How many photos should be in a photographer's portfolio. Photographer's portfolio. Professional wedding, kids and family photographers and their portfolios. Wedding photography portfolio

Explore the work of great photographers at your local library, online, or your nearest museum. Ansel Adams and Eugene Smith created disparate images using similar skills and techniques. Their portfolios are accessible and instructive. Adams focused on landscapes while Smith was a photojournalist, but their collections contain commercial quality images that are both inspirational and edifying.

Explore the work of photographers currently making commercial quality images. Adams and Smith worked many years ago, but the most recent photographs of them are available in museums and libraries. Successful photographers showcase their work on their websites and markets for everyone to see.
Limit yourself to researching photographers who share your interests in the subject.

Determine the purpose of creating a portfolio and learn how to create a portfolio of photographs for this purpose. Photographers can create their own portfolios to share with their family and friends, while other photographers plan to use photography as their only means of survival.

Decide on a suitable medium for your portfolio, which can be chosen in a variety of ways. A stitched book with selected works a good option the same as the collection published on your site. The target audience is important factor to select the medium of the portfolio. Traditional artists prefer the print version, while more modern photographers prefer the convenience of the site.

Decide on target audience before choosing a medium, if possible. This can save you time and money. Multiple portfolios may require multiple copies. Photographs are easy to copy from one digital medium to another, while printing takes a lot of time and energy. Making copies in one place will be cheaper and less time-consuming if your plans come true ahead of the launch.

Collect existing photos in your chosen format and create an assortment of your product.

Take photos of objects that need to be included in an existing collection to create a large portfolio.

Choose the most appropriate number of photos to include in your portfolio. Make sure your presentation work reflects your skill as an artist. Limited quantity photos will fail to show the depth of your talent, while too many shots can distract from the best in your collection.

During the acquaintance of potential clients with the photographer, the portfolio plays the role of an introductory material, based on which conclusions are drawn about his experience and professionalism. The quality, expressiveness, creative content of the pictures presented in the portfolio determine the desire of clients to apply for services. this photographer... Studying the pictures, clients evaluate the skills of the photographer, professional skills, and experience. This article will walk you through how to create a photography portfolio.

What photos to choose for a portfolio

The portfolio is a collection best photos, demonstrating the professional level of the photographer, personal style and "handwriting". But you can't go overboard when choosing photos for such a collection. It is necessary to choose not so much ideal photographs, perhaps miraculously obtained, as those frames that the photographer can take again without any problems. Thus, there is a guarantee that new images will delight customers, not disappoint. After all, grieved clients can significantly damage a photographer's reputation, and satisfied clients are a magical powerful force that creates success.
The portfolio of a novice photographer should be replete with photographs shot in his favorite genres, which he plans to do, or it should contain photographs of different genres, if the photographer has not yet decided in which direction he will work. A demonstration selection of photographs should consist of approximately 20-30 images; this is the number that makes it possible to assess the professionalism and style of the photographer. Pictures in the portfolio must be placed by genre, so that, if necessary, it is possible to consistently demonstrate to the client how much the photographer owns one or another genre and, at the same time, so that, at the same time, he does not have to feverishly search for the necessary pictures among others.

For evaluating the work of photographers, portfolios are the only source that allows you to compare the work of different photographers and make a choice of whom to contact to create a particular photo shoot. Each photographer, according to his own professional activity, begins to give preference to a particular type of shooting and it is necessary to emphasize this in your portfolio by placing more pictures of this genre in it. It is better to be a specialist in several genres than to take pictures clumsily, trying to embody all genres of photography in your work.

Portfolio format

In what form the photographer's portfolio will be stored and displayed, digital or printed, he decides on the basis of his own considerations, it can be photo books, just a folder with printed pictures, a digital folder with files, a slide show, a presentation or a personal website. The latter method is considered the most progressive, because in addition to demonstrating your professional opportunities, on the site you can also post other useful information, including discounts and other tempting offers. In addition, on your own site you can upload an unlimited number of photos of different genres with a convenient menu and navigation through them. Well, and of course, if the portfolio is posted on your own website, in order to evaluate the skill of the photographer, a potential client will just have to follow the link, which he can do without leaving home.

