Portfolios

[snag2000]

In my festive idleness I've been toying with the idea of putting a portfolio together. Not sure whether it would be printed or online, and I don't have a particular purpose for doing so (ie, not planning to try and sell pictures on the back of it), just for my own satisfaction really.

I was wondering whether anyone else has gone down this route and what you did. I quite like the idea of a printed one, but it would probably sit in a drawer alongside all my other prints and seldom get looked at. So an online one would be better from that respect - I'd probably just do a Wordpress site.

Interested to hear other people's experiences and thoughts on the subject.

Mike

[MJ224]

Personally, my Flickr page is all I want. More of a long term record of y "best" photos....

[Graham_of_Rainham]

I too use Flickr ( https://flic.kr/p/2mLpGp7 ). Also PurplePort for when I work with people ( https://purpleport.com/portfolio/grahamofrainham/ )

[shenstone]

I get a few printed now and again because ots nice to see how they look as large prints.

I use the DSCL service https://dscolourlabs.co.uk/order/sli...?service=print and the service is indeed excellent. I normally order prints as 12x16 which is a perfect size for ounting into a 40x50cm frame with a mount board surround if I want to

As far as online I have my own website through wich i have been contacted to make a couple of sales, but thats not what its for it's mostly just to share

regards
Andy

[snag2000]

I probably won't use Flickr - if I do an online thing, it will probably be my own website. It would just be something very simply though. Would be interested to see your website Andy.

I get stuff printed through DSCL too - I normally get them printed 12x8 on 15x10. If I like them enough, then I'll get them done bigger.

[wanderer]

I've tried to put a portfolio together a couple of times, inckuding printing off a few at A4. The printing soon adds up in cost as ink is expensive (equivalent to £200+ for a bottle of whisky!). I also found that selecting pictures tended to go back only about a year in my memory. If I started trawling through my (much further) back catalogue, there were many I would want to add. Then, do you categorise them? It becomes very daunting and perhaps another person might be more ruthless, but probably very quickly bored.
I am systematically going through my back catalogue and weeding out duplicates and duffers. I'm also applying my better skills in post processing and a fair number that might have been dumped are now salvageable.
Its certainly worthwhile to find out where you were and now are technically and aesthetically.

[snag2000]

That's why I'm shying away from the print one in favour of an online version - then I can have separate pages for a subject, with the relevant images there.

Of course the other question, if printing, is how many photos should be in a portfolio? I worry that the more I try and select my best shots, the more I'll feel none of them quite make the grade. I still think it will be useful though, to give an idea of the things I'm best at and favour.

Graham, I had a look at your Flickr - there's some great stuff there, and a wide spread of subjects. Makes me think my own would be somewhat lacklustre.

Mike

[wanderer]

Off the top of my head. With a portfolio you want to impress another person, you don't want to bore them.
I would suggest about a dozen and an absolute max of 20. As broad a range of subjects and techniques as you can manage. It would be worth revisiting and updating every six months to keep it and you sharp.

[pdk42]

If you subscribe to Adobe CC you get a “Portfolio” site included. If you click on my signature you’ll see what I’ve done. But the Adobe authoring tools are very clunky and it’s slow to update so it’s now a long way behind what I put on Flickr. For the moment I just use Flickr. It works well enough, but there’s little to support categories etc.