First portfolio

[Janeygidds]

Hi all,

I've been into this game for a couple of years now and still consider myself very much a beginner although, I'm told, a reasonably competent one. I've been asked to do a couple of event and wedding shoots on the strength of what people have seen (and probably because I'm free at the moment) and a couple of my photos have been used to illustrate articles in Drummer and Rhythm magazines.

I'm currently casually looking around for a replacement for one of my two day jobs. Not sure exactly what I want at the moment and I can afford to take my time over it. If I can find something that involves photography in some way, so much the better. I'm also toying with a part-time course at a local college in September. To that end, I want to put a bit of a portfolio together. I know that I need to show a range of work and possibly stuff that shows my development as a photographer, but I have no idea how to present one. I'm thinking of a folder or some sort of album but beyond that I haven't a clue. What's the usual presentation technique for portfolios?

Are there any useful books on the subject?

Appreciate any help.

Cheers

[BCampbell]

No Plastic Sleeves is an awesome blog that you should probably take a look at. They have a book out, too.

Some of the stuff they talk about is goingto sound way out of your league, but read through and get inspired.

[lonni]

Hi

I helped a friend with their art school portfolio and she mounted all her photos on heavy card stock with another piece on top to act as a frame. They were all A3 finished size, bog enough to see decenly and not to big to handle.

On the reverse she wrote about each photo explaining how when why and the purpose etc. She bought an artists folio, which is like a suitcase/briefcase thing, made out of canvas zips up, has handles and a removable binder in side as well as a few pockets to keep them all in and present.

It took a while to do as we had to cut each frame carefully, she didnt have the money for teh pre cut ones from the framing store.

HTH

[Janeygidds]

That looks fascinating, BC - some interesting ideas there. I can do a little graphic design and bookbinding, so much of it is 'do-able' albeit on a much more basic level.

Lonni, my hubby has done some mount-cutting in his time and still has the gear - think I'll get him to show me how it's done.

Thanks very much, both of you.

[LeeR]

BCampbell, thanks for the terrific website. I had no idea such a great resource was available.
When I was in art school we were given a good deal of instruction on portfolios. The main gist of it was that is was an area where we did not want to skimp. Portfolios are a reflection of your work, which is a reflection of you. If your portfolio is sloppily assembled then you can expect, and probably deserve, to be treated like a laughingstock.
I have often heard that photographers and artists in New York, where competition is fierce, spend thousands of dollars for high-end portfolios to put their work in the best light possible. I doubt our OP here needs anything quite that good, but the principle is the same; if you want people to take your work seriously you are going to have to make sure it is framed properly. (pun intended)

[BCampbell]

Portfolio design is something that is easily overlooked -- they talk about this a lot at NPS. Without reapeating what you can read there too much, your design is a first impression anyone gets before even looking at your photos, and it can make a huge impact. It puts your work within a context, and that can change everything about how it's viewed.

Janey, sounds like you have a good background for this, that should help you a lot! Making the portfolio individual to you is a huge plus. Anyone can get a Blurb book printed. This is actually why I'm skeptical of the predictions of the iPad changing the face of portfolios. After the first time someone sees a portfolio on an iPad, using one will never stand out.

But yeah, that's an awesome blog, I highly recommend it for anyone with a collection of photography blogs in their reader. Actually, I suppose this is a little bit of a shameless plug, but I follow a ton of blogs in Google Reader, and I share quite a bit (though my shares are not limited to photography...); anyone who's interested should be able to follow from my profile.