Your portfolio is your most important marketing tool. Before clients meet you, review contracts, or discuss pricing, they judge your work through your portfolio. A compelling portfolio attracts enquiries. A weak portfolio loses them before conversations begin.
This guide teaches portfolio creation and curation that converts viewers into paying clients.
Portfolio Platforms
Squarespace offers beautiful templates designed for creative professionals. Drag-and-drop editing requires no coding. Monthly subscription pricing includes hosting.
Wix provides similar capabilities with a free tier including Wix branding. Paid plans remove branding and add features.
Format specialises in photography portfolios with photographer-focused features. Client galleries integrate with portfolio presentation.
WordPress offers unlimited customisation but requires more technical comfort. Self-hosted WordPress provides maximum control for technically inclined photographers.
Consider your domain name carefully. Your name works for personal brands. Business names suit studio contexts. Either way, own your domain rather than using platform subdomains.
Curation: Quality Over Quantity
Include only your best work. Twenty excellent images impress more than one hundred mediocre ones. Each weak image undermines strong surrounding work.
Portfolio size depends on genre. Thirty images might suffice for specialists. Fifty to seventy-five suits photographers showing multiple specialisations.
Edit ruthlessly. If you’re uncertain whether an image belongs, it probably doesn’t. Remove anything you wouldn’t want clients to hire you to recreate.
Niche-Specific Galleries
Organise portfolios by genre or subject. Wedding clients want to see weddings. Corporate clients want headshots and event coverage. Mixed galleries confuse and dilute focus.
Show only work you want to be hired for. Excellent landscape photography might demonstrate skill but won’t attract portrait clients. Include only relevant work for your target market.
Creating Work Without Clients
Model Collaborations
Aspiring models need portfolio images. Trade arrangements provide content for both parties. Facebook groups, Model Mayhem, and Instagram connect photographers with interested models.
Styled Shoots
Collaborative styled shoots bring together multiple creatives. Wedding photographers organise faux weddings. Food photographers create restaurant scenes. Everyone receives portfolio content.
Personal Projects
Photograph subjects matching your target work, regardless of payment. A wedding photographer can photograph friends’ engagements. A product photographer can shoot interesting objects beautifully.
Website Essentials
About pages humanise your brand. Clients hire people, not just skills. Share your story, approach, and personality appropriately.
Contact information must be obvious and functional. Every page should include clear paths to enquiry.
Testimonials provide social proof. Request reviews from every satisfied client. Display prominently near calls to action.
Develop professional skills and build your portfolio through the Certificate in Photography.
Explore courses at Australian Photography School.
