Five Vital Tips To Build Photography Portfolio

admin on Dec 30th 2011 with 1 comment

Are you interested in showcasing your photography talent? Whether for artistic or commercial reasons, a photography portfolio is the way to build your status in the field. Gathering your best works into an organized format and disseminating them to local galleries or through another marketing means will help you become visible as a photographer in your community. Once others know about you and your work, interested clients and patrons will surely follow. Listed below are five tips on how to build your photography portfolio:

1.Showcase Your Technique:

Choose four to five photography techniques and feature one of each. Some common techniques include motion blur, black and white, large aperture, long exposure, night photography, natural landscape, architecture and portrait. Including examples of common photography techniques helps potential clients, and patrons realize your potential as a photographer. When they see that you are capable of shooting different photography techniques, they will know that you are a good photographer.

2.Showcase Your Specific Trade:

If you are marketing yourself as a wedding photographer, include several examples of wedding photography. If you are marketing yourself as a street photographer, show examples of street photography, etc. This may require you to hire models who will request payment. However, you should first consider finding family members or friends who agree to model for free.

3.Include a Brief Bio:

Including more about yourself than your name helps potential clients and patrons get to know you better. Mention where you were born, how long you have been taking photographs, what brought you to photography, where you earned your degree (if you studied), what your photography focus is, where your studio is located (if you have one) and how you may be contacted. Also, include a small photo of yourself.

4.Keep Design in Mind:

It is important to create a portfolio with good design. Showcase your photography technique photos in thumbnail size. This guarantees that the photos showcasing your specific trade won’t be overshadowed by the technique photos. Also, design a simple title page with your name (or the name of your studio). Consider this your logo; the way others will remember you as a photographer. Place your bio at the end of your portfolio, along with the small picture of yourself. Another portfolio design technique is to display your photos against black or dark mat board. This makes the colors in your photos pop.

5.Choose What Information to Include:

If you are marketing yourself as a family portrait photographer, it probably isn’t necessary to include the photography specs with your photographs (for example, ISO 200, aperture f/2.0, and shutter speed 1 /8 second). However, if you are marketing to a gallery or advertising firm, you should most certainly include these specifics. If you use a digital SLR camera, the camera automatically saves this information, and it can be reviewed on your camera or computer. You should also include what make and model of camera, lens and other tools were used. Lastly, if you are marketing to a gallery, include a title for the photo.

Once you have created your portfolio, make a plan for distributing it to your target audience. Alternatively, if you are interviewing for a gallery exhibition or advertising job, consider creating an online portfolio that can be easily accessed and viewed by potential employers. Take a hardback version of your portfolio with you to the interview, as well.

Author Bio:

Lauren Phillips has been a professional event photographer for 16 years and also owns the site Photography Degree. She likes to write articles about everything photography.