home › Mortgage › Make an electronic portfolio of a photographer. Photographer's portfolio. Professional wedding, children and family photographers and their portfolios. Good group photo

Make an electronic portfolio of a photographer. Photographer's portfolio. Professional wedding, children and family photographers and their portfolios. Good group photo

And so in this article we will talk to you about the portfolio of a wedding photographer. What should be in it and how should it look. Of course, that the photographer is met by the portfolio. And the better it is, the more likely it is to get an order for shooting. Of course, there are other criteria by which clients evaluate the photographer, but today we will analyze only the portfolio.

According to some observations, many people believe that a portfolio is a set of the best photographer's work. I believe that the portfolio should first of all reflect professional level photographer.

Many photographers make a selection the best frames and then bring them to ideal, and only then post these pictures in the portfolio. I think this is fundamentally wrong.

Suppose you collect in your portfolio only your best works, and even “licked” to the ideal in graphic editors. What could be the threat? Correctly! Most likely, having received an order for shooting, with the help of these pictures, you run the risk of not meeting the client's expectations. In the worst case, you get a client disappointed with your pictures, with all the ensuing circumstances. Dissatisfaction, demands to return money, damaged reputation and so on.

If the client is dissatisfied, he will be right, because in his eyes it will look like a fraud. Yes, he was deceived. They showed very beautiful pictures, and the photos from his shooting / wedding were given much worse quality.

Evaluating your portfolio, the client expects to receive pictures the same professional quality. And this mistake is made by many novice photographers, wanting to show their best side.

How many photos should be in a portfolio

A wedding photographer's portfolio doesn't have to be very small. It is impossible to evaluate the work by three to five photographs. But it should not be too large, so as not to tire customers by viewing hundreds of pictures. 20-30 photos are enough to demonstrate your level.

And now let's take a closer look at what photos a portfolio should consist of:

Let me remind you that we will talk about wedding photographers. Although this sample, with the exception of some points, will suit other photographers who shoot people.

What photos should be in a photographer's portfolio?

A couple of portraits of the bride

These should be beautiful portraits. Perhaps staged, perhaps full-length and close-up. The bride-to-be will definitely appreciate these photos.

General plans

This also applies to the general plans of the area. A beautiful location for shooting or a venue for a celebration. Perhaps this is a manor or a castle, and in the clearing there is a tent and an arch for exit registration. Such a photo will look like a postcard and impress potential customers.

— Details, decoration. One of the biggest mistakes beginner photographers make is forgetting the details. Photographing the details is a must. And you need to show them in your portfolio as well. A couple of months after the wedding, general images remain in the memory, and the details are erased over time. So, the photographer is simply obliged to capture them on camera. Preparing for the celebration, the bride thinks through every little thing. And by showing one such picture in your portfolio, you will let your clients know that these details will be important for you as well as for them.

Emotions at the ceremony

A bride, groom or parents crying with happiness. This photo in your portfolio is sure to evoke warm feelings in the couple who choose their photographer.

Good group photo

Many photographers treat group photos as mediocre. One of these pictures should be in the portfolio. Preferably on a beautiful background and people on it should at least sincerely smile.

Groom portrait

Another mistake newcomers make is that they photograph the bride or couple together a lot and completely forget about the portrait of the groom. Include such a picture in your portfolio and you will automatically grow in the eyes of the future groom. After all, the guys make the decision to choose a photographer together. Remember that men also want to have beautiful photos where they look solid. Make them happy.

Not a staged photo of the bride

Show a non-staged shot of the bride where you took her by surprise (in a good way). Where she looks in the mirror or straightens her hair. With this picture you will show that the bride does not even have to pose for you, in any case you will catch a good angle and the bride will be beautiful in your photos. It's also a way to show off your reportage skills.

Any wedding photography where you show your creative approach to photography. Perhaps through a reflection or from an unusual vantage point.

Children at the wedding

If you have interesting or cute photos of children at a wedding, be sure to add one, the best one, to your portfolio. Such nyashechki very much to the liking of brides.

Several staged photos of the couple

In beautiful locations, with a beautiful background. Photos like this are a must. After all, many brides are initially waiting for these particular photographs.

Animals during the gathering

The same applies to animals. Cats surrounded by wedding accessories or a bride with a dressed-up pug make customers feel tender, use it.

scale

If you already had large-scale beautiful weddings, in chic halls and interiors, then you should also add such a photo to your portfolio. By doing so, you will show that you have experience in large weddings. And wealthy people order shooting from you.

Banquet, decoration

Show the mood of the holiday. Don't forget to take pictures of the decoration of the banquet hall. And of course, it is desirable to add one photo of a beautifully designed hall to your portfolio.

Emotions and drive at the banquet

Reportage shot of dancing and having fun guests. Show your clients that you also know how to shoot banquets and capture emotions perfectly.

reportage moment

For example, throwing a bouquet, emotions. With such a shot in your portfolio, you will show that you have an excellent command of the camera and manage to make a cool shot of the moment, which lasts only a couple of seconds.

Beautiful final look

It can be a dance of the young in the spotlights. Or their silhouettes in the puffs of smoke on the dance floor. This photo must be amazing. Looking at it, you should like to hear romantic music. This photo should convey the mood and love of the young.

