What is a Portfolio???

[eikin]

do you think HS give credit to who produce 'his' work???? This is done by Sion .... :bsmilie:

that's different, Sion was commissioned to do the job :bsmilie:

 

[Bobman]

Actually I like this.

To me, my fortfolio represents me, my works.

To me, my portfolio tells the viewer what I am capable of achieving. Whether I create the images with a team or solo is another matter.

But if I attended a shoot where everything was conceived, planned, designed, and all I did was to press the shutter, then I personally would not put that image on my portfolio, because clearly I could not make similar images again. Whether it is for commercial purposes or not is irrelevant.

However, if I organised the shoot, called in a creative/artistic director, a fashion consultant, a hairstylist, a make up artist, a lighting expert, whatever, and make arrangements to have the shoot in the Singapore Parliament, then although the final image is the result of many hands, I would honestly put that image in my portfolio, because I made it happened. It showed that I have the ability to organise a coherent team to achieve that image.

My work.

to some, click the shutter is my work.... check email russian gymnast on the way

 

[jdredd]

i dont agree.sure the models can look good etc, but theres still a lot to do with the photographer. just look at any of the pictures posted from photo shoots here. you can see a very big difference between those taken by good photographers. and then you have the subject of how they are post processed... which can lead to vastly different interpretations.

 

[hazmee]

Wah so many opinions! Hehe. Anyway, Bobman, do you mind showing me some of your 'portfolio'? Come on... dont be shy. I wont bite. Sharing is caring they say.

 

[Bobman]

Wah so many opinions! Hehe. Anyway, Bobman, do you mind showing me some of your 'portfolio'? Come on... dont be shy. I wont bite. Sharing is caring they say.

I would love to .... As I said before, it will be my portfolio when I shoot, process and print all by myself. At this moment no portfolio but causual shoot yes. Maybe tomolo

Ouch! Not so hard ..... ;p

 

[simon80]

Let say u and i attended some pro photographers workshop. Then we are able to take a few shots then happily come back and post in clubsnap proudly says: this is my work...... can do?

Like that with these photos, i can have many model wannabes willing to do TFCD for me. can? If so, I will lookout on pro photographers conducting workshops, its a small price to pay for great photos making it my very own. :bsmilie:

I wont say that it is my work, but i will say that is wat I shoot during a workshop.
And I wont put this into my portfolio.

To me pics gg into my portfolio is probably a shoot I plan , discuss with over a team and then execute it.

 

[hongsien]

I came across a model asked me how come 2 photographers showed me their photos and they are the same one only different poses....

How can the picture be the same if the poses are different?....he he he

HS

 

[hongsien]

However, if I organised the shoot, called in a creative/artistic director, a fashion consultant, a hairstylist, a make up artist, a lighting expert, whatever, and make arrangements to have the shoot in the Singapore Parliament, then although the final image is the result of many hands, I would honestly put that image in my portfolio, because I made it happened. It showed that I have the ability to organise a coherent team to achieve that image.

My work.

Yes, it is your work, BUT also the work of the others in the team, they would also be using the same pictures in their own portfolio..........no matter who pressed the shutter?

BTW: In most cases it is the art director who get all those people together, including a photographer....the image is already conceived by the art director........so who 'makes' the concept of the image? Unless you are such a good photographer that you get a lot of freedom to visualize the image as well.....

HS

 

[Clown]

portfolio is a marketing tool to show people what u've done/achieved and hopefully they'll be impressed by it and give u better paying jobs.

 

[student]

Yes, it is your work, BUT also the work of the others in the team, they would also be using the same pictures in their own portfolio..........no matter who pressed the shutter?

BTW: In most cases it is the art director who get all those people together, including a photographer....the image is already conceived by the art director........so who 'makes' the concept of the image? Unless you are such a good photographer that you get a lot of freedom to visualize the image as well.....

