Going to be applying for photography job. Could use portfolio critique/help

AnalogRocks · Feb 15, 2015

So essentially right now my Flickr is acting as my portfolio (this will change when I need a real one). Could I get some feedback about general things I can improve/work?

I'm going to be applying for a job at the marketing department of my university this upcoming summer as a student photographer, so I want to be as good/prepared as possible once the opening goes up on the site.

Also can I get some recommendations about what to do for an online portfolio? Posted a reddit thread about it before, but most of the suggestions weren't too helpful.

I'm going to be shooting a few weddings this upcoming spring/summer so that'll definitely help beef up my portfolio some. I've also been volunteering as a photographer for a church and shooting different events and things for them so that I get more experience.

I'd love to go pro one day and getting this job would put me one step closer to that goal, so any help is super appreciated.

dennybeall · Feb 15, 2015

Brian, I like your work. There are some nice shots showing a good eye. I'd take out the deer and the giraffe. The deer is kinda lost in the brush and the giraffe is lost in the background. The giraffe would be fixable with PS. Would move "lines" from the beginning to the end.

tirediron · Feb 15, 2015

What sort of photographic position are you applying for? The main issue I see with your "portfolio" is a lack of consistency. There's a little bit of everything, but not enough of any one thing to show me that you are accomplished in a particular genre. If you're applying for a job, my recommendation would be for a real portfolio. Staple's, Michael's, etc usually have nice leather-bound portfolio books for <$75. Send 10-12 of your BEST images, which most closely represent the sort of work you are being interviewed for, and have them PROFESSIONALLY printed (NOT Wal-mart, Costco, etc, but a real, professional photographic printing lab) and put together a physical portfolio. I recommend also having a second one, in a less expensive cover that you can leave if required.

CygnusStudios · Feb 16, 2015

I completely agree with tirediron. You really have to know your target and gear your work towards what they expect. You have plenty of nice photography, but no clear direction for a potential employer to see how your work is going to fit in with their needs. Being a jack of all trades is great on a forum, but being great at a specific style/subject matter is better for employers.

Before sending off a portfolio to someone, find out what they want. 10-12 is pretty much a standard in the industry, but not a hard and fast rule. Also find out (if possible) if they want completely edited images or untouched. Some employers need to know how good of a photographer you are, not how good you are at photoshop.

rexbobcat · Feb 16, 2015

It depends on the position. While I was a photographer for my college's marketing department, my flexibility with subject matter was more of a boon than a bane.

However, Id make sure that your portfolio reflects this broad range of subjects in a way that is relevant to the job you're applying for.

IE: Don't include images of exotic wildlife unless you're going to be shooting for some kind of awesome college on a preserve.

Didereaux · Feb 16, 2015

I would get rid of the wildlife, the 'dead' dog, and the moonshots. They simply are not good enough. The others show a good grasp of product, people, landscape. As I see it anyway.

AnalogRocks · Feb 24, 2015

Hmmmm I appreciate all these responses! They're definitely got me thinking about the kinds of things I need to start doing to prepare for this job opening. I'll definitely listen to your suggestions about which photos to include and which to not improve. I'll probably make a new thread for help whittling down photos to use for my portfolio before I apply.

AnalogRocks · Feb 24, 2015

tirediron said:
What sort of photographic position are you applying for? The main issue I see with your "portfolio" is a lack of consistency. There's a little bit of everything, but not enough of any one thing to show me that you are accomplished in a particular genre. If you're applying for a job, my recommendation would be for a real portfolio. Staple's, Michael's, etc usually have nice leather-bound portfolio books for <$75. Send 10-12 of your BEST images, which most closely represent the sort of work you are being interviewed for, and have them PROFESSIONALLY printed (NOT Wal-mart, Costco, etc, but a real, professional photographic printing lab) and put together a physical portfolio. I recommend also having a second one, in a less expensive cover that you can leave if required.

I definitely agree with you about this being an issue. I've only been doing photography for about a yearish at this point so I've been trying a lot of different subjects to get a feel for what I enjoy the most. I think I'll try to focus on taking a lot more of the kinds of shots that they would use in the upcoming months.