After viewing such a portfolio, there is a good chance that people will end their search for a photographer and choose you. Of course, when showing such a portfolio, it is advisable to make small comments for young people to emphasize the importance of each of these shots.

I hope my article will help you in the selection of photographs and after reading you no longer have the question of how to create a photographer's portfolio.

If you still have questions, then write in the comments or through the feedback form. I'll try to answer.

P.S. How many photos does your portfolio consist of? Answer in the comments.

Found an error? Highlight a piece of text and click CTRL+ENTER

If you are a photographer, building a portfolio is definitely one of the most important things you should do. There are a number of benefits that a portfolio can bring to you: it will showcase your work online, attract new clients, and create a stable and expansive online platform for your work. The sad part is that not all photographers have the technical skills to build a portfolio. Some may feel a little concerned about the lack of knowledge in website development, while others may think that it takes a lot of time to create a portfolio.

The good news is that there are a number of platforms for creating an online portfolio for your work. At the same time, you do not need to waste your precious time and be able to program.

Here is a list of the top 10 portfolio websites for photography lovers, presented in random order.

1.Wfolio

is an online portfolio tool specifically for photographers and artists who want to have a professional portfolio and easily sell their work online. You don't need any knowledge of HTML or CSS to get it.

Foliolink features: mobile version of the site, e-commerce settings and tools, . You can create a free 7-day account before deciding which plan suits you best.

is an online tool that will help you make an amazing portfolio quickly and painlessly. If you're a photographer looking for a platform to build an amazing portfolio or are seriously considering selling your work online, then Zenfolio is the right choice for you.

500px is a personal tool for creating portfolios quickly and easily, as well as a marketing platform for selling your work.

With 500px you will be able to maintain and control the site at any time and for this there is no need to “dig into” the code. For registrants, they provide a wide range of features, such as advanced visitor tracking systems, unlimited photo uploads, a custom domain name, and a photo shop to sell photos online.

Not a single grand celebration is complete without a professional photographer, who is ordered in advance for the celebration. Creative shooting, beautiful shots, lively atmosphere of photography, all this is the result of the work of a true master of his craft. But any photographer should have a portfolio to present their work to a client. The main thing is to approach the question wisely:

How to create a photography portfolio?

And, of course, have:

Photographer portfolio template.

The main weapon of a photographer is not only his camera, but also samples of his portfolio. Before you are invited as a photographer to a celebration, you will be asked for examples of your shooting. Therefore, your portfolio must be impeccable.

How to create a photography portfolio

When you have mastered all the basics and secrets of photography, you need to create your own portfolio.

Portfolio is not just a gallery of the photographer's work, but also his face, style, and professionalism.

A portfolio is a set of professional artistic photographs that a photographer positions as examples of their work.

Portfolio photos must be of high quality and professional

Design

A portfolio is a presentation of a photographer's work. . First, you must decide on the design of your portfolio. This will require a special album or folder. It can be made of any material, be it ordinary cardboard or genuine leather. Of course, the folder looks more expensive and presentable, the better. You can decorate it yourself with various embroideries, stickers, paintings. Do not overdo it, the abundance of distracting design can alienate the client.

Choose a folder according to the size of the printed photos, the larger the better. Also decide on photo paper, let it be of the highest quality.

Portfolio folders should identify the photographer as a creative and professional person.

Topic

Focus on the audience. If a client who is interested in shooting a wedding will view the portfolio, then you need to include wedding photos in the folder.

You must put your photos together. Naturally, the portfolio will not fit all your photos, so you need to sort the work by topic. For each topic, a separate album, its own design and original captions. The client will not be interested if all the albums are designed the same way.

Topics in the portfolio should be sorted

Quality

The priority property of your works is their quality. It is better to provide the customer with 25 technically high-quality and creative photographs than 50 dull boring works. Photos should be sharp, clear, focused, beautiful. They should highlight the moment, reflect the essence.

Photography is the capture of emotions that a photograph should always convey. And the picture is the soul of the photographer, which he puts into his work.

If a client is interested in your work, he will definitely respond to your proposals for filming.

Shooting in the style of "Reportage", "Children", "Women", "Men", "Pin- Up»

Portfolio Format

You must have photographs, both printed and digital. What portfolio format the client will require is unknown, so you should have both options.

There are two types of portfolio:

. For this type of portfolio, you need a special album where photos will be stored.
Digital Portfolio. It is also called an online portfolio. On a specialized site, you can place all your work on topics.

If you design your personal website, it will be a plus for you, since you can always provide the client with a link to your online portfolio.

Photographer must have both types of portfolio

When creating a portfolio, you should remember the important components:

Introduction: information about the photographer and a description of the theme of the portfolio.
List of photographs.
Photo captions: a brief description.
Date and place of shooting.
Photographer contacts.

Don't forget that portfolio photos need to be in a certain order to set the mood. It is always more interesting to watch works from beginning to end than in an absolutely incomprehensible order.