Having multiple demos of your portfolio is even more practical. For example, it is more convenient for clients with whom the photographer sees with their own eyes to show a photobook. Friends and acquaintances on the Internet, as well as by sending offer potential clients, it is more convenient to showcase a portfolio on your own website.

Portfolio professional photographer

A professional photographer complements his portfolio with information about awards and prizes, but also a portfolio of a professional is distinguished by expertly executed photographs that can fascinate, delight and amaze. It is not for nothing that photography becomes a real art, in the right hands. But do not be upset for beginners, over time, with the acquisition of experience and skills, as professionalism grows, the collection will also change. best shots, changing every year.
On the net you can find portfolios of different photographers and make your own analysis of how they differ from each other. Looking through the photographs of professional and novice photographers, you can draw your own conclusions about how their work differs and take this into account when compiling your own portfolio.

Accompanying text for pictures

It is very convenient when each photo in the portfolio is accompanied by information about the importance of this or that photo, as well as ideas of the photographer, how else he could play with the depicted frame. Thus, the information message of the portfolio increases - a visual demonstration of the photographer's capabilities is complemented by an easy acquaintance with his creative potential.

Portfolio wedding photos

If a photographer is involved in wedding photography, they need to have a separate portfolio to showcase their wedding photography. Such a portfolio should not be very small, but also not too large so that clients do not have to look through hundreds of photos.

To showcase your wedding photo to potential clients, your portfolio should contain the following photographs taken by the photographer:

- portraits of brides
— general plans terrain
- photos of details of weddings, their decoration
- portraits of grooms
- photos that convey the emotions of guests and newlyweds
- photographs in unusual angles
- group photos
- staged and not staged photos newlyweds
- photos of banquet halls
- reportage moments

When creating a portfolio of wedding photographs, you need to focus on a selection of photographs that maximally demonstrate the creative and professional skills that are most important in wedding photography - capturing important moments, highlighting key details, performing portraits and group photography, and being creative in your work. The wedding photographer also supplements his portfolio with pictures taken during the filming of Love Story.

So what should a photo portfolio be like?

- Expressive. To do this, they include the best shots.
- Laconic. It shouldn't contain too few or too many pictures.
- Original. All photographs should be unique in their own way, indicating the "personal style" of the author.

Professional portfolio background

To make a professional portfolio, you need to have quality work in your personal collection, so that you have plenty to choose from pictures that can arouse the interest of potential clients. For this, beginners take pictures of everyone and everyone who agrees to take pictures. But this is not enough. To obtain professional skills, it is necessary to study the experience of photographers, accumulated by mankind to date, so that not by "typing", but competently to create beautiful photographs. http://ufa.videoforme.ru/photoschool provides all interested photographers courses, where everyone can master photography. Professional photographers will train beginners from scratch. Every green budding photographer who visits our courses will become a ripe professional after training. When a person has the desire to photograph, but is not initiated into the alchemy of the process of photographing, he does not have the opportunity to truly express his ideas, his creative potential. And after studying with us, you will have all the necessary skills. We will eliminate the lack of knowledge that stands between your ideas and their implementation.

Not a single grandiose holiday is complete without a professional photographer, who is ordered in advance for the celebration. Creative shooting, beautiful shots, lively atmosphere of photography, all this is the result of the work of a true master of his craft. But any photographer should have a portfolio to present their work to a client. The main thing is to approach the question wisely:

How to create a photography portfolio?

And, of course, have:

Sample Photographer Portfolio.

The main weapon of a photographer is not only his camera, but also samples of his portfolio. Before you are invited as a photographer to a celebration, you will definitely be asked for examples of your photography. Therefore, your portfolio must be flawless.

How to create a photographer portfolio

Once you have mastered all the basics and secrets of shooting, you need to create your own portfolio.

Portfolio- this is not just a gallery of the photographer's works, but also his face, style, professionalism.

A portfolio is a collection of professional art photographs that a photographer positions as examples of their work.

Portfolio photos must be of high quality and professional

Design

A portfolio is a presentation of a photographer's work ... First, you need to decide on the design of your portfolio. This requires a dedicated album or folder. It can be made of any material, be it ordinary cardboard or Genuine Leather... Of course, the more expensive and presentable the folder is, the better. You can decorate it yourself with various embroideries, stickers, paintings. Don't overdo it, the abundance of distracting designs can turn the client off.

