please help me with my portfolio

youyesyou · Jul 6, 2004

i've been trying to put together a portfolio lately. i've discovered (as many of your probably have too) that it's not an easy task. i usually can't decide on anything because i end up having second thoughts on a picture or i have a picture that i shot a long time ago and it's no longer interesting to me (though it may be interesting to others).

so this is what i need help on: i basically need to decide on five pictures for now. i will obviously add to the portfolio as i take more pictures, but for now, i think five is good enough for the level i'm at. i'm basically just trying to get started on it now, as i want to try to get into an art college next year once i get out of high school. so please, if you will, tell me which five of these pictures you like the most. it will help me more than you will ever know.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

#16

#17

#18

#19

OMG that's a lot of pictures to sort though...i know :shock:. i won't blame you for not wanting to go through all those, but if you would, it would mean a whole lot to me.

thanks a bunch.

rangefinder · Jul 6, 2004

Good stuff. I could only edit out a few. Here are the ones I would keep for further consideration:

1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 14, 17. 18

Good luck!

mrsid99 · Jul 6, 2004

IMHO #'s = 3, 6, 7, 17 and 18 but remember the comparison between opinions and armpits (especially in my case!).

LaFoto · Jul 7, 2004

I don't quite understand the allusion to opinions and armpits, but I can say that I only judge out of personal preferences here, too (which I think is what it is meant to say).

I like photos with few but very clear, very contrasted colours. That for one determined my decision (and I made it my task to really decide on only 5 out of these 17). And I am a sucker for diagonal lines that go right through a picture.

Which made me go for Photo No. 1 immediately.

No. 3 appeals to me for almost the same reasons, plus I like the fact that something so "unattractive" as a rain pipe is given an attraction of its own. So framing, colours and motiv do it for me in this one.

No. 7 is once again a "few-colours-only"+"very-simple-motif"-photo, and I just like it. Plus I like the macro aspect of this one.

No. 13 again speaks to me through the crispness of the colours and the simplicity of the motif, though I do see that part of the "flag"(-rag) is pretty blown out. That is a technical detail which might speak against choosing this one (or you'd have to work further on this little flaw).

And last I decided in favour of No. 17 because again there are only few colours, but the wonderful blue of the reflected sky - the motif is unusual, and the rainwater looks like clear icing here on the rough surface - like I said: my reasons for choosing these are purely personal and emotional.

This is not to say that I do not like the other photos!
The humour of Photo No. 4 has been discussed here before, the colours of No. 6 are very nice, too, the cloud formation in No. 8 is stunning, and the blurred hustle and bustle in No. 11 nearly made me choose that one to be one of my Personal Top Five.

And I could praise the others, too, but the task was to decide on five and I did.

StvShoop · Jul 7, 2004

youyesyou said:
i want to try to get into an art college next year

don't think that'll be a problem!

3,4,6,10,11,15, (5,16,17, only one out of these three, the subject matter is too similar for my likes). that's more than 5 man, lots of em are fabulous. 3 is my favorite

is it a photography school or all arts? good job getting started on your portfolio early, you know what you're doing.

Dekz · Jul 7, 2004

There's way too many that I liked for me to narrow it down to five. But I can tell you that I liked 8, 9, 12, 13, and 15 the least.

Karalee · Jul 7, 2004

Overall great shots. My faves if I have to pick 5 are 1,2,5,16 and 17. Just cause they appeal to me.

ShutterBug4_4 · Jul 7, 2004

First of all , I don't think you'll have trouble getting into an art school! All of these photos are great. My 5 favorite shots are #1, 3, 16, 17, 18. Great work, keep it up!

LizM · Jul 7, 2004

1, 2, 6, 9, 10, 12, 19

More than 5 but still narrowed down. Good Luck!

rnc · Jul 7, 2004

just my opinion...i m only a rookie but i think w/ greater contrast, it would turn out better.....darker...

rnc · Jul 7, 2004

just my opinion...i m only a rookie but i think w/ greater contrast, it would turn out better.....darker...

jadin · Jul 7, 2004

#1 is good
#7 rocks
#10 is a superb shot. Really unique for a macro flower shot.
#15 is good
#16 is great for the textures
#17 is good
#18 is a great composition, I'm not sure if I care for how bold the contrast is. Maybe as a b&w I'd like it better

If I had to choose 5? #7, #10, #16, #17, #18

luckydog · Jul 8, 2004

As they say "different strokes for different blokes". Everyone has their own favourites and you will probably end up not culling your list of any shots.
As for me though i found 1, 10 and 18 the most appealing. There were some others that came close but have missed out due to minor technical faults only. The subject choices are all pretty good and you seem to be able to compose your shots pretty well too. All the best with the art college stuff and i'm betting your portfolio (when you choose which pics), will speak volumes about yourself, your style and your potential when the time comes.

youyesyou · Jul 8, 2004

okay, sorry. i'm a bit behind on responses. i've been really busy the past few days.

so first off, thanks to all those who have helped me. i think i have an idea of which ones i want to put in (i'm quite sure i'll have to do more than five).

to those of you who asked me what art school i'm going to: i have no idea. i still have another year to finish high school and to get my life together. i'm sure i'll make a list of a handful of schools that sound good to me near the fall. i'd like to stay somewhere here in ol' missouri. even though this place is incredibly boring and shitty. but oh well.

i find it funny that a lot of people have said #1. it's weird, because i took that picture only a few hours before i posted this topic. i just liked the colors in it and it just kind of instantly hit me as a good picture before i even had a chance to analyse it.

keep the responses coming!