Technically high-quality and beautiful photos are the key to an ideal portfolio

A few secrets of creating a photographer's portfolio:

To take photos, only an expensive and high-quality camera is used. It should be mirrored, with a removable photo lens. The camera should have at least 3 lenses, for different tasks.
Portfolio cannot be permanent. You create new masterpieces, your experience is constantly growing, so your portfolio as a photographer should grow and be updated.
Photos are printed on the highest quality photo paper.
A photographer's portfolio should not contain a bunch of photos. Otherwise, the client will simply get tired of viewing them, and all the photos will merge into one picture.
Portfolio works should not be small. The standard size 10x15 will not fit. Ideally, these should be 20x30 cm photographs.
Approach the design of the portfolio with intelligence and creative imagination. It doesn't have to be a boring book with a bunch of pasted photos.

The photographer is a professional in his field. He should have a lot of fresh thoughts, ideas and ideas. He should not stand still, but improve all the time. His portfolio should change and expand, and most importantly, every time it becomes more attractive and better.

A photographer is greeted by portfolio, so it is important to show your work in a profitable way. Modern tools allow you not only to post photos, but also to create a story around them. A beautiful site will help you understand that you are a professional and will distinguish you from inexperienced amateurs. We asked Yana Plusheva, Tilda Publishing platform designer, to tell us how to make a website for a photographer. https://tilda.cc/ru/tpls/ Tilda Publishing https://tilda.cc/ - - The idea and structure of the site - Research and inspiration - Site sketch or prototype - Content preparation- Website design Step 1 - Idea and website structure Step 2 - Research and inspiration Look at sites in related categories: designers, illustrators, or even photo agencies. It is quite possible that you will find an interesting move that you can apply. https://www.siteinspire.com/ http://www.designmadeingermany.de/sites-we-like/sebastian/ http://thegallery.io/ Step 3 - Website Design or Prototype Step 4 - Content Preparation Step 5 - Website Design Register for https://tilda.cc/ 1) Commercial photographer 2) Wedding photographer https://tilda.cc/tpls/page/?q=melissaweis 3) Photo studios https://tilda.cc/tpls/page/?q=ballancestudios First Screen Navigation

Portfolio Blog Price list Add a policy section to your photo gallery site. For example, that you can cancel a reservation no less than three days in advance. Or about how a refund is made. Customer Reviews Don't forget to add customer reviews after the price list. It attracts attention and inspires confidence. And at the very end, repeat the contact details. Use the blocks from the "Contacts" category for this. Before publishing, take care of SEO - write in the page settings the title, description and add a picture for sharing on a social network. If you want the site to open at your own address, connect the domain. To do this, enter the address in the site settings, and at the registrar where the domain was purchased, indicate Tilda's IP in one line. Don't forget the statistics. Register forGoogle Analytics or Yandex Metrica , and connect counters in the site settings. Before showing the site to friends and clients, take another look at it with a fresh eye: pay attention to the overall neatness and style - whether the site has excessive design, whether there is enough free space between elements. Try to be ascetic. The simpler you make it, the fewer mistakes there will be and the site will turn out stylish. Examples of websites for photographers made on Tilda: http://alexmatamata.com/ http://christinaabdeeva.com/ http://oleg-fedorov.ru/

We asked Yana Plusheva, Tilda Publishing platform designer, to tell us how to make a website for a photographer.

Yana: One of my tasks at Tilda is to create website templates https://tilda.cc/ru/tpls/ for users. Templates are ready-made pages that users can take as a basis and adapt to create a site on their own. Therefore, my task is to think over everything and make functional pages that will be both beautiful and convenient.

Tilda Publishing https://tilda.cc/ - a modular constructor that allows you to create cool sites in a short time: portfolios, landing pages, long reads, special projects, interactive stories, blogs.

In general, the process of creating a site consists of the following steps:

Idea and site structure

Research and inspiration

Website sketch or prototype

Content preparation

Site design

Step 1 – Website idea and structure

Before you start, decide for yourself what the main idea and purpose of your site is and what exactly you want to show. Think about the people you would like to see on your site: are they your customers, fans, gallery owners, or maybe just your friends? Decide on the audience - for whom you are creating a site. Then try to put yourself in their shoes and guess why they came to you and what they expect to see.

Take a regular sheet of paper and sketch out the structure. Think about whether you need a multi-page site, or just choose the top 10 works and place them on one page that will be easy to scroll through. If you are a photographer and have a visual language, then you probably write well too. Will you have a blog? On the same domain as the main site or on a separate one? Are your works divided into categories or do you stick to one genre?

The structure of the page will depend on your activity - if you shoot in several directions or are engaged in only one type of activity.

Step 2 - Research and inspiration

When you have roughly figured out what kind of site you need, do a little research.

Chances are, you regularly browse the websites and portfolios of photographers whose work you admire. But now you need to look from a different angle - you need to notice what sections other photographers use and make a list of the main or recurring elements. For example, it can be a story about yourself, about your activities, about your history (how you started doing photography), the cost of services.

See what the modern Internet looks like in general, without being tied to a specific topic. There are quite a few resources on the net where enthusiasts collect good samples:

Try to notice what you like. Maybe a good rhythm, good typography, or a combination of colors.

