To work for free or to not work for free? For some creatives, this isn’t even a question, but for others, it’s hard to decide, especially if they’re just starting out. As a newbie with no portfolio and with little experience, should you do some free work first? At least for a while? Chase Turnbow believes you should, and he explains his reasoning in his latest video.
This epic photography portfolio took 18 months to craft by hand
by 4 CommentsNowadays, most photographers only display their work online. However, we’ve recently seen how it can limit you and negatively affect your work, especially if you mainly share it on Instagram. So, photographer decided to make a printed, tangible portfolio and he raised it to a whole new level. He built everything from scratch, from woodwork to the carrying case. It took him 18 months to finish it, and he ended up with a unique portfolio he can be proud of.
Use your personality to stand out amongst the sea of photographers
by Leave a CommentToday, more than ever, everyone is a photographer. From your pocket phone to your full frames, cameras are so accessible and everyone is using them. For many, it is just to document their life and then share it with friends and family. However, there is a large group of people, all around the world, that are wanting to monetise their art. In order to do this, they must exceed the competition, which is an extremely difficult thing to do as there is such a high standard in the field.
With this in mind, having a strong portfolio more often than not isn’t enough to set you apart from the rest of the pack. In this post, we will explore how you can use your personality to help reach your goals and get to the standard you are working hard towards.
Start culling your photos for a more effective portfolio
by 3 CommentsOne of the most common things I see today, especially from newer photographers is posting far too many images from a session online. We’ve all seen it, and probably all done it at some point. You go to a photographer’s page, look at their photos, and you see 50 images from one shoot, followed by 50 from another, then 50 from another.
While we’re proud of many things we create, this can really dilute our most impressive work. In this two-minute tips video, photographer David Bergman explains why we should edit ourselves and cull our work down to only the very best.
Photography marketing: preparing the ground for your business to flourish
by 2 CommentsA guy that started his career without even having a portfolio wants you to know what he finds important to consider when it comes to market your work.
After I published “What is decisive in a photographer’s career?” I got quite a few comments in a couple of Linkedin groups.
In my article I pointed out how opportunities, more than technical skills, creativity or experience, are a key factor to determine success. Someone suggested me to change the wording from ‘opportunities’ to ‘marketing’, because good marketing generates opportunities and, more often than not, photographers seems to lack that very skill.
I totally agree with the fact that effective marketing is essential, but my focus was on something slightly different. What I was trying to underline was precisely the importance of opportunities. And, actually, I believe that marketing doesn’t necessarily replace opportunities.
I lost my portfolio and was reunited with it 30 years later
by 6 CommentsThis is a story about my portfolio that went missing for 30 years. I made this collection of photographs while working as a photographer at the Goldstream Gazette, a weekly newspaper on Vancouver Island from 1976 to 1978. Although I have had my portfolio back for sometime now, I thought I would share this story as part of my 40th year of working as a newspaper photographer.
A bit of background, I had made up a portfolio of my best photographs, I was eager to move on and was actively looking for work at a bigger paper. I set my sights on the Vancouver Sun, probably a bit of a big step for a 20-year-old with only two years of experience on a weekly newspaper. My intent was to show it to the photo editor of the Vancouver Sun, who I believe was Charlie Warner.
The portfolio of portfolios: what you need, and why
by 1 CommentPortfolio. Gosh that can be a scary word. When you have to compile a greatest hits of your photography life and future commissions and your career can depend on it, getting it right is a big deal.
There is a lot of advice out there. But which advice should you take and what should you jettison? I’ve read through the books that I own (by authors and photographers including Demetrius Fordham, Haje Jan Kamps, and Lara Jade) and trawled the net and put together a summary. You can think of it as a portfolio of portfolios, if you like.
Adobe Portfolio Allows CC Subscribers to Build Personalized Websites In Minutes
by 2 CommentsAdobe released a new feature for the photographers and other creative using its Creative Cloud services, which promises to help build a personalized portfolio website in minutes.
Seeking to assist creatives in sharing the work they create using its software, Adobe Portfolio will automatically sync projects with the user’s Behance profile
The new tool is already available.
What An Art Director Wants To See In Your Photography Portfolio
by 2 CommentsWhen you pitch your photography portfolio to potential clients, it is extremely important to show only what they are looking for.
But how do you know what an Art Director actually wants to see?
It is very difficult to self-critique your own work, and even harder to put together a comprehensive portfolio – so when I started going through the process of updating my own portfolio, instead of agonizing over what to include myself, I asked an experienced Art Director for a portfolio review.
Her insight was extremely interesting and helpful – keep reading if you want to know what an Art Director really wants to see!
Handmade Severed Thumb USB Drive Doubles As A Creative Photography Portfolio
by 4 Comments
As a professional photographer, it can be hard to make yourself stand out from other photographers, even if your work is really good. There’s just so many photographers out there, it’s easy to fall through the cracks. Sending out a portfolio or album of your work to potential clients just doesn’t cut it anymore. That’s exactly why pro photographer, Justin Poulsen, is making sure he “sticks out like a sore thumb”.
Working with Canadian creative agency, Rethink, Poulsen hand crafted a collection of USB “thumb drives” which cleverly combines his knack for building his own props and his talents as a photographer. Using Body Double casting silicone, Poulsen made a mold of his thumb. He then poured in flesh toned silicone into the mold and embedded a 2GB flash drive into the “thumb”.[Read More…]
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