We receive a lot of applications on a daily basis, so here are a few hints and tips of how you can get your pictures noticed.

1. Send photos that are a decent quality. If you have a camera phone that takes fuzzy pictures, do not send them in. Your photo is the first thing we see of you and bad quality and unclear photos do not give a great impression.

2. Make sure we can see your child clearly. Do not send photos with hats, sunglasses and cuddly toys in the way. Please ensure your child is smiling directly at the camera. We need to see their face.

3. Don’t take photos with a busy background. The pictures do not have to be professional, but they do need to be clear. Photos against a white wall or outside near a tree are completely fine. If you are unsure, it most likely isn’t going to be the right picture. Take another one and then send it to us.

4. Take photos of your child on their own. The exception to this are identical twins, where having a picture together is the best thing to show clients. It is your child you are applying to the agency for, so make sure that you are not having point out that he/she is the third in from the left.

5. Try and get your child to be as relaxed as possible. Do not put them into ‘poses’. Stand as naturally as possible with your arms down and look directly at the camera. Please remember to send a close up head shot as well as full length. If your child has long hair, a picture with their hair tied back as well as loose is helpful. For babies, please put them on a neutral sofa or rug and try to get them to look at the camera as well. Please ensure they don’t have dummies or pacifiers in their mouth.

6. Simple clothes are always a winner. Jeans and a vest top work brilliantly for the type of pictures we require.