Step 3 - Site Sketch or Prototype

A sketch or prototype is a schematic representation of the blocks that make up a site. Your visual script. This is done simply: take a sheet of paper, a felt-tip pen and draw a diagram of what will follow. No need to draw everything in detail, just a general idea.

Step 4 - Preparing Content

Pre-select the photos that will be on your site, put them in a separate folder, and ideally reduce the size to 1680px on the larger side. So the photos will retain good quality, but will not slow down the loading of the site. Because if you put high-res on the site, and then open the site on your phone, it will be hard.

Write the text in a text editor. So it will be convenient to edit it. Some points can be changed right on the page, but the basis should be.

How to write content for a website. If you write the text yourself, use the following scheme:

Write a short text about yourself. It should be one phrase that succinctly articulates what you specialize in. For example, Alina Lyalina is a children's photographer in Moscow.
Write a slightly longer text. Explain what are your specialties. Write simply - as if you were telling it to a friend over a cup of coffee - in the most understandable language.
Highlight three main features - why people order photos from you.
Describe the benefits. Tell what your customers get when they contact you, give details.
Think headlines. People are often too lazy to read a continuous text, and headlines are read effortlessly, so do not get carried away with beautiful metaphors, write the essence in headlines.
Take reviews. Ask your clients to say a few words about you. Works great.

When you have content ready - photos are selected and the text is written, you can proceed to the direct creation of the site.

Step 5 – Website Design

Register for https://tilda.cc/ , immediately after registration, Tilda will offer to choose a page template. Especially for photographers on Tilda there are templates:

1) Commercial photographerhttps://tilda.cc/tpls/page/?q=samphotographer

2) Wedding photographer https://tilda.cc/tpls/page/?q=melissaweis

3) Photo studios https://tilda.cc/tpls/page/?q=ballancestudios

If these templates don't work, check out the others. A template is an example of good design and an example of the use of blocks. Choosing a template does not limit your creativity in any way - at any time you can change it beyond recognition and even start from scratch.

You work with images, so the first thing a visitor to your site should see is a photo that will immediately show your specialty (for example, weddings, food, exhibitions, interior of a photo studio).

First screen

Specify contacts on the first screen: email, phone, link to social networks, city where you work. This is convenient for the client. Be sure to include your first and last name in the header. Place your logo there. If you wish, you can put a large photo in half the screen so that the client can see your face.

On the cover of your wedding photographer website, create a gallery with featured photos of your activities, as well as headlines for popular searches on the internet, such as a wedding photographer in Reykjavik

Navigation

Think about navigation - how the visitor will navigate the site, navigate through pages, or navigate within a single page. For organization, add a menu: a plate with links, which will be located at the top of the site. It can be static or fixed when scrolling to always be in front of your eyes. And it can fit into a concise "hamburger". You can read more about menu design in the article "Website menu design and application in practice"http://help-ru.tilda.ws/design-menu

Important: do not overload the menu, this is a functional part that should help you navigate. Use short words for item names, do not make more than 5 items.

There is a special category "Menu" in the library of Tilda blocks

Portfolio

We select several blocks to show the portfolio. Add tabs if you want to present multiple photo directions. By clicking on the titles, we move from section to section. In each section, it is worth showing the best photos in a specific area of \u200b\u200bactivity.

For example, if you're photographing weddings, add a gallery of selected photos that will enlarge on click. Then you can add photo stories with information about where the wedding was and what date. You can include a section on the best weddings of the last year.

Under the photos, you should add a button, by clicking on which you can go to a separate project page and see more works.

Blog

If you have a blog post it on the page. Show the last three posts and add a button that will take the user to a link to other posts.

Price list

The next block about the cost of shooting can be done in the form of a table or cards. Specify popular services and their prices. Add a "Book a photo session" button. By clicking on it, the client goes to the form for collecting data, which he will send to the photographer's mail.

If you're selling photography studio services, tell us what kind of space and equipment you're renting, what the price is, and why you should choose your space and equipment. By adding images of backgrounds, reflectors, diffusers, cameras, cycloramas, water zones, etc., you greatly increase your chances of getting noticed (and making money).

Portfolio of a businessman - work book.

A detailed guide for photographers who want to build their portfolio competently and independently. The note is based on: basic knowledge, special cases, minor differences that must be taken into account when working with a customer. Freelance photographers will also find useful information for themselves, because the basic principles do not depend on the genre, geography and other external differences. Frankly, as I develop in the profession, I notice less and less that the role of the portfolio of a designer or architect, for example, is somewhat different from that of a photographer, and this is not surprising, as well as the fact that authors, like professions, are distinguished by the specifics that someone one ignores and creates a stamp, while the other notices and finds its viewer.

I do not seek to retrain anyone, but I will not mislead. There are no tricks in compiling or updating a portfolio, but there is a method that you need to master once, and then go on your own, as you believe and feel: your creativity, your audience. Please note that the portfolio:

This is not a collection of technically correct works, but a selection of the author's works, which are united in style and subject matter, the author's view.
It can be composed of both the newest works and the oldest ones, because the true, most valuable photograph is always timeless.

