Building a Portfolio

[Namie]

I had pretty much decided that I was afraid to go professional because I was afraid that if I did go pro, and had to rely upon it as a business, that it would take part of the joy out of photography. That's still a concern for me.

That having been said, I am considering building a portfolio. I'm primarily thinking about shooting senior portraits. My son's a junior this year, so I know several high school seniors well enough that I feel comfortable talking with their parents, getting a model release and doing some pictures for my portfolio.

Do you have any recommendations for putting together a portfolio? How many different models should I use? Should I get them printed at MPIX? When building your serious portfolio, did you charge the model? I feel that they're doing me a favor, so I wasn't planning on charging the ones that I ask (but it'll be different if things take off and people ask me to do their pictures).

Any & all advice greatly appreciated.

[brad]

Wow .. big questions.. you could have a workshop about all that. (tongue in cheek, sorry)

The short answers:

Yes, you should have multiple people.

Having lots of pictures of the same 3 people will peg you as someone who hasn't been doing it for very long/doesn't know what they are doing yet.

Printing them at MPIX is fine.. for seniors, stick with 8x10s for a book portfolio, but if you have a studio.. print 'em big and hang 'em. Print 'em big, Sell 'em big as Fran says.

Charging the model for your portfolio: not usual... but I have been known to give a senior a discount for signing the model release that lets me use it for all my promotion. Much of my initial portfolios was put together on a TFP basis.

I could probably type the rest of the night on this topic... and I'd still leave stuff out. I'm sure others will chime in, too.

Check out the Brownwood workshop we're having later this month in the Workshops and Classes section.. we'll be talking about most of these topics.

[Namie]

Brad,
Thanks for the reply. I haven't found the Brownwood workshop listed in the workshops. I'd like to check it out and make it if possible. Can you give me some more information on it?

Thanks!

[HeatherLou]

Namie, here is the thread for the workshop http://www.texasphotoforum.com/forum...ad.php?t=48002 Hope to see you there! Its gonna be great fun!

[brad]

Thanks, H! I was too lazy to look it up. (actually, I think I was about to run out the door when I made that reply)

[Namie]

That's my anniversary weekend, so not sure I'll be able to make it. Let me see what I can do.....

Thanks for the information!

[HeatherLou]

Its Brad and his wife's Anniversary too! Make it a trip for the two of you. One of our other girls is bringing her husband too. He is going to the Dr. Pepper factory, yours could prolly tag along too!