How to make a photography portfolio that stands out
If you’re a photographer, a great photography portfolio website to showcase your work is essential. An essential part of any professional photography business is a stunning photography portfolio. It gives you a channel for getting your photos out there, connecting with others, and landing clients. While it can be hard to differentiate yourself from all the other photographers out there, an online portfolio empowers you to highlight your unique skills and talents.
Identify the goals for your photography portfolio
First, it’s important to determine the purpose of your photography portfolio website before you start creating it. It’s okay if your ambitions don’t go beyond having a space where friends, family, and others can view your work. But if you aspire to be more than a hobbyist, you need to define your objectives and figure out how your website will help you meet those goals. A strong photography portfolio needs to not only display your talents but also have a clear strategy behind it.
When creating a professional portfolio, ask yourself these questions:
- Who is the target audience you hope to reach and what type of prospective clients do you want to work with?
- What type of photography do you want to do more of?
- How do you want to market yourself and communicate your own personal brand?
Define your niche and style
The very first step in creating your photography portfolio is to decide on your niche and style. A photography niche is a particular genre of photography. Maybe you love photographing weddings or snapping artsy shots of food. Or, you might prefer photographing natural landscapes or enjoy the challenge of wildlife photography. Choose niches that make sense together so that you can convey a stronger sense of expertise, like pairing commercial and product photography, or lifestyle and travel photography.
By photography style, we mean the broad look and feel of your images. To identify your style, note down the characteristics typical of your best images:
- Do you prefer to shoot in black and white, or use unique filters?
- Do you like saturated colours, or diffused tones in your images?
- How do you compose using aperture, ISO, and the rule of thirds?
Your unique approach to shooting will define your photographic style, and as you shoot more, your distinct style will develop over time. All that matters is that your portfolio is up-to-date, and reflects your current style and niche.
Curate your best work
Your photography portfolio should include a small curated selection of your best images. Put only your best work into your portfolio; the adage “when in doubt, leave it out” should be very much on your mind. Aim for between 10 and 15 images for each example shoot or niche. Remember, you don't want to overwhelm your viewer with too many images!
It’s far better to have a portfolio with 20 great images, than one with 10 ok images and 20 great ones. Your portfolio is only as strong as the weakest image. All of your work should show a similar sense of lighting, color, composition, focus, and subject matter. Any images that seem a bit blurry, have a weird white balance, or otherwise fall short in terms of quality should be left out. Photoshop or similar photo editing software will help you polish and fine-tune your images.
Communicate your expertise through design
Potential clients don’t want to read through huge chunks of copy; instead, they want to see what you capture through your camera’s lens. When laying out your portfolio, simple is better and the image is king. The viewers of the portfolio should be focused on your photography, not on the design. Try and keep the copy light on the sections that feature your work and let your photos do the talking.
Make sure your name and contact info is on the portfolio. It can drive clients nuts if they are looking at a lot of books and don't know it’s yours. Even if you are showing it in person, the more that your name is in front of them, the more likely that you will be top of mind when the right project comes up.
Consider a printed portfolio
In today’s increasingly digital world, you may wonder why even create a printed portfolio? The vast majority of clients prefer a printed portfolio, as there is something magical about something physically printed. When selecting a paper surface, think about how people will handle the portfolio. Glossy paper will show fingerprints easily, so consider printing on luster; it has stronger deep blacks than matte but hides fingerprints better than glossy. Additionally, think about size: a 12×9 portfolio is going to have a bigger impact than an 8×8, but a 16×20 becomes too bulky to look at easily.