With the help of a portfolio, the photographer solves the following tasks:

Creation of a single visual range, demonstration of the narrative.
Finding your audience and drawing attention to your work.

Compiling a portfolio is not an insane emotional impulse, according to the principle “like everyone else, so am I”, but a meaningful decision - to create a tool that will help you get away from the masses and convey your message to an audience with which the author has common views on life and values that are reflected in the portfolio; that is why, I believe that compiling a portfolio is not a whim, and not a process “left for tomorrow”, but the primary task that the photographer, if he reads these lines, must solve in the first place, because:

A portfolio saves a photographer's time.
The portfolio demonstrates the skills and experience of the author.
The portfolio enriches the photographer if he updates it.

Photographic equipment is secondary, the portfolio is the main asset of the photographer.

Basic knowledge - the volume of the text. Of course, I will try to write concisely where possible, but nevertheless, for convenience, I will compile a list of chapters:

General Portfolio Guidelines
- Drafting
  - Studying Central Asia
  - Snapshot selection
  - Format selection
  - Choice of design
- Update
  - How often to update portfolio
Instead of a conclusion

The first thing I would like to draw the reader's attention to is self-criticism. Only a sober, detached look at your work will help you create a portfolio that you like and will attract the attention of the viewer. I understand it's difficult. But the first impression can be made (and should not be surprised) only once. It is necessary to exclude random works: passing and those that evoke our memories, which the viewer is deprived of. If this is not done, then you can independently verify that a person’s patience ends faster than we think.

The second thing to remember is that a portfolio is not a static product. No matter how ingeniously and, I do not rule out, professionally designed portfolio, one day you will have to collect everything again, because creativity matures, the client or place of residence changes, and those works that previously guaranteed cooperation are no longer enough for the customer, his look and thought, could understand the photographer. From here another piece of advice follows, combine and constantly review the portfolio, and if you no longer like the frame, remove it; don't be afraid of concise episodes, be afraid of boring ones.

Drafting

If you don't have a portfolio, you have nothing to sell.

What are your thoughts on portfolio development? Portfolio is a photographer's tool and without it you can't find a client? No, although they are useful, it is better to think about something else - in what sequence to work on a portfolio, who will see it first, what feelings, thoughts and desires should awaken in the person with whom the photographer would like to work. Many portfolio guides show a common problem - they call for the author to select the best shots and present them. I propose to act a little differently: think, decide, make a selection, think again, arrange and show.

Creating a portfolio - time, effort, financial costs. That is why, I suggest taking your time and compiling taking into account the viewer, and not your own capabilities, which will grow:

To master technical skills is time, and it is enough.
To shoot the missing shots is a desire that will appear if you are busy with your business.

Another thing is more important: the theme that will unite the works; style, albeit unique. To make it easier for you, and for me, I will describe the sequence:

Studying Central Asia
Snapshot selection
Format selection
Choice of design

Now let's look at all the steps.

Studying the target audience

A good portfolio does not delight everyone, and this is normal, because among the audience, and this is also normal, there are not so many of our clients:

Some people like to watch.
Others - to discuss or condemn.
There are others - they like it, but they won't buy it.

Therefore, we need to look for those who will understand our work and say: “This is mine! Tell me, when will you have time for us to discuss the terms of cooperation?” The portfolio should remove the viewer from the information field of the photographer and attract the customer. How to do it? First, study all the characters, but the first thing is to draw up a portrait of your client.

It is necessary to take into account age, profession, social status, if important - material and emotional data; hobbies, habits, problems and desires (sometimes hidden, when the customer himself does not admit to them); sometimes you have to take into account appearance, diet, music and cosmetics (attitude towards it), preferred wardrobe, mode of transportation; holidays, family and national traditions. There are many criteria, but they, like a designer, help not only to draw up a portrait of the target audience, but also to choose the right amount, theme, style, design (which you should not forget) of your portfolio.

Snapshot selection

You have chosen your market segment, the main characters have been identified, it's time to select pictures, but which ones and how many? There is no consensus, but there are important observations:

Quality. Stability in the work speaks about the level - the first thing to consider when selecting. The rule that the first and last 2 photos are important is erroneous, as well as the fact that weak works can be mixed in the middle, for the sake of quantity. All photographs must be uniform in technical execution, or in style (not stylization). Somewhere I heard a long time ago that one bad job outweighs 100 good ones; social networks like VKontakte and Instagram convinced me of this. Pictures are required to hold attention, to evoke a response in the heart of the viewer; workflows cannot be shown.
Quantity. The optimal number of photos is 20. But it’s better to start “screening out” when you have 100 or more in your hands. Self-select the best 30-40 photos that you are sure of and show the draft portfolio to friends or relatives who are strong in understanding visual art and are similar to the portrait of your target audience, and are ready to give feedback on your portfolio. Pictures that did not evoke emotions can, and should, be deleted. If there are more or less than 20 works, for example, 12 or 21, then it's okay, the optimal number is not a hard rule, but a recommendation.

When you select photos yourself, it is important not to think about numbers. Another thing is more important - how the potential client will find his reflection (after all, as you know, we see him in the work of the author), how he will imagine the soul of the photographer. Contrary to popular belief, the client needs confidence, which is why he looks at the portfolio; who needs emotion, he asks - how much does it cost?

