STG Studios

How to Create a Photography Portfolio

At some point in every photographer's career, many make the decision to go pro. Although it may seem like a daunting task to go from a photographer hobbyist to a professional, it may be a lot easier than you think. It won't happen immediately and does require a lot of work, but eventually you can make a good income with shooting pictures. One of the most common first steps to shooting professionally is to create a portfolio of your images. Here is how to do it.

Understand What You Want

Do you want to shoot for fashion magazines?  Want to do advertisements? Portrait studios? Before you begin creating a portfolio, make sure you know exactly the type of job or work you want so you can build your portfolio appropriately. Your photographs represent your ability to do the job you want, so make sure your portfolio represents the type of work you're after.

This is also a good time to decide on a theme for your portfolio. Although you can have unrelated images in your portfolio, it's always best to connect the images in your book to a specific theme or main idea.

Get Lots of Practice

If you don't have any professional work at the moment, or you're just getting started in the industry, be prepared to shoot for free - a lot. Make sure to be taking pictures in the niche or industry you want and keep a look out for opportunities to build your reputation.

There are plenty of people out there that need photographs done for a variety of reasons, and shooting for free can often sneak you in under the pros. This way you'll get images for your portfolio as well as great experience. If you're looking to find work this way, it's a lot easier if you want to take portraits.

Don't Forget the Prints

There are certainly advantages to having a digital portfolio such as easy access and portability however, you should also have a portfolio of hard copies always available. By having a physical portfolio, it will give you more of an opportunity to discuss your work and demonstrates that you know how to market your images.

More importantly, an "on paper" portfolio controls what your potential clients see. Your photos won't look the same on every monitor in the world, so having hard copies of them allows you to skip over any possible display issues.

Presentation Counts

One of the trickiest things about building a portfolio is deciding how to present it. Sadly there is no great secret that will magically grant you every job you try to land, but there are a couple of tips that can make the process easier.

The first thing you want to do is understand your audience. If you're going out for a local portrait studio, a nicely printed, leather-bound photo portfolio will probably be sufficient. But if you're trying to land a job with a top advertising agency, then you will have to make sure that your portfolio stands out from the crowd.

It's always good to be creative, but just make sure that you're not sacrificing the quality of your images for the sake of looking different. No matter what you do with your photos, make sure that each one is easily viewed and makes its point without interference from what you've used to showcase it. Your portfolio needs to complement your photos and theme so it will all go together as a finished package.

Finally, edit down. Therefore, you should only share your very best samples of your work. Art Directors and people who hire are busy so you'll often have less than a minute to have your images make their point so always present your best images first. Choose ten of your very best photographs and if you don't have 10 exceptional images then start shooting until you have them.

In general, creating a portfolio isn't difficult but requires a lot of time and effort. If you create an outstanding collection of images and build a reputation for quality and professionalism, you'll soon be landing jobs before you know it.

About the Author

Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames. Shop online and see our selection of brown picture frames in a wide variety of tones, styles and sizes. Visit our website and see our selection of beautiful brown picture frames and brilliant orange picture frames or call us at 1-800-780-0699.

STRAIGHT PRINT PORTFOLIO BOOK...JBMS1 Photography

Itoya ART Profolio 14x17 Storage/Display Book Portfolio The only storage/display book of its kind! Accept no imitations! Completely acid-free through its polypropylene, PVC-free construction and quality crafted, black acid-free mounting paper provided in each page. Archival safe for all your art storage needs. Great for storing photographs and film of all sizes. Top-loading, clear polypropylene sheets will not stick to copier toner and is also ideal fo...

ITOYA Art Portfolio 11 x 17 Storage Display Book, 24 Sleeves for 48 Views The only storage/display book of its kind! Accept no imitations! Completely acid-free through its polypropylene, PVC-free construction and quality crafted, black acid-free mounting paper provided in each page. Archival safe for all your art storage needs. Great for storing photographs and film of all sizes. Top-loading, clear polypropylene sheets will not stick to copier toner and is also ideal fo...

PermaJet Book Art Portfolio 220g A4 Album 22610 £19.99 The BookArt is a great way to present those special pictures that you have always treasured. It is ideal for presentation work, bespoke portfolio's, school projects and holiday snaps.   Comes complete with 10 sheets double sided matt 220gsm, double sided lustre 285gsm or double sided cotton rag 200gsm. The BookArt is hand made with a unique cut out aperture on the front and finished in smooth...

Itoya ART Profolio 18x24 Storage/Display Book Portfolio Itoya Art Profolio allows you to easily add or change your presentation without messy glue or tape. Just slide your artwork into the crystal clear polypropylene "pocket" pages for a highly organized and ever lasting artistic presentation. Art Profolio is made of durable polypropylene. It protects your artwork or documents from virtually any office or house hold elements. Each of the permanent poly...

High Voltage Tattoo £9.50 Features the work of and profiles of/interviews with a range of contemporary tattoo artists. This book includes lots of profiles of interviews with people who have interesting tattoos and the stories behind them. It is suitable for the younger demographic that actively gets tattoos....

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Portfolio 21 £13.18 ...

The Mammoth Book of Tattoos (Mammoth Books) £5.81 Features 500 photographic images of tattoos, covering various styles from bold 'tribal' pieces, Chinese characters and hieroglyphs to delicate air-brushed designs, and from all-over 'body suits' to individual motifs - works as distinctive as the bodies they adorn....

Tags:   art · design · inspiration · photography · photography portfolio books · photography portfolio books buy · photography portfolio books examples · photography portfolio books uk · portfolio · wedding photography portfolio booksNo Comments