HS

In the case scenario I described, I am showing my abilities not only as a photographer, but as an organiser who is capable of putting things together. Depending on the situation, getting a team together to achieve a goal can sometimes be more difficult than being a photographer.

 

[ndroo]

My portfolio is like a big garbage bin which I dump all my garbage-like photos and call them 'art'

 

[Bobman]

How can the picture be the same if the poses are different?....he he he

HS

aiyo, u hurt me on this one....... kns :bsmilie:

 

[Divine_Monk]

A portfolio is the representation of what you understand and believe in. You are your portfolio.

If you understand life, you will compile pictures that reflect that understanding.

Sure.... models in bikini are fine, but they do not generally reflect real life. And life is about relationship, so the photographer who is an artist will bring out that relationship through his tool. Thus the portfolio do not need to be extensively thick, if you know what is it that you are pursuing. Over time, it will thicken by itself.

 

[tOGGY]

portfolio is a marketing tool to show people what u've done/achieved and hopefully they'll be impressed by it and give u better paying jobs.

Well said.

Trying to bridge in Bobman's initial frustration that I do feel simlarly, my baseline is that a portfolio should be largely repeatable for the client. ie, if one is able to repeat such shots for the client - maybe in terms of style, lightings and artwork, then he can put it as his portfolio.

Otherwise, it can be very frustrating and waste of client's time to show something that cannot be repeated for him for no good reasons.

 

[sehsuan]

It could be anything... but keeping in mind that it's something to form an impression of you, if they do not already know you. It could be how the lighting was, how an emotion might have been captured, it could be your styling, or your personal shooting style.

http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/1468

 

[Divine_Monk]

The client can want many things, and one certainly does not want to restrict himself to a particular area, especially if one is relatively new. Say today you can be doing live coverage, tomorrow doing fashion photography, the next day photojournalism, and the next day product, then posted to cover an event, tomorrow another client want some interior pictures of his building. All these are part and parcel of a portfolio and while the concept can be repeated, the result do defer each shoot to shoot. Therefore, the portfolio should be kept simple and reflect life with respect to relationships as much as possible.

 

[Pro Image]

If that is the case, then many pro photographers can't highlight many of the shots they take under commission, because there is often a stylist and/or which dictates exactly how the image should look, so the photog then is just a technical accessory.

Stylist is just a stylist.

Art Director is just an Art Director.

Make up artist is just a Make-up artist.

All this is about team work. The art director who comes out with an idea scribbling on a white piece of paper trying to convince MUAs and Photographers that they have a great idea. Stylist (usually in Fashion Industry where you can find them) will try to understand as well what the AD is trying to achieve.

Photographers, MUAs and Stylist are the ones who will bring out the great ideas from ADs. We are not just technicians only. Without photographers, MUAs and stylist will the image be created at all?

Again depending on clientele on how good you are in terms of relationship with them. Sure I shoot commission jobs but so far in my 18 years of experience, my based clientele are always more than happy I can show my portfolio to other clients. Reason is very simple. To them, it's a form of free publicity. Clients maybe impress with your portfolio but what is most important is whether you can executed the job in which they will throw to you.

Portfolios which we (ADs, MUAs, Photographers and Stylists) show to our clients is good for all of us. Reason? In this industry we would always try to help one another. My client will ask me things like "Who is the MUA?" or "Who did the Styling?" and so on which reflect well on all of us. My MUA and Stylist whom I work with will always do the same by informing their clients that I was the one who took the photo.

Some part time/amatuer photographers who does not do this for a living has less to show. So obviously we will see almost the same shot but no matter how similiar it is, we have other factors like pricing, the presentation and how good their PR skills to convince the client to hire them.