Format selection

“Digital portfolio or traditional, styled prints?” - a question that they often write to me, in e-mails, or in personal messages on VK. I understand that it is relevant, but my opinion is always a compromise. Look for him. Consider the benefits of either solution. A portfolio on the Internet is convenient, prints are weighty. I propose to combine and find the optimal combinations for yourself. For example, it’s convenient for me to place prints in a folder, I don’t like photo books, and I don’t consider them at all; but it is convenient for a meeting, an Internet site (personal choice), but there are significantly more options:

Digital Portfolio
- Personal site
- Social networks
- photosites
- Slide show
- Photo archive
Printed portfolio
- imprints
- Passepartout prints
- Photobooks

Consider the advantages and disadvantages of each solution.

Digital Portfolio

Photos in electronic form - no dependence on geography, saving time, effort and the ability to demonstrate a portfolio in a passive mode, since it is available and works for the author, around the clock. But there is a problem - technology. All devices are different, and their screens, for the most part, do not go through colorimetric adjustment, and what is most unpleasant for us, an electronic photograph is a glow on the screen, while prints and photo books are reflected light, like all information from the real world. We humble ourselves, read and choose one (or several) solutions for ourselves that will complement the prints.

Personal site

Advantages:

Confidence. Many do not know how the site works, but they understand the costs, the intentions of those who invest in development and updating. Other things being equal, the customer will look at the portfolio on the site, and not in social networks (for example).
Independence. From the moderators, their mood and rules, technical restrictions and, worst of all, legal juggling in the user agreement. Somewhere it happens differently, but in most cases: the service does not owe anything, the photographer is nobody.
Versatility. Accounts, registrations, personal data and any, to some extent useful, services are not needed. All the necessary information: contacts and price lists, frequently asked questions and reviews can be collected in one project. Comfortable!
Quality control. Both images, so that the customer sees the portfolio in the best possible way, without serious visible distortions, and the surrounding space (in some projects, comments are needed, while in others they are not, for example).
Attention management. Your project - freedom of action. You can implement different schemes for the presentation of material in order to derive the optimal sequence and speed of portfolio review; eliminate distractions in the interface.

Flaws:

For a long time. The site is a separate project. It takes a lot of time for discussion, development and, what is not the end, implementation; further tests, amendments, promotion, constant monitoring and improvements: updating the portfolio, structure, etc.
Expensive. Creation and support in working order - money, if not with your own hands - a lot. You will have to either study (and this is time and money), or constantly pay, keep on the balance sheet, a freelancer (which is also expensive).
Responsibly. He is his own boss, but there is a limitation - the legislation of the Russian Federation.

A personal website, in my opinion, is the most convenient and high-quality option for your portfolio on the Internet. Anyone who is interested can read and make a final decision.

Social networks

Advantages:

Fast. Completely setting up an account, posting a portfolio, and setting up a public page or community takes less than an hour. To get comfortable in the advertising office, without which the presence on social networks is meaningless, another one or two hours.
Is free. Relatively.

Flaws:

Addiction. From the leadership, popularity and target audience of the selected site; mood and user agreement change unilaterally. The photographer cannot remove all the data after changing or leaving the site (the "delete" button is a sham).
Restrictions. Portfolio viewing is available without registration (if you do not limit this in the settings), but contacting the photographer requires an account. Posting pictures is easy, but managing the quality and sequence of viewing is impossible.
fragility. The practice of blocking social media, under one pretext or another, will increase. The influence of politics and augmented reality will lead to the disappearance or decline in popularity of domestic sites, and the blocking of objectionable "others".

Social media is a free marketplace that every photographer considers. One sees opportunities in it, the other sees limitations: inconvenient navigation (a long way to the goal increases the income of owners), color distortion (nothing has changed in this matter in 10 years), lack of customization (design solutions can be left to yourself, no one considers them ); social media can be considered both as an independent solution and as an advertising channel to drive additional traffic to a personal website.

photosites

Advantages:

Status. Portfolio on PhotoVogue is not easy, works are selected by the editors of Vogue.It; on MyWed you can see the appearance of a wedding photo in Runet; Behance brings together talent, and employers, from all over the world. Recognition among colleagues builds customer trust.
Quality. The color profile is not removed from the file, the optimal size of the photo for the Internet does not change; colors are not distorted, detailing does not fall. It is on these sites that you can, without fear, place your portfolio.
Is free. Nicely.

Flaws:

Addiction. A third-party solution is dependent on its owners, and photo sites, alas, are no exception. How long will the publication last, how will the project change, and what will happen if, for example, a new design causes dislike among the photographer's clients?
Uniformity. It will not work to change the layout, redesign and introduce a new technology that was spied on by a colleague; the technical part is hidden from the author (and in many situations this is good, but still, the limitation is a drawback).

Photo sites are the closest to a regular site - they allow you to place the author's portfolio and, which pleases, not to spoil the image. Provide convenient navigation and demonstrate the opinion of a professional board: editors and photographers; Of course, this is a possible, and largely controversial, argument - public opinion, but consider it if you choose the path of a freelance photographer.

