Editing a professional portfolio

[Rajah Sulayman]

So the biggest problem I have with putting together a portfolio (other than the tedium of sifting through tens of thousands of images) is that I only know what shots I like. So many times in the past, I've had people tell me how much they loved shots of mine that I never really found to be all that exciting. Add to that the fact that I've seen my own images so many times that I'm practically numb to them all. Add to that the fact that a professional portfolio isn't necessarily a collection of your best work so much as your most marketable work (i.e., work that will find you a job), and it's easy to see why I've put off building my professional portfolio for so long.

But I can put it off no longer (not if I ever wanna break free of the shackles of cube-land), so I come to you, my fellow DPSers, for input. Do you have a professional portfolio? How did you edit it? Did you have help or did you pare it down yourself? If you had help, whose? Has your portfolio found you work? Has it helped you find an agent? Any and all advice/input/feedback would be more than welcome.

[OsmosisStudios]

My portfolio varies on the job I'm vying for. If it's a gig doing portraits, I'm not going to show landscapes.

I build my professional portfolio based on which images sell the best or have sold in the best in the past. If I shoot an event and 2 shots sell more than others, then they get added to the pile.

[Rajah Sulayman]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

My portfolio varies on the job I'm vying for. If it's a gig doing portraits, I'm not going to show landscapes.

Well, yeah. That's kind of a given.

I build my professional portfolio based on which images sell the best or have sold in the best in the past. If I shoot an event and 2 shots sell more than others, then they get added to the pile.

But what if you have a library of 33,000 photos and haven't really bothered selling any of them so you don't have "market value" to go on?

Judging by the first response being way broad and the second response being way specific, I probably didn't phrase my question properly, so lemme give more detail.

I've thought long and hard about where I want to go with my photography (professionally) and to get there, I'll need an agent. To get an agent, though, I'll need a solid portfolio. And not just a specific portfolio intended to land a specific job, but a more-or-less general portfolio that will showcase my talents. It'll be slightly tailored to the types of photography work I'd like to be getting, but it'll need to be general enough to show that I can handle most jobs thrown my way.

Thing is, I have over 33,000 photos in my library that I need to pare down to 60, and I don't quite know the best way to do it. When sorting through my photos, I've skipped past shots that other people later told me they loved, and I've loved photos and no one else really seemed to like. So either I need to refine my editing eye, or I need help. As such, I've come in search of any tips or advice on how to turn 30,000 photos into 60.

[OsmosisStudios]

If that's the case, then pick the 60 that you like the best. Youll soon find your "faves" list is likely even smaller. If youre trying to get an agent, then you'll want to show your style as well as some marketability.

[BCampbell]

Originally Posted by rajah sulayman

Thing is, I have over 33,000 photos in my library that I need to pare down to 60, and I don't quite know the best way to do it. When sorting through my photos, I've skipped past shots that other people later told me they loved, and I've loved photos and no one else really seemed to like. So either I need to refine my editing eye, or I need help. As such, I've come in search of any tips or advice on how to turn 30,000 photos into 60.

Well, here's the thing. Someone looking at your portfolio, considering contracting with you or representing you, might have some questions about some of your photos. Imagine how this conversation would work to sell you:

"Why did you put this photo in your portfolio?"

"Oh, a bunch of people told me it was good."

Not very convincing.

Even commercial photography is about your own style and your unique vision. Sounds hokey, but it's true. You won't express your style by including what other people tell you to (which is really what you're asking, "how can I figure out what other people will want in my portfolio"). Even worse is that if you do happen to land work with a photo that is not representative of your style, you might not be able to deliver what your client expects. We all have our "happy accidents" but they're accidents because they're difficult to reproduce.

Best advice: go with your gut.

Try this. Sounds like you're working in several different genres. Pick your best 8 photos in each genre. Shouldn't be too hard since you have 30k. Then, throw half of them out. Get down to 4 photos in each genre. Then throw half of those out. Two photos each to show the different styles you can do. That's what you need, and actually that might even be too much.

