My first portfolio?

[LittleMan]

OK, well... I've decided to put together a portfolio of my work.
I've already been thinking about it and I don't want to have a LOT of photos in it.
My main questions are, what photos should I show, and how many should there be?

I've started to throw some that I think reflect 'me' the best into this album:
http://photobucket.com/albums/b215/Lumi723/

I only have eight photos there... but I think they may be good for my portfolio; what do you think?

Also, to present it should I have it in a 'photobook' look that they can flip through and see each photo(with maybe some text)?

I understand there are sooo many different ways to do this.
But I would really like to get started.

The first thing I will probably do with it is get into a photography team at my church. I don't know much about the team... or what they do... but I guess it will be good experience.

Thanks!
-Chris

 

[thebeginning]

i'm looking somewhat into the same thing. I think the best idea is try to refine the subject of your portfolios to different areas of photography, and use those seperate portfolios accordingly. For instance, have one for portraits, one of personal work (like maybe your motivational posters or something), one for commercial work (your violins maybe), etc. etc. Just an idea. that photobook idea is a great way to do it from what i've read, it's easier to flip through the photos and get a good look at everything, and it makes them more 'real' than online, if you know what i mean. man, i wish my church had a photography team....that's so awesome. oh, great pics btw!! :thumbsup:

 

[craig]

The eight you have selected will impress them. The shots are creative and show diversity. Ask if they are looking for something specific. The tricky part is figuring out what they would like.

Personaly window mounts are the way to go for the display.

 

['Daniel']

I've read in many places on composing a portfolio there should not be more than 15 photos, usuallly around 10 is good. Also put your best photo first. It's harsh but the person might not get to the end of the portfolio so you should show them what you can do straight away.

 

[Becky]

I think the photos you've chosen show a good range of subject matter and hence ability to adapt for different shots... I'd go with these but maybe a 3/4 more.

 

[Vmann]

I've read in many places on composing a portfolio there should not be more than 15 photos, usuallly around 10 is good. Also put your best photo first. It's harsh but the person might not get to the end of the portfolio so you should show them what you can do straight away.

This is the rule I've always gone by also. The only thing is this style portfolio lends itself to more of a proffesional viewing (jobs, clubs exhibition viewing, etc.). I add more pieces for public viewing because they dont often have more than a general understanding for the most part. So the more images you have for them to grasp your styles ideas the better/ to extent don't add so many they cant make it through viewing all them.

I also change my portfolios often to suit the need the portfolio will fill.
For the most part I do graphic design portfolios in place of a resume and included in the whole are sub catogories for graphic design work in photoshop, illustrator drawings and logos, photography, page design and web design and animation. I usaully pick 4 to 6 images for each sub catogory. But if I know the job is going to be mostly print based I stay away from all the subcatogories and pick about 12 design pieces the company can reflect upon and just showcase thoughs.

Good luck on the portfolio and hope it all works out for you.

 

[gypsyIX]

here are some tips i've picked up along the way...

there should be 12-20 pieces. they should not be similar... no re-using models, no different angles of the same building, etc etc. just choose the very best one of each situation, and they should reflect a wide range of your abilities, while still hanging together as one "body" of work.

if you're going to put them in a book, orient them all the same way. as in, they should either all be vertical, or they should all be horizontal. the idea is that you don't want anyone to have to turn the book to view a picture. (it doesn't sound like work, but when there are 35 portfolios to go through before lunch, people will not bother to turn a book.) it's okay to print a horizontal print on vertical paper. it will be small, and there will be a lot of blank space around it, but at least it will be viewed properly.

get yourself some leave-behinds. these should have one or two of your best images, should be about postcard-sized, and should have your name and contact information on them. they should also be updated periodically, at least once a year. a good place to get them is http://abcpictures.com/cards.asp they have good prices and a variety of layouts. make sure you use your very best stuff for these cards, because they are the pics that will be associated with your name!

the size of the portfolio should be 8x10 or 11x14. any larger is cumbersome, and any smaller is difficult for a group to view at once.

look for presentation books on b&h's website (link below). you can either window mount each print and put them all in a century box (with your name and phone number on the back of each in case they get separated) or take the easier route and make very nice, neat, evenly-bordered prints and put them in a presentation book.

if most of your work is on slide film, have dupes made (i can't stress that part enough... *never* send anyone your originals) and put your name and info on EACH slide mount. some places will put the whole page on a lightbox and look at them all together, and some places will actually project them. so make sure they know which ones are yours.

it's also a good idea to have duplicate portfolios. most places will only keep them for a week or so, but you don't want to be held up by someone who will hang onto it for months, or worse, lose it and you'll have to start over! oh, and keep track of who you send it to... get a contact person so you know who to bug if you don't get it back right away.

overall, you want it to look neat and professional, have something for them to keep with your name and a signature image, and continually update it, rotate the images to keep it fresh. good luck!

 

[tommercer13]

Ok I'm new here. I'm 15 years odl and i've recently constructed a website portfolio sort of thing to try and get others to see my photos and give me comments on what i could do to improve. The web address is www.discoverbritain.tk please do visit the website to learn more about em and to see sum of my work.

Many thanks, tom