Slide show

Advantages:

Is free. Relatively, because good software is money. Free solutions - outside of Windows, for example, Linux, but it's time to master this OS; choose a program - time again, figure it out ... well, you understand. relative advantage.
Qualitatively. The only limitation is sRGB (but the photographer always takes it into account: when printing, publishing on the Internet, viewing on device screens). Otherwise, we are limited by our experience or choice: to squeeze or not (photos and videos).
Attention management. There are no restrictions, except for the imagination of the author. You can control and manipulate the attention and emotional state of the viewer. It will come in handy, and more than once, the experience of a builder, director, designer, marketer and psychologist.

Flaws:

Uncomfortable. A mandatory condition for the portfolio is updating; slideshow excludes this, because removing, adding or correcting the sequence of photos is tantamount to creating a new project. Reminds me of a house of cards.
Waste of time. Both in the literal sense - to master the software, choose the plot, pace and music, and figuratively - no one is interested, no one else is watching. Time has passed.

Even 10 years ago, this way of displaying a portfolio was convenient, but now, people do not want, or cannot, waste time viewing slide shows. Statistics, user experience and the new paradigm of web development convince us of this.

Photo archive

Advantages:

None. This is not a portfolio.

Flaws:

Wrong decision.

Send pictures by mail so that the customer can evaluate the level of work - probably, it once made sense, but this has nothing to do with the portfolio. It is impossible to consider this option of demonstrating your works, you need to learn how to select works and make thematic selections; to frame them and provide the viewer with a complete product, not a pile of fragments.

An e-portfolio is part of an Internet marketing strategy that a photographer must, if not must, develop before picking up a camera (which is on the shelf in the store); from this position, it is better to assess the prospects of a particular solution, and not in a global, but in a narrower direction - for oneself.

Printed portfolio

A traditional portfolio, prints in a folder, or a photo book is an elegant and solid solution that is suitable for personal meetings with a client, finding a mentor and visiting a friend in the craft, with whom it is better to communicate outside the virtual world.

A classic printed portfolio, unlike an electronic one, is a tactile sensation, without which, sometimes, it is difficult to realize the real value of a work. If a photographer decides to work with agencies or magazines, then without prints he will not be able to express himself.

imprints

Advantages:

Photo. Real, wanted. Correctly selected paper, conditions and method of printing. In the hands is not a semi-finished product, but a finished product, which is exhibited, fixed, designed and packaged.
Tactile sensations. Without them, the photograph does not remain in the memory for a long time. Our forces are at the limit, the information field is overloaded and it is difficult to keep one more picture in mind, if you do not touch it with your hands, do not feel the weight and texture.
Visibility in reflected light. Traditional perception of information of the surrounding world. This is why traditional photography is valuable, despite the fact that for the most part, modern devices reproduce wider color gamuts.

Flaws:

Expensive. Of course, it depends on the format, printing method and type of paper, but on average prices are from 40-50r to 900r for an A4 print. With regular updates and replacement of damaged photos, you will have to fork out an amount equal to the average budget lens.
Not durable. Paper is paper. I accidentally knocked over a glass of water, or a cup of coffee, everything, the picture is damaged, I will have to replace it. Additional costs for a visit to the printing house and printing (costs are growing).
Personal contact. A traditional portfolio requires, from the author, the ability to present, in many ways - to interest in demonstrating their product. You can't do without communication skills and marketing experience. More self-education is needed.

Traditional prints, arranged in an album folder, are not a relic of the past, but rather the opposite - the basic portfolio of a photographer. Another, more expensive and protected version - pictures designed according to museum standards, we will consider them in detail.

Passepartout prints

Advantages:

Durability. Cardboard protects the print from kinks and chips (in case of falls), but this is a half-measure, because the main threat to photography is humidity and ultraviolet, from which the full design (baguette and glass) protects. Looks and is expensive.
visual perception. Passe-partout is not just a piece of cardboard, but an additional, or rather, artistic element, a tool with which it is quite easy to control the client's visual perception. The main thing is to choose the right size and color.
The final look of the photo. Museum design standard - 200 years of print preservation, and aesthetic pleasure from viewing. An ideal portfolio option for a mature author, owner of a photo studio.

Flaws:

Dimensions. The weight and dimensions of the designed prints are large, which makes them uncomfortable, I would even say unsuitable for meetings outside the space where they are placed, and your own studio is a necessary condition for the placement and display of this portfolio.
Price. Quality is expensive, museum quality is even more expensive.

Pictures, decorated in a classic passepartout, complemented by a baguette and museum glass, and marked with the author's personal seal - an expensive type of portfolio that is not convenient or, rather, unsuitable for meetings outside the photo studio.

Photobooks

Advantages:

Comfortable. Most books are packaged in "boxes", wooden boxes that can be taken to a meeting or given for review. The format of the book is the value "to taste and requirement", which is also convenient.
Original. The book, in a sense, is an element of the brand. There are no restrictions on the layout or type of paper, the existing standards are a big convention, a limitation for those who do not need to “find their own”.

