Portfolio advice? Please.

[thephotoroom]

So I've been behind the camera for a few years and now I want to start hanging some work. I've asked some local coffee shops and custom framing places to show some stuff and they are always enthusiastic about it and ask to see my portfolio…….
Well…..I don't have one. I went to my local camera shop and they didn't have anything! They recommended I go to a store over an hour away and expect to spend $400!
I dont know about you, but if I was shooting pictures of Jay-Z and Beyonce' I could justify spending that much. But there has got to be a better way to go about this.
I looked online and they had some 8x10 books with plastic sheets to drop photo's in but I thought that was a little cheesy? I also have seen people with a box of matted prints but that doesn't seem fun to look through.
Now a binded book of matted prints seems pretty cool to me, but I don't think I'm gonna find that!

So to make a long story short…. Where do I start when assembling my first portfolio? I have 22 shots all landscape orientation of varying style.

Thanks!

-Alex

 

[Clawed]

I actually do not have a portfolio myself (well, I suppose it's more of an online portfolio [my website]). I was thinking about building a portfolio myself and since I have had such great success making a custom album of prints through Shutterfly, that I might do it for my best work. I figure, you can make a completely customized book as you see fit (usually what I do is build it from scratch in Photoshop and upload the entire page into the blank page) and not have dimensional restrictions (to a point). It's pretty inexpensive too. I just made a leatherbound book for my last client and it looked great, would work very well I imagine, as a portfolio piece.

Anyway, just a thought!

~Canaan

 

[DC-Photog]

It depends how fancy you want to get.

The easiest and most affordable option is to order spiral bound "proof magazines" from a lab like WHCC or Nations Photo Lab: Proof Books and Professional Proofing Products for Your Clients - Nations Photo Lab. You may create them with one 8x10 per page and a custom cover.

I use these as inexpensive leave behind portfolios for wedding planners and other vendors.

Or, you could track down a metal Pina Zangaro portfolio book. Pretty classy and affordable. Google it. A lot of places sell them.

 

[Big Mike]

The options are endless.

I've used a simple drop-in type album. It's got a hard cover, so that I can tote it around anywhere. It's not all that impressive, but the photos are

I've also got a custom album that was made in Italy and is quite impressive. Much more expensive than a simple drop-in album, but still a good deal for a good looking album. And many companies will give you great rates on sample or display albums.

Heck, this could be a good excuse to get yourself an iPad or something like that. You can store your portfolio on that, plus use it for many other things.

 

[Johnboy2978]

Mpix offers the option of a hardbound book. I did one once for my wife with some pics of my daughter. Turned out pretty well I think. Wasn't very expensive. Might try that.

 

[Aayria]

You could pick up an I-Pad and whip it out when somebody asks to see examples of your work. I've heard really great things about this approach. It's also great to set on a stand, playing through a sideshow of your pictures at booths and displays.

 

[Rekd]

You could pick up an I-Pad and whip it out when somebody asks to see examples of your work. I've heard really great things about this approach. It's also great to set on a stand, playing through a sideshow of your pictures at booths and displays.

A photog for Yamaha did something similar to this at an ATV Press Ride last month, was very cool and allowed him to show us more than just a couple-dozen shots that you'd see in a regular portfolio.

 

[Jeatley]

I am working with the Ipad Idea and it works cool but you need to have different prints more to show of printing styles. Like Framed Matted, Standouts, Sizes, Paper Type. Metallic, Gloss, Matte Stuff like that. I am building up a pile of both.