relaxed profile or three-quarter angle is the most useful option. It is optional and never a requirement.

What not to submit

• Group photos or images with other people cropped out.
• Heavily filtered or retouched images.
• Screenshots of other photos or social media posts.
• Distant images where your face is not clearly visible.
• Severely cropped photos that cut off part of your head or body.
• Old photos that no longer match your current appearance.

Privacy

Photos submitted to KASREN are intended for private casting review by production personnel working on relevant projects. They are not published on this website and are not used as public marketing material. Government ID is not collected with the initial Talent List submission. Any age or identity verification required for a booking occurs later in the booking process.

Digitals are not a portfolio

A portfolio is edited and selected to show range; digitals are plain and current to show fact. Digitals are what KASREN asks for, and a portfolio is never required for an initial Talent List submission. If you want to understand the difference and how to build one later, the portfolio guide covers it.