Re: filmscanners: OT - portfolio

[RogerMillerPhoto@aol.com]

My comments that follow are oriented towards commercial photography.  You'll 
probably find that sleeved portfolio cases are more common in 8x10 format 
rather than 8x12.  If you use 8x10, then you'll either have to crop or else do 
a custom elargment and print a black band at two edges of the photo so your 35 
mm film will fit the 8x10 format.  Don't use a portfolio case to carry mounted 
and matted photos.  It's too heavy to carry around or mail to a client.  But 
you might want to mount and matt some for display in your home or studio.

11x14 is probably too big an enlargement from 35 mm film.  Portfolio quality 
must be technically perfect.  It’s also too big for the desk of the 
average art director, photo editor, etc.  8x10 (8x12 if you can find that size 
of portfolio book) is probably a good choice.  A lot of model portfolios are 
9x12 (expensive custom printing)as many people think that's a good aspect ratio 
for full length figure shots.  Glossy paper is probably best.  For one or more 
of your 6x7 negs/trannies, consider a custom 10x16 that you cut down the middle 
to make two 8x10s for a double spread.

Target your audience.  If you are trying to get work as a fashion photographer, 
you would not want to show landscapes.  You might want to put together several 
different portfolios, each targeted towards a specific field or audiance.  My 
personal feeling is that a portfolio of "My Best Photos" might look like a 
hodgepod of photos unless there's something else that ties them all together.  
If you have a lot of different types of photos, at least group similar ones 
together and maybe separate them with a divider so that the viewer clearly sees 
that he is shifting gears as he leafs through your book.  I wouldn't have more 
than abut 4 categories (stage, landscape, etc.) and maybe about 6 photos in 
each category.  

You might want a small 4x5 protfolio that you could carry with you for that 
surprise encounter with a potential client that you weren’t expecting to 
meet. 

Make sure all photos are top notch.  Quality is far more important than 
quantity.

Some black and white should be included as well as color

No two photos should be similar to one another, each should be very different 
than all of the others.  You might have two similar photos that you really 
like, but you can only use one of them in your portfolio.  The targeted AD, 
photo ed., or viewer wants to see one theme, but they want a variety of photos 
within that theme.  Reject duplicates.

Have at least a dozen photos if possible; two dozen might be too many for a 
busy person to look at.

Because portfolios often require custom printing, you might consider doing it 
all yourself with Photoshop and your own printer, or a printer at a service 
bureau.  That would allow you to show more creativity as well and allow you to 
format, crop, and size the image to best advantage.



In a message dated Thu, 8 Nov 2001 11:41:19 AM Eastern Standard Time, "Tomasz 
Zakrzewski" <tomzakrz@ka.onet.pl> writes:

> Sorry, I don't want to introduce a lenghty off-topic thread but maybe you
> could post some of your opinions (off-list?)
> I want to create portfolios of my best work. Pictures of different motives
> but having one thing in common - best of my work.
> I'm in arrears with my enlargements. For several years I've been only making
> standard 4x6" prints, sometimes twice that size. But now I want to enlarge
> the most favorable pictures, both my family pictures and my commercial work.
> But enlarge to what size? And what paper structure to choose for family
> pictures/portraits, stage photography and landscape? What are your
> preferences?
> For me this is a difficult decision because I want the prints to be
> transportable (that's what portfolio is for) and small enough to view them
> at reading distance,but large enough to show the quality of them and to make
> them stand out from standard prints. And I'm talking traditional prints, not
> printouts.
> I shoot mostly 35mm and about 10% 6x7cm.
> The purpose of making the portfolios is to have the best hardcopy available
> of my pictures, to be able to show them to my family/clients and to have fun
> from fine enlargements ;-)
> Especially the commercial work will be presented in separate passepartouts
> and sets of them will be archived in special portfolio boxes.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Tomasz Zakrzewski
> www.zakrzewski.art.pl