Select the folder according to the size of the printed photos, the larger the better. Also decide on the highest quality photo paper.

Portfolio folders should represent the photographer as a creative and professional person.

Theme

Target your audience. If the portfolio is viewed by a client who is interested in wedding photography, then you need to include wedding photos in the folder.

You have to put your photos together. Naturally, the portfolio will not fit all your photos, so you need to sort your work by topic. There is a separate album for each theme, its own design and original signatures. The client will not be interested if all the albums are decorated in the same way.

The topics in the portfolio must be sorted

Quality

The priority property of your works is their quality. Better you provide the customer with 25 technically high-quality and creative photos than 50 unsubstantiated boring works. Photos should be sharp, clear, focused, beautiful. They should highlight the moment, reflect the essence.

Photography is about capturing emotions that a photograph should always convey. And the snapshot is the soul of the photographer, which he puts into his work.

If the client is interested in your work, he will definitely respond to your proposals for filming.

Shooting in the style of "Reporting", "Children", "Women", "Men", "Pin- Up»

Portfolio format

You must have photographs, both printed and digital. It is not known what portfolio format the client will require, so you should have both options.

There are two types of portfolio:

... For this type of portfolio, a special album is needed where the photographs will be stored.
Digital portfolio... It is also called an online portfolio. On a specialized site, you can post all your work by topic.

If you design your personal website, this will be a plus for you, as you can always provide the client with a link to your online portfolio.

The photographer must have both types of portfolio

When creating a portfolio, you must keep in mind the following important components:

Introduction: information about the photographer and a description of the portfolio topic.
List of photographs.
Photo captions: short description.
Date and place of shooting.
Photographer's contacts.

Keep in mind that the photos in your portfolio must be in a specific order to create the mood. It is always more interesting to watch the works from start to finish than in a completely incomprehensible order.

Technically high quality and beautiful pictures- the key to the perfect portfolio

A few secrets to creating a photography portfolio:

For taking photographs, only an expensive and high-quality camera is used. It should be mirrored, with a removable photo lens. The camera must have at least 3 lenses for different tasks.
A portfolio cannot be permanent. You create new masterpieces, your experience is constantly growing, so your portfolio as a photographer must grow and update.
The highest quality photo paper is used for printing photographs.
A photographer's portfolio shouldn't have a ton of photos. Otherwise, the client will simply get tired of looking at them, and all the photos will merge into one picture.
Portfolio works don't have to be small. Standard size 10x15 will not work. Ideally, these should be 20x30 cm photographs.
Approach portfolio design with intelligence and creative imagination. It doesn't have to be a boring book with a bunch of pasted photos.

The photographer is a professional in his field. He should have a lot of fresh thoughts, ideas and ideas. He should not stand still, but improve all the time. His portfolio should change and expand, and most importantly, every time it becomes more attractive and better quality.

The photographer is met by the portfolio, so it is important to show your work profitably. Modern tools allow you not only to post photos, but also to create a story around them. A beautiful site will help you understand that you are a professional and will distinguish you from inexperienced amateurs. We asked Yana Plusheva, designer of the Tilda Publishing platform, to tell you how to make a website for a photographer. https://tilda.cc/ru/tpls/ Tilda Publishing https://tilda.cc/ - - Idea and structure of the site - Research and inspiration - Site sketch or prototype - Content preparation- Website design Step 1 - The idea and structure of the site Step 2 - Research and inspiration Browse sites in related categories: designers, illustrators, or even photo agencies. It is possible that you will find an interesting move that you can apply. https://httpster.net https://www.siteinspire.com/ http://www.designmadeingermany.de/sites-we-like/sebastian/ http://thegallery.io/ Step 3 - Site sketch or prototype Step 4 - Content preparation Step 5 - Site design Sign up for https://tilda.cc/ 1) Commercial photographer 2) Wedding photographer https://tilda.cc/tpls/page/?q=melissaweis 3) Photo studios https://tilda.cc/tpls/page/?q=ballancestudios First Screen Navigation

