#44 Portfolios: 10 Steps To Building A Kick Ass Photography Portfolio For Your Industry

Join the Facebook community at http://doubleexposure.show/facebook - As a photographer who is intending to get hired on your technical and creative expertise it is important that you have a portfolio. Even though you have a website, your print portfolio will help you bring in clients in all industries. - 12 Steps to Building A Kick Ass Photography Portfolio Specialize. Wedding and commercial content shouldn't be shown together. Determine the purpose of your portfolio before you start compiling images. Be consistent. Your images should follow a theme. Avoid duplicates. Don't use two images from the same shoot unless they are significantly different. Even then, you should probably display them as a spread, or in other words as one image. Two images from the same shoot should not take up two slots in your portfolio unless the viewer can't tell that they're from the same shoot. If you need to explain it, take it out. Show your portfolio to someone and if they ask "what's the purpose of this image?" take that image out. Less is more. You only need about 10 images in a print portfolio, or 10 spreads in a sample album. Quality over Quantity. Choose your best images for those 10 prints or 10 spreads. Be creative. Your a photographer, after all. Be Clean and Organized. There's no need to add background colours or unnecessary text. Think ahead and avoid too many trendy design elements which might not transfer well in the future. Start strong, finish stronger. Use your second best image for your first image, and your best for your last image. Have a professional give their opinion. And listen to them! Pick your best images, not necessarily the images with the most meaning. Though that image of the father-daughter dance might have meaning to them, it doesn't to your clients. Don't use images because they have meaning to your previous clients. Add images because they make your future clients want to BE your previous clients. Design your print portfolio differently than your digital portfolio. Your print portfolio will have different images and a different flow than your digital portfolio. You have a little bit more time with people sitting right in front of you, so use that time to tell them a story with your images.