What is a portfolio and why do we need one?
Portfolios can come in many shapes and sizes, some may be more practical than others, but the way in which you present it can be a big indicator on how the assessors will see you., as long as it is presented elegantly it will be fine. Types of portfolios can include physical prints, a website, a PDF document, etc… However the way in which you show your portfolio is very important.
A portfolio is a method of showing your work to other people such as, employers. It holds a very important purpose and can be easily judged based on the format it comes in. When your portfolio is under review, it needs to scream quality at the assessor, whether this be a friend or an employer as you never know who might have/ know someone who has a job opportunity for you. Here are a few pro tips on what to consider when creating your portfolio:
Stay away from cheap quality (this can cause your portfolio to present you as someone who may not really care about their work)
Update your portfolio every 6 months, any work older than this can be out of date.
Avoid making your portfolio into a book as it makes it difficult to keep it up to date.
Carry around small prints with you everywhere you go, as you never know when you might meet someone and this helps to make you look organised.
Avoid light colours as they can easily get dirty.
Keep it uniform, make sure to print all images on the same high quality paper and keep them the same rotation, this helps the images to stand together a lot better. and it makes it difficult for the person/people looking at it as they would have to keep turning the pages around.
have around 30-50 images, this helps to see the variety of work you have/ can produced, it is alright to have more than one image per page as long as it is well executed. But be selective, don’t have multiple shots from the same shots as this can look boring.
Include thumbnails at the back of the portfolio to help keep the work in context.
Have strongest work at the beginning and pay attention to the flow of the images and how they compliment each other.
It is also very important to research and consider the work you are showing and who you are showing it to, there is no point presenting fashion work to someone who is looking for a sports photographer. Make sure to understand fully who you are showing your work to and alter your portfolio accordingly. Portfolios are so important when it comes to getting commissions, BUT how you present yourself can be just as important and people will not want to work with someone who is unprofessional or annoying. Some points to consider when showing your work to someone:
Avoid explaining the work whilst it is being assessed as it can give the idea that the images do not speak for themselves, only speak if questions are asked.
Be memorable to the person, make your images look different and try to make a good impression, be confident.
Don’t repeat yourself unnecessarily.
Go through your work with someone you trust before hand so you are able to tweak anything that may not flow very smoothly.
It can be very useful to look at photographers portfolios to get inspiration but also to see how you can stand out from the crowd and be different.
Having a physical portfolio can be one of the best demonstrations of your work, it can show a good evaluation of your work and how it is able to evolve and it also allows the assessor to evaluate at a more peaceful and slower pace. Having physical prints can sometimes be the best way to present your work especially for commercial uses or for magazine commissions as it allows them to see the work at a much higher standard and how it looks printed as this is the medium they are used to working with. There is also something a lot more elegant and professional about having physical photographs to show as it allows you to come across as someone who cares about their work, which is what employers will want.
Having a good box to carry your prints in is another good tip as this can help to, firstly keep the prints from getting damaged but also to show that you care not only about how the images look but also about making sure the way they are presented and kept is also a big indicator on how you care for your work.
I found this session to be really helpful and in depth as it has allowed me to realize how employers and commissioners think and how they will look at you and your work. It has helped me to know what to expect and how to make myself come across as professional and elegant.
I feel there is no point in printing a portfolio at the moment, as by the time I would be able to get work my images will most likely be out of date. However if I was to print some I would most likely have these as little A5 prints in a small folder. I would like to have more, but I have been lacking so much in photography that these are the only recent shots I have. but I feel they show a fairly good variety of my work.
