Why Building Your Own Portfolio Is Important
Whether you are a struggling photographer or an established one, it is your work that will help define you as an artist, as well as get you in touch with potential job opportunities and clients. For most job applications or interviews, a resume will usually suffice, however photographers are judged by their portfolio which allows clients to determine what kind of capabilities they have or if they are suited for a particular shoot they are hiring for. For example, if a magazine is looking to do a nature shoot, they will scrutinize portfolios that showcase work that specializes in such scenes and will possibly ignore everything else. A portfolio is a showcase of a photographer’s work, and is crucial to any future success. So to set aside the time to create a good portfolio, one that showcases work that is most representative of your skill when you are at your best.
Photographs can be presented in a variety of ways, although prints are the most common. Prints are ideally showcased in a portfolio case or binder, which come in many different styles and designs. It is important to invest in a high-quality portfolio case, as it contributes greatly to making a good first impression. It can be hard to follow the age-old advice of never judging a book by its over, especially when human nature will dictate that a portfolio will be taken much more seriously if it is presented professionally. A professional-looking leather portfolio will definitely net you more points than a cheap plastic binder from your local bookstore. Try to include variety in your portfolio photography although placing groups of photographs in their own subcategories, each with its own specific theme, is a good idea if there are upwards of 30 or more photos. In most cases though, 20 of your best photographs will work much better than 50 to a hundred.
Building a portfolio is more than just inserting all of your best work for the sake of filling it up. How you present your work is just as important as making sure that only your best work is included. Make sure to create a proper layout for your work and include the titles as captions. In some cases, pieces that are meant to be appreciated in a larger format will not fit in your portfolio, which is where you will need to explore alternatives like larger diameter poster tubes. Poster tubes that have a larger diameter (6 inches and up) can help prevent curling and minor damage, which is usually a problem on poster tubes with smaller diameters.

