Hey, how’s it going? I’m Andy Jones, and this is episode 84 of the Photography Side Hustle podcast.
If I sound a little short of breath it’s because I just spent 2 hours covering the chicken run with a tarp. That’s T-A-R-P, apparently, I pronounce it differently to born-and-bred North Americans. I needed a 20ft X 16ft tarp, but it was cheaper to buy a 20ft X 30ft one. So that’s what I bought.
It is up now but I did have a nasty 3 or 4 seconds. I was laying it out on the ground and at one point I had hold of all four corners. The wind gusted and the tarp acted like a parachute. So if there are any listeners that live locally, it was me that was screaming like a little girl as I headed off across the farmer's field. Anna was inside the coop laughing, and when she calmed down she said I did the same thing last time we put a tarp up. At least I’m consistent.
Ok, this week’s episode is …
Do you really need a portfolio?
The answer is a great big YES, you do need a portfolio.
Now you might be right at the beginning of your photography journey and haven’t got one set up yet. That is not a problem, I’ll take you through how to build a good portfolio that gets you bookings.
If you use Instagram to show off your work, you are one of the millions that do. Instagram was originally built for photographers to show off their work. It sort of worked at the beginning, although the size of the images was too small to really see the image properly. Now that Instagram is changing over to videos, it really doesn’t offer a photographer very much.
If I see some great images on Instagram and Facebook, I always go to the photographer's header/bio to find their website. So many excellent photographers don’t have a link to a website.
Yes, I know that Facebook allows you to see larger images, but the presentation is awful.
You need a more professional way to show potential customers your best images. There is only one option …
Remember, you are trying to build a business. Getting lots of Likes on social media won’t pay off a credit card.
I heard a guy on Youtube say that if you don’t have a website put your portfolio together as a PDF file. When you get inquiries you can send them the PDF. Please don’t do that, you are just setting yourself up for failure.
A clean modern website with a portfolio page showing your best work will get you bookings.
Whatever you do, don’t use a free website that has a banner at the top saying “Get your free website today”. It looks crappy and tells visitors that you can’t afford a professional website.
I’m going to mention two companies that you could use. The first one is Squarespace.com, which is probably the most well-known. The sites are really easy to set up, and the plans start at $16 a month. If you want to sell through your website the price goes up.
The second company, and probably your best option is Pixieset.com which specializes in photography websites. They have lots of options, for client galleries, websites, and studio manager. Or you can get the all-in-one suite option. This option gives you everything you need to run your business, it looks very professional.
If you know how to build your own website you can save yourself a little money. Just don’t take too long.
Once you have a website showing your portfolio, you are offering something that customers need, and that is trust. When potential customers look at a professional website and can browse through your portfolio, they see that you are committed to making your business successful. When they are happy with your quality they will book you because they trust you.
Ok, so what type of images should you have in your portfolio? Well …
If you know what you want to shoot and get paid for, then that is what you put in the portfolio.
So many photographers post images that have nothing to do with the type of photography they are trying to sell. Yes, they are beautiful images, but if someone is looking for a family portrait photographer they don’t want to look at shots from a recent air show. They are just confusing the customer.
If you shoot say weddings and family portraits, keep them separate. Use a different portfolio page for each one. Again, keep it simple for the customer. Some photographers have a different website for each type of photography they offer. I don’t think you need to go that far, just keep them separate.
If you are just starting out and don’t have lots of images to choose from your aim is to get some.
If you want to shoot portraits, offer to shoot some for free. Just remember to get a model release form signed so you can legally use the images on your website. After the first couple of portraits offer the next ones for a small amount of money.
As soon as you have a photo worthy of putting in a portfolio post it. You might only have 5 or 6 images in your portfolio, so what. Tell them the truth, “I’m just starting out shooting portraits”.
If you want to shoot real estate, offer a realtor a free shoot. Ask friends and family if you can take photos of their homes. Offer free shoots to Airbnb owners that have poor images on the Airbnb website.
For wedding photographers, the best way to build a portfolio is to be a 2nd shooter at a wedding. You’ll build your portfolio and get an education at the same time. Maybe the photographer you’re working with will mentor you, and help you build your portfolio.
You should always use your best images, and try not to use images that are too similar. This is your business and you are presenting your best work. I’ve heard of photographers that have a mentor, and that is a great way to get help.
As I said you just need to present your best work. In six months I guarantee you will have lots of images to choose from, and after a year your first images won’t be in your portfolio. The longer you shoot the better you get.
So get a website set up and put a portfolio together, you won’t regret it.
Ok, I think that’s it for this episode, I’ll be back next week with more waffle.
Talk to you soon, bye.