By enrolling in 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 and not put any of your new found knowledge into use or take any photographs.

We’re assuming that up until this point you have many new photographs that you’ve been taking in order to complete the assignments and for fun or practice. 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.

Firstly we will discuss how to arrange and organize your photographs and secondly we will help you chose the right materials and products for putting together a 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 and you can’t include images with lighting problems.

A basic image library will showcase your technical and artistic expertise as an artist. These image libraries are great for general use and to show your range as a photographer. It can highlight your attention to detail with 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 and artistic photographer.

However, basic image libraries also have their limitations. Because they are not organized 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.

photo by zyllan

Here is a video on the subject of portfolios and showing them to clients:

Video by Alexi Lubomirski

Other photography pages of interest:

Adjusting hue and saturation
Liquefy tool
Gallery photography portfolio
Commercial photography portfolio
How to present your photography portfolio