If you have hopes of becoming a professional photographer, or even
just of trying to get your work published in a public forum, you
will need to create a photography portfolio. So what’s so important
about a photography portfolio anyway?
There are many reasons why having a portfolio of your work available
for others to view. If you are seeking employment as a photographer,
then the need for a portfolio is obvious. If you are not seeking
a photography job, there are still good reasons to have a portfolio.
For one, you love photography and you take a lot a pride in your
work. They are important to you. Most likely, some of them are very
good. Why not create a portfolio that showcases your best work so
you can show it to others (even if it’s just friends or family
that comes over for a visit)?
Building a Photography Portfolio
Before we get into what goes into your portfolio, let’s discuss
the portfolio itself. What should it be made of? How big should
it be? You may have seen portfolios with covers made of all types
of materials such as plastic, leather and even stainless steel.
These fancy covers are usually much more expensive and may not be
practical for a beginner. If you are competing for high-price jobs
and want to stand out from the crowd, these expensive covers may
be a nice touch. But for most people, a regular black plastic cover
will work just fine. It’s what’s inside the portfolio
that is most important, right?
So, you are probably best to stick with a plain black plastic cover
and work hard on beefing up what’s inside. Don’t decorate
your portfolio with cutesy stickers and such; this will look amateurish
and unprofessional. It’s not a scrapbook; it’s supposed
to represent your high-quality work.
Now, as for size, this is going to depend on the size of your largest
pictures. An 8 X 10 is probably going to be your largest. If your
pictures are not this big, you don’t need a portfolio this
big. Your biggest will most likely be an 11 X 14 and it could be
as small as a 4 X 7.
The most important thing for you to remember is convenience –
both for you and for the person who will be looking at your portfolio.
You want to keep it professional and easy to hold, carry and look
over.
Using a Photography Portfolio
So now that you know what a portfolio is and what type to get, how
do you actually use it? Well, we mentioned you are going to fill
it with your best work. This means you want a portfolio that can
easily be changed. You may want to pull out old ones and add in
new ones. You don’t want to go for a job carrying along every
picture you’ve ever taken. You’re going to want to have
15-20 of your best work. You are also going to want to be sure your
pictures are relevant to the job. If you are trying out for different
types of assignments, you may want to create portfolios that work
for each of the types of work you are doing.
Of course, you only want to show your best work but you want
to give the impression that you can handle any type of assignment
given to you ad not that you are “stuck” in only
one type of photography.
You want to showcase your best work; this is best technically as
well. You may have a photo that is really important to you because
of the image it represents or the memory it brings but if it is
not technically perfect, it doesn’t belong in a business portfolio.
Save that one for your coffee table.
