portfolio

I need to put together a portfolio for myself. Is there a "set" standard? ie. sizes, how many images? etc.

Thanks

I think theres a thread here about this from a while ago.

You can buy a portfolio that holds the pictures and looks professional but thier not cheap. I think the url given in the other thread was light impressions, but they know how to charge.

I think the standard for a portfolio is 8X10's or 11X14's *or what ever the right ratio is*, and say your 10 or 20 best pictures, that are relevant to the place your displaying them to.

I havent done one myself so im just going by what others have said.

Also you can matte or ummmm, whats the other option for pictures? Think its just where you stick it to a larger piece of cardboard.

You can get portfolio's that are handy for carrying around, or boxes, the boxes make for better display pieces I think, at least in the examples Ive seen on that site.

Well, I think you'd want at least 20/type of photography (i.e. landscape, portrait, macro, etc). Probably your best best would be to just check out a bunch of other portfolio sites to get some ideas as to what other people do...

I know many people who have Itoya art portfolios to put their images in, and they run for about $20, cheaper on ebay.

Michelle.

An instructor I had always insisted on quality over quantity. If you have 10 images which are great, and another 10 that are good, just use the great ones! Sounds simple, but I know it can be tough.

As far as size, I think 11x14 is great for impact as long as they are razor sharp, or use 8x10 and matt them upto 11x14.

Good Luck.
Mark, (also from Brantford)

It's also important to place them only on one side of the page. People pay more attention to the details in an image if they only have one image in front of them at a time. What Mark said is extremely important. Only show the best of the best, and show a variety of what you are capable of.

Good point about them being only one side of the page, makes sense.


And hello Mark, nice to see someone else from Brantford.

Michelle

Thanks Michelle.

Good luck with the portfolio. I will be doing the same in the near future.

Mark

Hi Michelle,
I have a City and Guilds in Quality Assurance, so might be of use here.
There have been a number of good bits of advise there. What Mark has said is of particular importance.
There is also another thing you could look at in putting together your portfolio.
Let the very first image have a very big wow factor - this will make the viewer want to see more.
From that, let the next image be a step down - a less of a wow. Then build the portfolio up from there, continually increasing the wow factor.
This will help to retain the viewers attention.
Depending on the nature of the portfolio, include B/W images as well as colour. This will help to show versatility.

All the best
Steve J

Michelle

Quite a while back, I wrote an article on the subject. If you have some time, take a look...

http://www.foodportfolio.com/blog

Take care

Thanks Michael, interesting reading!

Great site Michael, Liked your stuff on lighting, and lights.... And liked your article on being an assistant to a Pro-Photog... Very good reading and worthwhile to all the youngsters who are looking for a way to start in this business.... If I were about 50 years younger I would be following your advice to the letter....

The only thing I can add is something I've heard art directors say a couple of times.
Sending your portfolio in one of those really neat custom holders that takes 15 minutes and a degree in physics to open does not impress. If they can't open the portfolio and see the pictures, then they can't decide whether they like your work.