Tag Archives: freelance

BUILDING A BETTER PORTFOLIO Step Three: Crafting Images that Sell You

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As a photographer, your ultimate goal is to sell your images. But before you can do that, your images have to sell you. They are the face your business presents to the world, the emblems of your brand, which need to convince potential clients that you have the skills and vision they seek. With so much at stake, what sort of images should you choose to represent you?

I have many friends with a genuine passion for photography as art, and I believe it is always okay to have your best art photos on your Web site. They will exemplify your creativity and individuality. However, you must always bear in mind the real audience for your site, which are prospective clients. They want to see images that show how you can handle the jobs they need done.

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BUILDING A BETTER PORTFOLIO Step Two: “Spec” Shoots and Trade Shoots

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Virtually all aspiring pros face a sort of Catch-22 early in their careers: To gain professional credits, you need to get hired, but you can’t get hired without professional credits. Clients naturally prefer photographers who have already proven themselves in a competitive market, so they tend to favor established veterans over newcomers no matter how promising the latter may be. How can novice photographers acquire a portfolio of images that will impress prospective clients enough to earn their big break?
Triumph Motorcycle Campaign

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BUILDING A BETTER PORTFOLIO Step One: Establishing an Online Presence

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If you want to land well-paid, high-profile gigs in the world of professional photography, your portfolio is as crucial a tool as your camera. Any weekend warriors out there who decide to take the plunge and turn pro should craft a stellar set of sample images even before they print their business cards. No portfolio, no business—it’s that simple.

In the era of the Internet, the first opportunity most prospective clients will have to see your work is online, so a polished Web portfolio is a must. A number of free Web-hosting sites offer budget-minded beginners an inexpensive means to establish an online presence; Viewbook, Zenfolio, and Squarespace are among those I would recommend. Once you’ve selected a host, you need to choose a name for your Web site that will establish your brand identity. Do you want to brand your own name, or would you prefer to christen your business with a made-up name? This is a defining decision in your career, so choose carefully. Branding is so important to a photographer’s success that I plan to devote an entire column to it in a future post.

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