 

[Stereobox]

i believe, a photographer's portfolio is a very direct and explicit representation of the way how he/she see, and how he/she does things.

if the photographer attends a common workshop and presents a so-so photograph from there as his/her portfolio....that's exactly the kind of photographer he/she is. that's exactly the way how he/she sees things. that's exactly the way he/she shoots, thinks, executes. BUT, if the photographer is able to do something different, perhaps a seldom considered before point-of-view, a piece of technical excellence or ingenuity, that individual touch of "hi, can we try to do it this way instead"....whatever it takes to make that image that little bit special from others, and uses that image as part of his/her portfolio....then by all means, why the hell not?

whether the actual subject matter/content presented in the portfolio itself is repeatable by the photographer or not, is of inconsequential consideration. a photographer can be presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and how he/she see, approach and execute the image is what makes the difference. what's more important is whether the way he/she see and does things is repeatable or not. that's why it is important to keep the portfolio updated if the photographer is serious about it. the way we see things may change over time, the way how we do things (or the ability to do certain things) may change over time. last time police wear shorts, now long pants. maybe next time no pants?

ultimately the portfolio differentiates between a photographer, and a fooltographer - someone who fools him/herself, and the potential 'client'. (i use the term client in a more implicit way, as it can mean anyone who 'buy' into the photographer's photographic reality).

 

[Divine_Monk]

1. It is very possible to create digital artwork without photographers. I reckon the answer to be YES!

2. Art Director is not something who scribles on a piece of paper, "trying" to convince the photographer. The Art Director would be in his own right, an experienced photographer who understands what can be done and cannot be done, and expects it from the photographer. The photographer can get out of the production set if he does no comply or understands what the Art Director is trying to relate.

Stylist is just a stylist.

Art Director is just an Art Director.

Make up artist is just a Make-up artist.

All this is about team work. The art director who comes out with an idea scribbling on a white piece of paper trying to convince MUAs and Photographers that they have a great idea. Stylist (usually in Fashion Industry where you can find them) will try to understand as well what the AD is trying to achieve.

Photographers, MUAs and Stylist are the ones who will bring out the great ideas from ADs. We are not just technicians only. Without photographers, MUAs and stylist will the image be created at all?



Again depending on clientele on how good you are in terms of relationship with them. Sure I shoot commission jobs but so far in my 18 years of experience, my based clientele are always more than happy I can show my portfolio to other clients. Reason is very simple. To them, it's a form of free publicity. Clients maybe impress with your portfolio but what is most important is whether you can executed the job in which they will throw to you.

Portfolios which we (ADs, MUAs, Photographers and Stylists) show to our clients is good for all of us. Reason? In this industry we would always try to help one another. My client will ask me things like "Who is the MUA?" or "Who did the Styling?" and so on which reflect well on all of us. My MUA and Stylist whom I work with will always do the same by informing their clients that I was the one who took the photo.

Some part time/amatuer photographers who does not do this for a living has less to show. So obviously we will see almost the same shot but no matter how similiar it is, we have other factors like pricing, the presentation and how good their PR skills to convince the client to hire them.

 

[WTPdol]

Well said, Divine Monk. A portfolio reflects oneself- your OWN skills, your OWN abilities, your OWN talents. Different photographers can work on different angles at different career stages. So, does that mean that a 2 page portfolio on fireworks or nature photography be NOT considered a portfolio?

Before rushing off to debunk the thoughts and sharings of others, perhaps, it is wise to even start from the foundation of a portfolio?! WHAT is it used for? To show off? To reflect who you are? To show who you wanna be? Or is it because it's sellable in the market? Only you (and your client) have the answer. I have seen photographers who have minimal in their portfolio to show, but we have selected them, BECAUSE they are excellent in what they do.

Also, let's respect the talents of others. No one is a maverick in everything. An art director has his own skillset which INCORPORATES the skills of everyone else. An art director is a photographer, a stylist, a set designer, a fashion designer ALL rolled into one. However, if you have been in a situation whereby you disagree with the art director, then why are you there? An art director does NOT merely scribble to convince his ideas.. he DIRECTS every single aspect (hence, director) For the rest in the team, if we're not compatible, then move on to new directors who agree with you (hopefully you'd have better treatment?) and work well...