Portfolio Blog Price list Add a rules section to the photo gallery website. For example, that a reservation can be canceled at least three days in advance. Or how a refund is made. Customer Reviews Don't forget to add customer testimonials after the price list. It grabs attention and builds trust. And at the very end, repeat the contact information. For this use blocks from the category "Contacts" Before publishing, take care of SEO - write a title, description in the page settings and add a picture for sharing on a social network. If you want the site to open at its own address, connect the domain. To do this, in the site settings, write down the address, and at the registrar where the domain was purchased, specify Tilda's IP in one line. Don't forget about statistics. Register onGoogle analytics or Yandex Metrica , and connect the counters in the site settings. Before showing the site to friends and customers, look at it again with a fresh eye: pay attention to the overall accuracy and style - is there any excessive design on the site, is there enough free space between the elements. Try to be ascetic. The easier you make, the fewer mistakes you will make and the website will turn out to be stylish. Examples of photographers' websites made on Tilda: http://alexmatamata.com/ http://christinaabdeeva.com/ http://oleg-fedorov.ru/

The photographer is met by the portfolio, so it is important to show your work profitably. Modern tools allow you not only to lay out photos, but also to create a story around them. A beautiful site will help you understand that you are a professional and will distinguish you from inexperienced amateurs.

We asked Yana Plusheva, designer of the Tilda Publishing platform, to tell you how to make a website for a photographer.

Yana: One of my tasks at Tilda is to create website templates https://tilda.cc/ru/tpls/ for users. Templates are ready-made pages that users can take as a basis and adapt, creating a website on their own. Therefore, my task is to think over everything, everything, everything and make functional pages that will be both beautiful and convenient.

Tilda Publishing https://tilda.cc/ - a modular constructor that allows you to create cool sites in a short time: portfolios, landing pages, longreads, special projects, interactive stories, blogs.

In general, the process of creating a website consists of the following steps:

Idea and structure of the site

Research and inspiration

Website sketch or prototype

Content preparation

Site design

Step 1 - Idea and site structure

Before you start, determine for yourself what the main idea and purpose of your site is and what exactly you want to show. Think about the people you would like to see on your site: are they your customers, fans, gallery owners, or maybe just your friends? Decide with the audience - for whom you are creating a site. Then try to put yourself in their shoes and guess why they came to you and what they expect to see.

Take a regular piece of paper and sketch out the structure. Think about whether you need a multi-page site or just pick the top 10 works and place them on one page that is easy to scroll through. If you are a photographer and have a command of the visual language, then most likely you write well too. Will you have a blog? On the same domain as the main site, or on a separate one? Are your works divided into categories or are you staying within the same genre?

The structure of the page will depend on your activity - if you are shooting in several directions or doing only one activity.

Step 2 - Research and Inspiration

When you roughly understand what kind of site you need, do a little research.

Chances are, you already regularly check the websites and portfolios of photographers whose work you admire. But now you need to look from a different angle - you need to notice which sections other photographers are using and make a list of main or recurring elements. For example, it can be a story about yourself, about your studies, about your history (how you started taking photographs), the cost of services.

See how it looks in general modern internet, without reference to a specific topic. There are quite a few resources on the net where enthusiasts collect good samples:

Try to notice what exactly you like. Maybe a good rhythm, good typography, or a combination of colors.

Step 3 - Site Sketch or Prototype

A sketch or prototype is a schematic representation of the blocks that make up a site. Your visual script. This is done simply: take a sheet of paper, a felt-tip pen and draw a diagram of what will go for what. You don't need to draw everything in detail, just a general idea.

Step 4 - Preparing Content

In advance, select the photos that will be on your site, put them in a separate folder, and ideally reduce the size to 1680px on the larger side. So the photos will keep good quality, but will not slow down the loading of the site. Because if you put a highrez on the site and then open the site on your phone, it will be hard.

Write the text in text editor... So it will be convenient to edit it. Some points can be changed right on the page, but there should be a basis.

How to write text for a website. If you write the text yourself, use the following scheme:

Write a short text about yourself. It should be one phrase that summarizes what you specialize in. For example, Alina Lyalina is a children's photographer in Moscow.
Write a little more detailed text. Explain what your features are. Write simply - as if you were telling this to a friend over a cup of coffee - in the most understandable language.
Highlight three main points - why people order photos from you.
Describe the benefits. Tell us what your customers get when they contact you, give details.
Think about headlines. People are often lazy to read solid text, and headings are easy to read, so do not get carried away with beautiful metaphors, write the essence in the headings.
Take reviews. Ask your clients to say a few words about you. Works great.

