andyshade

lF THIS IS YOUR FIRST ATTEMPT to put together a portfolio, congratulations!
You will not be burdened with a lot of preconceptions of what works and what does not work in a portfolio. If you have been in the photography business any length of time, this is probably the part where you ask, "Who changed the rules and how come no one called me?" For all photographers, your portfolio still provides the focus and direction for your photography business, but, because it is so personal, it is hard to be objective. Just because you are tired of looking at an image does not mean it will not do the job and stimulate the people that see it to give you work. For most photographers, portfolio presentations do not work because they are not "packaged" or planned. Many show a collection of images they have clone, and hope the eonsurner or commercial client will find something they want. This is not a multiple-choice test! You must show a portfolio that shouts out your marketing message so that any type of client can retain the visual information and remember when to hire you. As much as you may hate to be "pigeonholed" this way, there is simply too much visual information presented to most clients every day. They need your marketing message as the "hook" to hang you on and to find you when they need your type of work. So let's start by redefining the term "portfolio". A mixed assortment of images is not a portfolio. All the images you have are not a portfolio. Your image files make up a body of work. Whether you are a consurner or commercial photographer, out of this body of work come various portfolios that are customized your marketing message for viewing by a specific client. Each portfolio you pull out of the body of work must also target the level at which you want to work (not necessarily the level where you are now).

PLANNlNG FOR YOUR PORTFOLIO

There are two major areas to concentrate on when planning your portfolio presentations.
First, what you show in your portfolios (image selection ), and, second, how you show them (portfolio formats).
Before you do anything else, however, go to your planner or calendar and schedule the time to do this work. Overhauling your portfolios is not the kind of project you can just wait for the time to get around to it. You will be rushing around at the last minute every time you need a portfolio. That does not work! It should be treated like a real assignment and be given the proper budget, time, energy, and attention.

WHAT YOU SHOW

You have certainly heard that you get what you show in your portfolio. So, first you must look at the work you want to get. What kind of work do you want to do more of? Be specific as to the marketing message (style, subject, industry, use of the images) and to the type of client (consumer or commercial). Then you can select images and formats for your various portfolios consiciering both of these factors. Often, the work you want to do is not the kind of work you have been getting from word of mouth or referrals from friends. Paid jobs may not even show your finest work. Photographers do work with budget or creative restrictions that keep them from doing the images they would be most proud to show.
Basic rule is don't show this work! Never include a piece in your portfolio just because you got paid. It must reflect your best work and your passion for photography.
What if you don't have the images you want to show in your portfolios? What if you are making a transition and looking for different types of assignments or just starting out? What about the client that says, "But I want someone who has experience!" Your problem is the classic dilemma, "How do you get a job without experience when it takes experience to get the job?" The answer is self-assignments. People hire you as a creative professional because of what you can do, not necessarily what you have done. So your portfolio work at this step is to pull out images from your portfolio that don't meet your marketing message and your highest level of creativity and technical ability. Retire them back in to the body of work somewhere. Once that is done (be merciless), you can more clearly see where the holes are in your portfolios that need to be filled with self-assignments. For example, if you want to do more annual reports, you need to create self-assignments built around the problems and solutions you would find in an annual report assignment. If you want to do more fashion assignments, select a fashion product and procluce a portfolio of images to promote it. Self-assignment work is not always the same as personal work. Self-assignments must have a client in mind, with a problem solution scenario. Personal work is just that, created for you. To come up with your self-assignments, either work with a client that can supply ideas, or collect samples of the kind of work you want to do. Then create your self-assignments from this "ideas file." Be careful of copyright violations! When looking at someone else's work, think in terms of adapting the idea with your own visual solution, not adopting their solution. For further assistance, try checking with your local professional photography associations. Many of them sponsor annual "portfolio reviews," where you can get your photography portfolio critiqued and evaluated by reps or photography clients. Not being an official sales presentation, this review can be the most honest and open source of feedback you can find.

HOW YOU SHOW IT - COMMERCIAL PORTFOLlOS

Consider the target client. What format are they most familiar with? Don't format your portfolio and then decide on your target client. Target your client first, and then format your portfolio. This is not just about what you want to show; it is about what the client wants to see. The target client will influence both the format and the presentation. How many different portfolio formats will you need for your target markets? Depending on what you are selling and whom you are selling your photography services to, you could create as many as four different portfolio formats . Keep in mind that any of these forma ts can be presented as any type traditional print or transparency, or as a digitally produced format, such as a CD-ROM or Web site.

First, the "show" portfolio is your personal portfolio that goes with you to all your client presentations. Traditionally, this is the beautiful custom case you save to show in person. It does not get shipped out for clients to view. Many photographers have changed over to using their traveling portfolios instead, as they are making fewer in-person presentations.

Second, when you send a portfolio to an out-of-town client, you will need a "travel" portfolio. It is a duplicate of all the content in the "show" portfolio, but these "travel" portfolios are usually smaller and lighter for easy and less expensive shipping.

Third, sometimes a local client will ask that you "drop off" a portfolio, so they can easily evaluate whether they want to see you and the full "show" portfolio. This "drop-off book" is a partial portfolio designed to only give the client an idea of what you can do. It should take a small number of images (perhaps five or six) of images to help them make this decision, and the work should be bound in to some kind of book so that nothing gets lost.

Fourth, many clients need a "mini-portfolio" of more than one or two promo pieces or mailers to remember what you do as a photographer and why they should hire you. They use this "mini-portfolio" so that they can keep you on file or to present your work to other people when you are not around. You can use this portfolio format to procluce a distinctive combination of concept, design, copy, and photography, so that it becomes a unique piece for the client - or you can keep it simple. Most photographers start off with a simple presentation folder (with a logo on the cover) that holds a number of samples and printed promotional material and a business card that is easy for the client to keep on file. You can always get creative later!

