By taking this course we are assuming you are interested in actually learning more than just the theory behind photography.
We’re going to assume that up until this point you didn’t simply read the photography course material without taking any photographs, putting your new found knowledge to use.
In fact, we’re assuming that you have many new photographs from completing the assignments and simply having fun practicing. We’re also assuming that there are some photographs in your group of photographs which you are quite proud of. Now you must find a way to present them in a portfolio format. However, your portfolio will vary depending on what you plan to use it for.
First, we will discuss how to arrange and organize your photographs and second, we will help you chose the right materials and products for putting together your portfolio.
We will start with a general interest photography portfolio.
Image Library
An image library is also commonly referred to as your “best of” gallery. While most other portfolios will focus on a specific theme, these portfolios are simply the “best of the best” from a particular photographer. They must be crisp, clear, well composed, strong and interesting.
You can’t include slightly blurred images, images with errors in the composition or lighting problems. A basic image library will showcase your technical and artistic expertise. These image libraries are great for general use and to show your range as a photographer. It can highlight your attention to detail when it comes to image composition but it can also showcase your creative side as well. You can include both digitally altered images and non-digitally altered images. This gallery can also include black and white and color photographs. There are really no rules with these basic image libraries. The most important element is that the images highlight your skills as a technically advanced, artistic photographer.
However, basic image libraries have their limitations. By not organizing photos by theme or style they will often be ignored by galleries and other commercial bodies. A basic image library is always good to carry on you, but it’s more for personal reference and for friends and family. We will now get into more focused photography portfolios.
Gallery Portfolio
If you are interested in submitting your work to galleries, then a basic image library simply won’t cut it. Photography galleries often want to guide their visitors on a journey. That journey will be dictated by the theme of the photographs in your portfolio. The majority of galleries will not allow for a random submission of your best photos. They prefer to categorize and organize in terms of theme and genre.
As a result, you’ll need to organize your photographs by theme. Themes can range from specific subject matter such as political issues or family issues to technical categorization such as black and white, landscapes and so on. How you organize your photographs for your gallery portfolio is up to you but ideally you’re looking for 10-20 photographs categorized by a theme of your choice that would also be of thematic interest to the galleries you approach.
Commercial Portfolios
If you are making a commercial portfolio, you’re likely making it for a company which focuses on specific subjects such as fashion, nature or news to name a few. Therefore, submitting a portfolio to a commercial company will be largely dependent on what their focus is. That being said, there are some reoccurring themes that you can cater to regardless of the commercial focus on the company.
For starters you’re going to want to show consistency in the quality of your work. Therefore if you are working on creating a fashion portfolio, a way of highlighting your technical and artistic skills might be to include a few shots of each model to show that you can take consistently good photographs. The same goes for still life photography. If you are going to be working for a commercial product catalogue you’ll want to do the same. Showcase how you can take great pictures from many different angles, under different lighting conditions, with different ideas about composition.
How to present your portfolio
It’s always going to be a compromise between portability and presentability. Generally speaking, letter size (A4) is ideal. This will allow the viewer to see the fine details of the photography without having to squint.
You have no shortage of options when it comes to materials to present your portfolio. Many people like to present their portfolios in nice leather binders with plastic sheets to separate the actual photographs. The only problem with this is that sometimes the shine from the plastic can cause a distraction when the viewer is looking at the photograph. Matte formatting is often more ideal. Maintaining the integrity of the actual print should be the most important. If it was printed in glossy paper, then you shouldn’t place it behind another layer of glossy plastic.
Creating an online photography portfolio
Besides having a hard copy of your photography portfolio, it’s also a very important to put a copy of it online. This allows people to look at your work more conveniently and also exposes your work to a worldwide audience.
You have a couple of options when displaying your work online. You can choose to host your portfolio website using a free hosting service. This option is fine if you really don’t want to spend any money, but your page will be located at a URL that will be difficult to remember, and you’ll often have advertisements on your portfolio. For just a few dollars a month you can have your own domain name and hosting account set up.
If you are looking for the best online portfolio and sales system be sure to check out PhotoShelter.