How To Build A Photography Portfolio That Stands Out
A portfolio is a must-have for anyone in the creative field. Photographers can use their photography portfolio as a way to showcase their work and attract paying clients. Even hobbyists should consider a portfolio as a means of collating their work and maintaining a stunning catalog of photos to look back on and share with friends and family.
If you’ve never made a photography portfolio before, or, have just started out on your photography journey - don’t despair!
Building a photography portfolio is a simple process that becomes easier over time.
In this guide, we’ll lay out all the steps needed to build a visually stunning photography portfolio that will take your career to the next level.
Step 1: Setting up your domain
For photographers, your portfolio will be your CV if you’re wanting to make a career out of taking photos. For that reason, you need to brand yourself properly.
While paper-based portfolios are perfectly fine, in today’s evolving digital space, having an online portfolio is your key to gaining a reputation and a large audience reach.
If you’re working as a freelance photographer, having an online portfolio will help you land your clients and get your work out there.
There are a couple of ways to go about this. One, you can choose a free domain to host your online portfolio. Websites like GoDaddy, Bluehost, and Domain.com can provide you with an easy-to-navigate platform where you can upload all your photos fairly easily and with zero to little cost (depending on the plan you choose).
Two, you can choose to have your own website. Website builders such as Wix, Squarespace, and Adobe Portfolio can set you up with some great templates and the option to purchase your own domain name so you can showcase your work alongside your contact information, Blog, and so on.
Remember to link your online portfolio to any of your social media platforms including your LinkedIn page and resume so that potential employers/clients can find your work easily.
Step 2: Choosing your photos
Building a professional photography portfolio isn’t about quantity, rather quality. So choosing your photos will be easier when you determine where your skillset lies.
What photos or subject matter best highlights your expertise?
Are you hoping to get work doing professional headshots? Then choose your best portrait photos to go into your portfolio. Are landscapes more your thing? Collate your best landscape shots, ensuring they each present the scope of your photography ability. You can choose a sunset shot, beach view, a waterfall, and any other nature-related photos that are out-of-the-box or that you’re particularly proud of.
Need help choosing photos? Ask friends, family, and your photography friends for feedback.
When building your photography portfolio, how many photos you choose comes down to who you’re trying to appeal to. Just keep in mind that regardless of your audience, viewers don’t want to be swamped with images. Again, think quality over quantity.
Step 3: Structuring your portfolio
The goal of your photography portfolio is to not only showcase your work but to entice the person viewing it. For that reason, when you’re structuring your portfolio, you want to ensure that you arrange it in a way that hooks the viewer from start to finish.
Again, you have a creative license to play around here. Whether you want to create a visual story or group your photos to subject matter or color scheme, having a unified theme comes across as professional and is, frankly, nice to look at.
When arranging your photos, think about putting your strongest images at the start and end of the page. You also might want to include short descriptions of your image and camera specs if you want to include a bit of context.
Step 4: Keep snapping
Photography is an evolving skill. Your photography portfolio can change over time to better reflect where you currently are on your photography journey. In this way, your portfolio is a living and breathing record of both your personal and professional growth.
Continue pushing your creativity to its highest potential by taking photos any chance you get. Practice different shooting techniques, get clever with editing, start taking photos of your weakest subject matter or of something you have little to no expertise in. Play around with different equipment and always be willing to take risks.
Along the way, you’ll find some winning gems that will become the showcase for your portfolio and your ticket to more clients and greater confidence as a photographer.
Having a photography portfolio makes it easier to collate and showcase your work. Whether you’re hoping to make a career out of photography or simply want a visual template for your past work, a portfolio is a must! It doesn’t have to be difficult, either. You can start off with a free website and use preset templates to get started. The more experienced you become, you may want to create your own photography website with samples of your work. Having a portfolio makes it easier for people to see and appreciate your work. As a photographer, that will always be one of the most satisfying parts of the job.