Flaws:

Collage. A photobook is not a photo album; there is no scene in it, understanding the plot - a snapshot and this is bad; we fill the space and create visual noise, what can be conveyed to the viewer in this way is not clear. Photobooks are exclusively for serial shooting.
Price. A quality product is expensive, packaging is even more expensive. The "paradox" is that the cost of printing is lower than the cost of manufacturing; the photographer does not pay for the view, it is his duty to fork out for the production. Although he needs a portfolio.
fragility. The print, for the most part, is of poor quality, but often the author does not know about this, because he will throw the book much earlier, because the frame is outdated, how can I update it? How to complete a portfolio? That's right, a new print.
Inconvenient format. It cannot be updated, it cannot be considered together with the customer: the frame, even if it is spread out, is small, transferring it is by no means an easy task. It cannot be hung on the wall, which excludes the possibility of placing such a portfolio in the studio.

Photobook is a strange phenomenon. It is expensive and looks beautiful, but its main task, to be "picky", performs badly. Sure, it holds a lot and, not surprisingly, it's compact, but is it when you're working on a timeless photo?

A printed portfolio is of high quality, solid and durable, but it has one common, and at first unpleasant, problem - what to do with outdated photographs? Electronic photos, files on a disk, are easy to delete, but what about printing? I propose to give: to those who are in the frame and to those who are interested in these frames. The photographer will not lose.

I understand that genres and styles are different for everyone, but try to combine different formats, types and versions of the portfolio; take into account the portrait of your target audience so as not to make a mistake or timely exclude the attention of those who take time but do not pay for labor. There will be questions - write letters, I will try to help.

Choice of design

Registration begins with the choice of format. Optimal, for hand-held viewing, 20x30 (A4), and this, of course, applies to the printed portfolio. The basic design is a passe-partout, but it is not appropriate to use it everywhere, in most cases - a folder (made of leatherette or leather) and transparent files in it for storing photos. There are ready-made solutions (on the Internet and beyond), but manual work is better, which does not limit the flight of fancy; the main thing is not to forget that clumsy design is bad, and not because there are ignorant people around - they can’t appreciate “beauty”, it’s just that the photographer should show photos, that’s why the portfolio.

I can’t say anything about the design of books, I didn’t like them from the very beginning, and I use folders, in the near future - handmade, because there is an opportunity and why not get away from the impersonal format.

An electronic portfolio does not need to be designed (that's its charm) and, rather, it requires cleaning: in social networks, advertising distracts; on photosites - extra buttons and ads; we spoil personal sites on our own. Look again at the pictures and at the portrait of the target audience, think about what spoils the impression of viewing the pictures and whether it can be corrected; designing a portfolio, as well as compiling it, is not to show everything that you can do, but to show what the client would like to see; something that I would like to reproduce again, but at a higher level; yes, portfolio design is a demonstration of taste.

Update

Portfolio is not a static product. The photographer hones his skills, looks for new solutions - in the means of expression, and inevitably comes to the understanding: "Something needs to be changed!". This is where self-criticism, the ability to scribble oneself (as F. M. Dostoevsky said) comes in handy; but simply removing the "old" to make way for the "new" is a mistake. "Date of manufacture" is not a selection criterion; the photographer must understand what pictures are missing in his portfolio, and what will change in his work if “edits” are made.

How often to update portfolio

There are many opinions, but I believe that it is necessary to compile a portfolio once and for many years. No, I'm not against minor edits, but if the relevance of the portfolio is rapidly declining, for example, from season to season, then it's better to rebuild the portfolio (and advertise it well). In the list below, I will list all thoughts on this issue:

The frequency of updates is an indicator of the stability, completeness of the portfolio. If there is no, or almost no, day without edits, then the portfolio is made for a wide audience, and its goal is simple - to increase coverage. Its price is low, there is no value.
The update schedule is a misguided phenomenon in the life of a photographer. A valuable shot appeared and he found a place in the portfolio - good; no - a reason to work further. A shot in a portfolio is not a fixed result, but a share of luck.
Portfolio update - work on quality, not quantity. Sometimes, and there is nothing terrible about it, you add one frame and remove three, the portfolio decreases and empty files appear (we are talking about printing), but the overall picture becomes clearer. Here is the price.

Competent updates highlight the "backbone", the basis - photographs are timeless; show, attract attention, confirm the achievements, skills and experience of the author. Such photographs bring "their viewer", the customer who needs the author, and not his price tag.

How to select pictures for updates

The opinion is not a dogma, but it may be useful to someone:

Ignore fashion, seasonal trends. The season of that… the season of that… stupidity and DIY Instagram. Consider the values (not material) of your client and publish timeless photos in which: you are sure, and the customer has found himself.
Durability is the main criterion. Passage shots or sketch frames are not something that will live for years. Do not publish them even on social media, accustom yourself to see and discuss only what is not without meaning, value (bypassing the price tag).
Post photos that you have forgotten in your portfolio. Like the picture? Hide it from yourself for a month, or better - six months or a year, so that the emotions, feelings, thoughts that this frame is associated with are gone. After a while, the frame is interesting - publish it, no - in the trash it.