Don't worry if your portfolio seems small. You should be able to convince someone based on one photo, the first one they see. Nobody will want to look through 50 photos anyway, they'll have made a decision long before they get to the last one.

Good luck!

[Rajah Sulayman]

It isn't so much a matter of "What will other people want in my portfolio?" as one of "If a dozen people see something in a photo I don't see, perhaps I should pay some attention."

For example, in this set of photos, I've gotten a fair amount of positive feedback from different people about this shot. Personally, I don't think it's a very strong shot at all. It's not bad, it's just not particularly great. If I were going through this set for an image to add to the portfolio short-list, I'd not give this shot a second thought. But apparently enough people see something in it that, in light of their feedback, I should at the very least give it some consideration.

This is more of what I'm referring to. It's one thing to have an eye for taking photos, it's another thing entirely for having an eye for picking the best photo out of a hundred. This is why news magazines have photo editors; they see the big picture (as it were). If Life simpy ran whatever shots its photographers thought were their best, you'd have a big collection of random photos that have no real cohesive thematic element.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by rajah sulayman

For example, in this set of photos, I've gotten a fair amount of positive feedback from different people about this shot. Personally, I don't think it's a very strong shot at all. It's not bad, it's just not particularly great. If I were going through this set for an image to add to the portfolio short-list, I'd not give this shot a second thought. But apparently enough people see something in it that, in light of their feedback, I should at the very least give it some consideration.

Dont. I can safely say I side with you: it's not your best image in that set. The flare really bothers me.

[LeeR]

I hate being the bad guy here, but I don't think you are ready for prime time yet. From what I see on your sites you are working toward a gritty street style, which is very popular right now. Problem is, there are a lot of really good people in line ahead of you. If you want to do that kind of work you really have to develop and edge; a way of seeing that is both unique and compelling. That's a pretty tall order. I think you are well on your way, but you are playing it way too safe.

[Rajah Sulayman]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Dont. I can safely say I side with you: it's not your best image in that set. The flare really bothers me.

Which is exactly my point; a lot of the people who liked it love the flare. Myself, I don't hate the flare, but I don't particularly love it, either.

But that's exactly what I'm getting at: I've seen my own photos so many times that I don't have an unbiased eye anymore. Simply put, there's a world of difference between selecting photos I like and photos that are actually good. And without having a second party to provide an impartial eye, I'm wondering if there are any tips on editing my work down and maintaining as unbiased opinion as I can.

Originally Posted by LeeR

I hate being the bad guy here, but I don't think you are ready for prime time yet. From what I see on your sites you are working toward a gritty street style, which is very popular right now. Problem is, there are a lot of really good people in line ahead of you. If you want to do that kind of work you really have to develop and edge; a way of seeing that is both unique and compelling. That's a pretty tall order. I think you are well on your way, but you are playing it way too safe.

Out of curiosity, are you basing this off just my photoblog? I almost never post any of my commercial work there (or even to my flickr account) because they're two separate beasts. My photoblog is, as you noticed, documentary; it's a personal photo journal, not a portfolio. It's by no means intended to be a representation of the commercial work I've done or am capable of.

As far as being "ready for prime time" -- I'm not exactly sure what that means. If you mean that I'm not ready to go out and command multi-thousand dollar gigs, you're absolutely right. I'm not; not by a long shot. If, however, you mean that I'm not ready to look for an agent, you're absolutely wrong.

The point to having an agent is to have someone to go out and find work for you. Actors and screenwriters don't need to prove they're on par with Olivier or Mamet in order to land an agent, they just need to prove they're hirable. It may take them a while to find one if they don't have a lot of credit to their name, but that's no reason to not look.

I don't think I'll walk up to and immediately sign with some Big Fancy Agent. I fully understand and expect that my D-list portfolio will, at best, be able to land a D-list agent who can find me D-list work. And I'll do enough D-list work until I can build a C-list portfolio and move up to a C-list agent. And so on and so forth until, one day, I am commanding a decent wage.

[inkista]

Take a look at Zack Arias's website critique videos. That might help you get a handle on the task.

Editing is a whole 'nother skillset with a whole 'nother muse. :