Hi gang, and happy Monday to ya!
Last week I did a post about how to avoid a common mistake that could make your portfolio weaker. Master concert photographer and bestselling author Alan Hess wrote a great comment about that post, adding another thing to watch out for, and I felt it deserved a wider audience. Alan wrote:
“There are two things I see all the time that takes a good portfolio and makes it weaker. The first is exactly what you have in this post. the same seven [shots of a model] or in my case the same band or musician.
The second is to [include] good (not great) shots because you like the subject matter, or you think there is some type of name recognition. I am in the middle of revamping my portfolio and it is tough. Is the shot of the unknown guitar player from an opening band a better choice than the famous guy? What about acts I have shot multiple times? I have great Bieber shots from the last 3 tours.. (I know it sounds weird to say great Bieber shots…) So difficult to stick to the rules when there is an emotional attachment to all the photos.”
So true, and thanks for sharing that Alan — some really great advice there. :)
More on Building Your Portfolio
If you’re into this type of stuff, we just released a class last week from Stella Kramer — she’s a New York City based photo editor and one of the most sought-after portfolio consultants in our industry (I hired her myself to help me with my portfolio), and her first class with us is on Editing and the Sequencing (order) of the images in your portfolio. I can tell you this — it is already one of our most highly-acclaimed classes — Stella is simply amazing and shares a perspective and insight you don’t often hear.
Hope you found that helpful, and here’s wishing you a week full of discovery, great images, and fun. :)
Best,
-Scott
