Portfolios

[Jon Foster]

I have all sorts of portfolios sitting on the internet to show people my work but have never really needed a good printed portfolio to show potential customers. Most of the time (if needed) I would print a few shots of related products to hand out to clients.

Until this week, when I was asked for a portfolio of my work... And being the smart a$$ that I am, I asked them what type of portfolio they would like to see? Which didn't have the humorous effect I was hoping for though.

So, what types of portfolios do you guys carry with you. What kind of binding and finish? What types of photography do you have in there? How much material do you include? If I'm going to make something up to actually carry around with me I'm thinking it's going to be full of everything from portraits to product shoots. But then again, I don't really want to carry around another 10 pounds of crap in my gear bags.

Thanks, Jon.

[Chris71]

I am interested in seeing the comments on this one. I do not have a printed portfolio either, but I have thought about it.

My thoughts are, that you would want a real nice maybe leather portfolio. I just don't know how much to put in it. I was thinking maybe two or three photos of each type of event you cover. In my case, I do studio portraits. So maybe a few childrens photos, a few senior photos, a few family photos, etc.....

I am going to tag along on this one.

[breathless]

So, what types of portfolios do you guys carry with you. What kind of binding and finish? What types of photography do you have in there? How much material do you include? If I'm going to make something up to actually carry around with me I'm thinking it's going to be full of everything from portraits to product shoots. But then again, I don't really want to carry around another 10 pounds of crap in my gear bags.

Thanks, Jon.

Most recently, I have work printed into coffee table books. In the past, I've used screwpost folder systems (http://www.pinazangaro.com/portfoliobooks_vista.html) and portfolio boxes (http://www.archivalmethods.com/Product.cfm?categoryid=4&Productid=59) to show loose prints and mounted prints. CDs and DVDs for digital presentations(slideshows) and demo reels are less costly to produce and mail to prospective clients.

Portfolio books/prints/boxes get handled often(hopefully) and need replacing. Whatever medium one chooses, it's advisable to keep the content all portrait or landscape layout, uniform and specialized in one area of speciality. Between 10 to 20 best images is the norm.

[Jon Foster]

Thanks for the feedback. 10 to 20 shots would be very limiting for me. I have limited experience in glamour so I won't have much to really offer yet but I've got lots of portraits, many thousands of event shots and countless product shots. I know the key is to not have to many but I shoot so many different styles I don't want to miss something by not having the right material to show off. I really think a portfolio made for each style would be best but that is a lot of books to carry and a fair expense to maintain on top of that.

I hope I'm not making this harder than it really is.

Jon.

[HammerCope]

You can get nice carry around one of different sizes at a camera stoe or art suppply store. You should be able to get a nice one for around $100. I would say no more than 20 shots of your very best work. Also up date it as often as possable.

[dekalbSTEEL]

I would concentrate on just the types of images you expect to make money shooting. Will you be hired to shoot landscapes, auto racing, pets? If not, leave them out. People, sports, events & festivals? If yes, put those in. Make them the absolute best of each you have.

[Alleh]

I would say it would be nice to have maybe a few 13x11 blurb books (Not the best quality for a profesional book but still pretty nice) to show around and also a main A3 or A4 size leather portfolio to take when you are showing major clients. Maybe you can leave the blurb books with the clients to have it sitting around the ad agency for a week or so then go back and pick it up after it has been passed around. Just an idea.

[tomslens]

Okay, so I don't have my photo portfolio together but I have a design background and for years maintained a design portfolio. Here's what I can say about portfolios in general.
Your portfolio is a representation not only of your work but the way you work and how you see yourself. A slapped together portfolio from OfficeMax with prints off your Epson gives the impression that you don't take your work very seriously and can't be bothered with the effort it takes to present yourself. A well made portfolio with carefully printed images shows an amount of pride in your work and gives it weight and purpose.
Don't show too much. Its easy to get repetetive but remember that people looking through portfolios get bored easily. Too many images and most folks will tune out. Once that happens its tough to get them back even if the back half of your portfolio is great. My trick used to be to carry two portfolios. One was my main and the other was a backup with more items that I thought would be of interest. That way if the reviewer wanted to see more of "blank" I could break out the other book. It saved my bacon more than once. Flexibility helps here too. A bound book is tough to modify per meeting.
Last, be creative. You're in a creative field so don't immediately reach for the book with sleeves. Think on it and look around at other photog's stuff. I've seen some great portfolios that have been little more than well crafted boxes full of beautifully mounted prints.