Building a portfolio

What is a portfolio?
1. A large, thin, flat case for loose sheets of paper such as drawings or maps.
2. A set of pieces of creative work collected by someone to display their skills, esp. to a potential employer.
A portfolio doesn't have to be your favourite work - it can be based on a series/theme/medium etc.

What is it for?
Before producing a portfolio, you have to think about its purpose, and how you can adapt it to fit in with where/why you're showing it. For example, a job interview would require a different portfolio to a gallery view.

Your Audience
You also have to consider the audience, and what reaction you want from your photographs. Some photographs may have more impact than others and this should be taken into account when doing the edit.

Paper vs Digital
The format your portfolio is in is one of the most important things to consider. Both paper and digital have their advantages and disadvantages. Being able to email your portfolio to clients is always a plus - as things are quick, and it gives them more time to look at it, whereas a paper portfolio presents more quality, and more physical aesthetic effort.

Style and Design
There are several kinds of folders and portfolio cases around, and I think it's just a matter of trying to find the one that you like the best, and that fits your style. You have to consider things such as size and paper quality, but moreso than that, make sure you add a personal touch to make it stand out from all the others. It needs to be memorable.

Theme
The theme, much like the format and style, would depend on your audience. Portraits, landscapes, shots taken with a specific camera, tasks, locations, black and white work etc. It's not best to mix these up, as the portfolio won't be as cohesive. Also make sure there is a consistant colour balance and quality throughout.

The Edit
The edit is usually the most difficult part, as you become attached to certain pictures. A way around this is to get someone else to help, as getting another opinion is always good - it would be impartial advice. It's good to get it down to (about) 20 or 30 shots, but less is more. Don't put filler photographs in so there's more stuff, just because you think it looks better.

Presentation
Consider how you could enhance your images through presentation. Think about if you want borders or not, the colour of the backing paper - general layout related things. You also have to consider what order the prints are gonna go in - this could be chronologically, or by something like subject matter.

Contents
A portfolio doesn't just have to contain pictures. Other things it may contain include:

• An artistic statement.
• A list of the shots you've included.
• Titles of the work or descriptions.
• Dates or locations.
• A thumbnail sheet or contact sheet of all the photos contained.

Contextual information can sometimes be necessary, but keep it brief. The main focus still needs to be on the images.

Other points

To make setting up a portfolio easier it's important to be organised - files on the computer, contact sheets, negs, prints etc. Getting an experts opinion is also a good idea - I think we have the opportunity to get portfolio reviews from visiting practitioners at uni. You can also think about making your own book, as this is ultimate in unique, and there are several publishing companies out there. Once again, it's all about having a look around.