WEDDING AND PORTRAIT PORTFOLlOS

Portfolios for consumer (wedding and portrait) clients are presented in the form most familiar to them - the album, but there is more to a successful consumer portfolio than your choice of album style. Many consumer photographers now combine traditional and digital portfolio presentations. The CD you make with special software for creating a portrait session album or wedding album is very popular with consumers and especially simple to ship to out-of-town clients for presentation or even for print sales. For weddings, as the albums are most often the finished product, you should show two different albums. One album shows different people, locations, and poses, and a second album shows an entire wedding from start to finish. You will also need to show prints, another important consumer photography sale item. Use the PPA standard competition format, r6 x 20 prints mounted on triple-weight art board. They have a great impact and are small enough to carry in a nice case for presentations at the client's home or office.

STEPS TO SHOWING YOUR PORTFOLIO

No matter how great you are as a photographer, at some point you have to talk to people. To get portfolio appointments, close a sale, follow up - all are verbal contacts with your clients you might not feel comfortable doing. You may have the greatest portfolio, promo piece, or direct-mail campaign, but you still have to talk with clients. Talking to clients should be done with some preparation, because you want to make the best use of your time and their time, get more information about what the clients want, and have the best chance to get the work. The best preparation for any kind of portfolio - related phone call or client meeting is called "scripting." This is simply a process of writing down the expected interaction between you and your client. You need to do a careful , thorough preparation, just as you would prepare before going out on any photo shoot. Preparing scripts to get portfolio appointments and do follow-up are the most useful portfolio tools you can develop. Start by writing down the anticipated conversation, as you would like it to go. Be sure to plan for all variations. In other words, no matter what the client's response, you have anticipated your reply. Not only will this technique help you get more out of every call, but you will approach the entire chore of portfolio presentations with more motivation and inspiration. You may even get to like it!

STEPS FOR WRITING SCRIPTS

STEP #1. Open with a brief and specific introduction of your services.
First, you get people's attention; then you tell them what you want. For example, "Hello, I am a food photographer and my name is ________ . We are interested in the Daily Diner Restaurants account and would like to show our food portfolio to you this week- when would be a good time to co me by?"
The first key phrase is "food photographer" and that allows the client to more accurately picture their need for your work than if you had just said, "I am a photographer." The second key phrase is "when would be a good time," because it gives the client more options in terms of having a conversation than if you had asked the closed question, "May I come and show my portfolio?" (See step 4 below). The easy answer to the closed question is "No", and the client will not take the time to seriously consider your request and their specific photography needs if you ask a closed question.

STEP #2. Find out from your research what the client does or needs , and then decide what portfolio you will talk about. Talk food photography to food clients, portrait photography to portrait clients, corporate photography to corporate clients. What you do as a photographer depends on whom you are talking to. Clients can and will only care about what they need. Anything else is just entertaining them, and that may be fun but not a good use of your time.

STEP #3. Come up with something interesting. After all, you are most likely trying to replace another photographer that the client is already working with and feels secure with. Why should they switch? For example, "When would you like to see our digital background samples?" or "Our style of photography has helped our clients sell more of their products" or "We offer consultations for those clients making the switch to digital capture; when would you like to schedule your consultation?"

STEP #4. Always use open-ended questions that begin with "how", "who", "what", "when", "where" and "why" instead of closed questions that begin with "can", "could", "would", and "do". This will encourage your information gathering, save time, and reduce the rejection that comes with the "NO" you get when you ask a closed question. For example, when you are showing your portfolio, you could ask the following open questions to get information, confirm the information, and verify agreements you have reached:

• "How often do you use different photographers?"
• 'What other photography needs do you have at this time?"
• 'When will you be looking at portfolios for your upcoming needs?"
• 'Who else in the office buys this type of photography?"

STEP #5. Anticipate objections and questions about your services and have very specific information you want to acquire. Please, never hang up the phone without achieving some specific objective. Your objective to build and present your portfolio is to get either an appointment or a piece of information. Successfully accomplishing your objective keeps you motivated to do this day after day. For example, when you want more information from the client, you can ask:

• 'When would be a good time to check back on that job?"
• "How do you feel about a follow-up call in three weeks?"
• 'What will you be looking for in the bids on that job ?"
• 'Who will have final approval on the photography?"

STEP #6. The most important step and the entire reason you have built a portfolio and contacted this clien t. It is called the follow-up. The objective of follow-up is to find out what happens next. This step needs a good, strong script for you to get the information; you need to be in charge. Choose any of the below sample follow-up questions when you conclude the portfolio presentation or any contact with your clients. You want to always be the one in charge of the follow-up; it is not the client's job.

• 'When should we get together again?"
• 'What work would you like to see more of?"
• 'When should I call you back about that project?"
• "How about a call next month?"
• "How do you want to keep in touch?"
• 'When should I send more information on our services?"

IN CONCLUSION
Finally, portfolio scripts do not have to be elaborate, but they do have to be planned ahead and written down with all possible responses (yours and the client's) indicated. It is simply a matter of thinking through what you want to communicate and what you want to learn from the client so you can make the next move. With scripts, you will find your communications and portfolio presentations not only easier, but also more effective. Don't expect these new techniques to feel comfortable at first. Anything not practiced regularly is quite uncomfortable. You will feel like you are being blunt and too aggressive. The truth is that you are not. What you are actually doing is "pulling" out the information you need to present your portfolio and create the follow-up instead of "pushing" yourself on a client who does not need you.