Updating your portfolio!

[katielouise]

Hi all, so I am just in the process of updating my portfolio, and am getting myself into a fluster with it.
I am using Blurb to create it in a book format (easy transport) but wondered if you have any tips in the organisation of it all... I want to show as much of my work as possible, just because I really don't know what clients I will need to present it to whilst traveling abroad.
I have the usual, portraits, stills, travel, manipulation etc... but they are a mix of colour and black and white, studio, outdoor, indoor and nothing seems to gel together as I would want it too... is there a standard sort of format for this kind of thing to prevent me pulling hair out?

Thank you!

 

[TimSandhu]

Hi Katie,
There was a good article in December's issue (I think) of Professional Photographer Magazine. See if you can get a copy of that. While I appreciate that you will be travelling, I still think that a book might not be the best format as you won't be able to change the content of your portfolio for when you need to tailor it to individual clients. A leather portfolio creates a good impression with prints of 11"x14". I don't have my copy of the magazine with me, but I do remember reading that you should not cram your portfolio with too many pictures (15-20 is ok), or too many similar shots.

Also have a quick read of these threads:

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=103754&highlight=portfolios
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=67776&highlight=portfolios

Hopefully, someone else with more knowledge on this will be along soon to help

 

[Jayst84]

As said, I think 15-20 is ample. Any more and people are just going to get bored / not have the time.

I'd also be careful of cramming everything in there. Separate portfolios for separate genres would make sense if feasible. Perhaps prints would work better for that reason as well, saving you carrying a pile of different books around, you can just remove prints as necessary for each meeting.

 

[HoppyUK]

I've seen loads of photographer's portfolios and you know after the first three if they are any good or not. Be thoroughly ruthless in your editing and cut out absolutely everything that isn't first rate, or that duplicates something already covered.

Occasionally I would see a theme emerging that was worth following and would ask if they had any more like these. I would be quite happy to look at those on a laptop it it saved them carrying around a mountain of prints. As a potential client, I had my own agenda that the photographer had no idea about, so could not possible prepare for that.

Get a few people that you respect for their harsh but fair criticism to comment on your selection. Photographers themselves are often the worst judges of their own work! They're too close to it - I always think my picturs of my kids are utterly fantastic and that they are the most handsome/pretty/gifted children in the world; you may not agree

 

[katielouise]

Aw thank you for all the advice! Thats helped me out alot, I have like an A1 portfolio already here in the UK but I would never get that through customs to the US! I think loose prints might be the way forward as suggested, I can then print of a larger number and take them all with me... presenting only the most suitable 15-20 for each particular potential client.
I completely agree with HoppyUK's comment that judging your own work can be the most difficult thing! Especially if you are attached to the subject! Input is pretty important!