When you have the content ready - the photos are selected and the text is written, you can proceed to the direct creation of the site.

Step 5 - Website Design

Sign up for https://tilda.cc/ , immediately after registration, Tilda will offer to choose a page template. There are templates especially for photographers on Tilda:

1) Commercial photographerhttps://tilda.cc/tpls/page/?q=samphotographer

2) Wedding photographer https://tilda.cc/tpls/page/?q=melissaweis

3) Photo studios https://tilda.cc/tpls/page/?q=ballancestudios

If these templates don't work, check out the others. A template is an example of good design and an example of the use of blocks. The choice of a template does not limit your creativity in any way - at any time you can change it beyond recognition and even start from scratch.

You work with images, so the first thing a visitor to your site should see is photography, which immediately shows your specialization (for example, weddings, food, exhibitions, photo studio interiors).

First screen

Specify contacts on the first screen: Email, phone, link to social networks, city where you work. It is convenient for the client. Be sure to include your first and last name in the header. Place your logo there. Optionally, you can put a large photo in half of the screen so that the client can see your face.

On the cover of a wedding photographer website, create a gallery where you can post a selection of photographs of your activity, as well as headlines for popular searches on the Internet, for example, a wedding photographer in Reykjavik

Navigation

Think about navigation - how a visitor will navigate a site, navigate through pages, or navigate within a single page. To organize, add a menu: a plate with links, which will be at the top of the site. It can be static or fixed when scrolling to always be in front of your eyes. Or it can fit into a laconic "hamburger". You can read more about menu design in the article "Site menu design and practical application"http://help-ru.tilda.ws/design-menu

Important: do not overload the menu, this is a functional part that should help you navigate. Use short words for paragraph names, do not exceed 5 paragraphs.

Tilda's block library has special category"Menu"

Portfolio

Selecting several blocks to show the portfolio. Add tabs if you want to present multiple directions of photography. By clicking on the names, we go from section to section. Each section is worth showing best photos for a specific area of activity.

For example, if you are photographing weddings, add a gallery with select photos that expand on click. Then you can add photo stories with information about where the wedding was and what date. You can include a section on the best weddings of the past year.

You should add a button under the photos, by clicking on which you can go to a separate page of the project and see more works.

Blog

If you have a blog post it on the page. Show the last three posts and add a button by clicking on which the user will follow the link to other posts.

Price list

The next block about the cost of shooting can be done in the form of a table or cards. Indicate popular services and their prices. Add a button "Order a photo session". By clicking on it, the client goes to the form for collecting data, which he will send to the photographer's mail.

If you sell photography studio services, tell us what premises and equipment you provide for rent, indicate the cost and tell us why you should choose your premises and equipment. By adding images of backgrounds, reflectors, diffusers, cameras, cycloras, water zones, etc., you greatly increase your chances of being noticed (and making money).

You graduated from photography school, full of knowledge, skills and energy to create, develop and become a successful commercial photographer, earning your favorite job. In this article, let's talk with you about the practical aspects good portfolio photographer as the main sales tool. Hooked on your portfolio potential client- he is almost yours, not hooked - will pass by. A photographer's portfolio is exactly the same, a student's record at the institute: first you work for him, then it is for you. Let's try to list a few features of a successful portfolio that works for you:

1) High-quality and interesting work

In the first minutes when a potential customer opens your page, he should like your work at first sight, hook! If it is technically bad and not interesting in content, your chances of losing a client from the very first seconds increase dramatically.

2) Variety

Many photographers sin by posting a huge number of photos from the same shooting. Often, the frames do not differ very much - a turn of the head, a smile / no smile, in a red blouse / in a floral dress, sitting / standing, but in fact they are the same frames. The same model, the same location, the same image - even if everything else is different in the photographs, they will still look the same ... Such monotony is terribly boring and works against you. Choose from each shooting 3-5 (this is the maximum!) Of the best photos, which you can place in your portfolio. Distribute them on your site not in succession, but scattered with other photos, so that everything looks diverse.

In social networks, in this case, you can upload more photos (in the form of a series) - in albums or simply on a wall with brief description about the shooting.

