#27 – How to create a photography portfolio for a client

The importance of a portfolio

One of the most underrated parts of our creative lives is putting together or updating our portfolio. It can feel boring, takes some thinking and usually ends up at the bottom of our priority list. Then one day a client  reaches out  and we scramble to pull one together. Am I right?

Portfolios are critical if we are looking to work with brands.  

I’m going to walk you through what to include, how much is optimum and how to construct a custom portfolio. 

It is essential that as tempted as we are to share all our life’s work, we restrain ourselves. Clients are not interested in everything we do. They want to be able to visualize our style with their product and that is what we need to put across through our portfolio. 

When do you need to create a custom portfolio?

You should create a custom portfolio when 

1. you’re pitching to a client
2. you have received an enquiry from a client and they would like to see samples of your work

It’s great to have a website where you can constantly update the work you create, showcasing a good mix to help visitors get a sense of your work. But, when you’re speaking to a client, emailing them or reaching out to a specific brand, a portfolio on your website isn’t enough. They don’t have the time to scroll through your entire body of work. 

And so, we need to make it easy for them. 

Building a custom portfolio

Step 1 : Study the brand 

By creating a custom portfolio for a client we are communicating to them that we understand their branding, style and product. We demonstrate that we understand exactly what they need and we can create it for them. 

For this, thoroughly study the brand’s website or branding booklet or the art direction. Observe the colors, light and styling. If you’re pitching to a brand, study their existing photos to get a sense of their style. 

Step 2: Find relevant images from your work 

Once you’ve studied the brand or the branding booklet go back to your own photo gallery. Now, pick out 10-15 photos that most closely relate to the brand. 

For example, if the client is a chocolate brand, you would not only want to include chocolate photos from your gallery but also brownies or cake images where chocolate is used. You also want to try and see if those chocolate photos emulate the brand’s style of photography. 

Maybe you see in their existing photos that they use harsh light. The best pick therefore would be chocolate shot in harsh light – an exact match. But if you don’t have the exact match, and you don’t have the time to create either, then you choose chocolate photos plus any samples of harsh light photography. That way you might not have the exact match but you’ll at least be able to demonstrate that you’ve shot that ingredient and you know how to tackle their style of light as well.

Similarly, study the colours and mood too. Some brands like dark and moody photos, some have an abstract play of colour with backdrops, some use lots of florals – study and then find the best and closest match to their style of photography. 

For new and upcoming brands that  don’t have any existing photos for reference, study their product. Choose photos that include and show the different ways you have shot that product. 

Step 3: Combination of professional and personal projects

One of the most frequently asked questions is whether to include personal projects in a portfolio or not. 

The simple answer is yes, especially if you feel it is your strongest work, that it’s relevant to the brand and will strengthen your case. By demonstrating your commercial and personal work you’ll add good flavour and variety to the portfolio. 

But if you think your personal photos aren’t that strong, feel free to skip . It’s more important for the brand to know that you have worked with others in a similar industry, with a good understanding of working with the product for commercial purposes.

However, if all you have is personal work for that product, then that’s what you include. 

Step 4 – Add a cover page 

Include a cover page with your company name and social media handles so that your name is fresh in their mind as they start scrolling through your portfolio. 

First impressions matter and there’s no reason why a cover page or the first page should not be an introduction to your creative style. Use it to showcase a full page photo with text overlay. Include your logo, name, business company name and social handles.

Choose a simple clean font, use different sizes for the name and social media handles and place the text in a way so it looks like a well-composed page. Rather than placing the text in the middle, or on top of the photo, place it where it makes sense aesthetically and also allows the cover photo to make a powerful impression. 

Step 5 –  Add details of the photo 

For each photo add some subtle text which gives the client a little insight into what makes it special, for example, artificial light photography or natural light photography. Perhaps it could be the styling or if it’s commercial photography, mention the client name. 

You can add your logo in a subtle manner on each page too if that works with the aesthetics and does not distract from the photo.  

Step 6: organization and sharing 

Once you’ve figured out which photos to include, the details you need to add, you come to the organisation and sharing part. 

Organise your 10-15 photos like a movie. Think of how you want the client to feel as they scroll through the images. Create a strong start and strong finish. In the middle you modulate. Alternate between strong and medium so that the interest to scroll through the end stays.

Share your portfolio via a landing page, a link to a gallery, a website link or attach a PDF. 

Make sure the images are optimized for web use which means they’re not too big in size. The other aspect to be careful about is colour rendering. Sometimes colors either become too high contrast or saturated when using external applications, so make sure the photos look accurate once they’ve been compiled. 

Summary

By sharing relevant work, being targeted in your approach, you will immediately strike a chord and increase your chances of working with a client. Be selective and intentional.  Give a powerful snapshot of your skill level, talent, creativity and experience. It will give them confidence that you can handle their product and  understand their brand language.

I hope this gives you the tools  to create a tailored portfolio for your next pitch or client enquiry. 

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