3) Originality

Come up with interesting ideas, costumed staged photo shoots, look for stunning models, catch unique emotions, shoot in interesting places, look for cool processing ... Originality and uniqueness are always valuable, it will always favorably distinguish you against the background of general banal and monotony! See the work of famous (or not famous, but good and those that you like) photographers, watch films, read books, taking all this as sources of inspiration and images for photo shoots.

At the same time, it is not necessary for good and interesting personnel to inflate the budget to the point of impossibility (more on this in). Even an ordinary child / family / wedding / portrait photo session can be filmed corny and boring and in general anyhow, just to "shoot", or you can approach any shooting creatively and with soul: pick up interesting ideas for posing, camera angles, composition and the idea of a frame in in general, prepare (or make sure that there is in the photo studio / rent) at least a little props, even simple ones, but which will help you to make your interesting, catchy and original photo.

4) Regularly review your portfolio

Every six months, revise your portfolio, delete those photos that, in your opinion, are no longer worthy of being there (including in social networks too). If you grow and develop professionally, then there will always be. Moreover, it is advisable to do such a review in 3 stages, because it may not work the first time: you will simply be sorry to delete so many frames. But there is no place for nostalgia, the best of the best should survive in the portfolio, which is usually achieved by the third viewing!

If after six months / a year you still like absolutely ALL of your "early" photos - this is a reason to think.

5) Only beautiful models

A good photographer must be able to photograph any model beautiful! Correctly chosen angle, light, image do their job, and you can present in the best light even a person who is not very beautiful in life (by generally accepted standards of beauty). Or vice versa, make from beautiful girl damn those in the photo.

In general, beauty is different, the taste and color, as they say, all markers are different. But in most cases, the human eye likes shots with beautiful people by generally accepted standards.
If there is a person in the photo with ugly facial features, clamped emotion and pose, but at the same time it is made technically excellent, with interesting idea and in a beautiful way - no one will analyze these components separately! The shot will just be unattractive because of the model! I see a lot of such shots, where, unfortunately, it is not a very successful model that spoils the work done by the whole team.

And vice versa, an emotional, not squeezed and cute model will "make" you a gorgeous shot out of nothing, even without complex images, clothes, locations! And even minor technical bugs will be forgiven by the viewer (and not even noticed by an inexperienced eye)!

Even if you have done your best on the photo as a photographer, and have displayed the model in the best possible light, it may still not be enough for the picture to be liked by others. Often the pattern is triggered that when we photograph and then process, we ourselves really like both the frame and the model. Therefore, show as many photos as possible to other people for the purpose of polling - like / dislike. It may turn out that a model that you already found pretty in the process of shooting and processing, others will find ugly and even repulsive.

If you want to shoot for yourself, for pleasure, be sure to leave this shot and do not follow the lead of society: this is your creativity and the main thing is that it brings you pleasure. But if you want to be a commercial photographer and attract a lot of clients, hide this shot and don't show up in your portfolio at all!

In general, the meaning is simple - a portfolio should attract and seduce with each of its frames!

6) Target audience

Try to choose your direction in photography, in which you will specialize, for example, children's photography, family, wedding, portrait, etc. Of course, no one forbids taking pictures of different things, but it is always better to determine for yourself the area (or several areas) that brings you the most pleasure and photos in which you do best, and improve and develop in it.

7) Copyright

There is a pattern: what better work the photographer, the more imperceptible is his copyright. And vice versa, for some reason every photographer who just bought a DSLR yesterday considers it necessary to insert his logo where necessary and not necessary, and necessarily so active that it seems that he is the main subject in the photo. Do not rush to put your copyright on the initial photos, remember these words, you will also be ashamed of it later.

Later, when you already think that the level of your work is sufficient for copyright, follow the rule: the logo should be visible only to those who are looking for it on purpose, and not to everyone in a row. Transparency levels in Photoshop to help!

8) Print your portfolio

While you are just starting out and you have few good shots, collect them in in electronic format on your photo site (group in the social network). As soon as you have at least 20-30 great shots from different shots - print your work! A printed photograph looks completely different from its digital counterpart. Print your work on A4 (A3) format or make a photobook of them (fortunately, there are plenty of resources for such printing now) and be sure to take your portfolio to a meeting with a client. Believe me, the client will have a much greater impression of what he has seen and "felt" the result of your work than from watching them on the Internet.

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