How to build a professional photography or design portfolio: advice from an ex-agency art director
How to build a professional portfolio
WITH FREE TIP SHEET
Have you been struggling to put together a portfolio for photography or design? Then this one's for you.
Fun fact: my first stint with creative mentorship many years ago was doing portfolio reviews for recent college grads.
Additionally, as an agency art director, I saw countless illustration, design and photography portfolios from freelancers hoping to get hired for a campaign, and from graphic designers applying for full-time gigs.
This was when portfolios were still printed and shopped around to art directors via meet and greets arranged by art buyers. Yeah… I've been at this for awhile.
To say that I’ve seen every variety of a creative portfolio is an understatement. I quickly learned what pulled me in and what had me taking a pass.
I also had to start actively curating my own online portfolio when I started freelancing 10 years ago. (First my design and illustration portfolio, now my photography portfolio.) I know first hand the struggle to keep up with it, and the anguish of deciding what to include and what to kick to the curb.
First things first: Should you even HAVE a portfolio?
If you’re any kind of creative professional, YES. Even if you’re employed full time right now. Trust me, I’ve seen many colleagues face layoffs and/or unexpected opportunities drop into their lap, and they have nothing to shop around or send-off at a moment’s notice- and it turns into a mad-dash scramble to come up with something.
At that point, you may not even remember (or even have access to) all the cool shit you’ve done. Plus, if you’re a designer or other creative that produces physical things, it takes time and a little bit of forethought to photograph or mock-up your work in a polished, portfolio friendly way.
Having said that, the next question I’m sure you’ll have is HOW to show off all this great work. My best answer: the easiest way possible. Don’t get stuck in your head about creating an amazing website with all the bells and whistles, yadda yadda yadda, and then do nothing because it’s completely overwhelming. Yeah, been there, done that.
Make it easy.
Ok- having an online portfolio literally could not be easier than ever. There are SO MANY options for getting your work up and out there without having to design a darn thing. BUT, I know some people still get hung up on that piece, so if a site feels too hard, just do something! If that means putting all your best work together in a pdf so it’s ready to send off when you get an inquiry or want to pitch a brand, so be it. (But seriously- think about an online portfolio, even if it’s barebones. Squarespace, Behance, and Adobe portfolio are all brilliant options.)
Out with the old, in with the new
Your work will also improve without you even realizing it in the day-to-day. Recently, I was comparing photos from now and about 18 months ago and I could clearly see how much I’ve improved. I had no idea.
Does this mean I’m going to pull every last “old” thing out of my portfolio? No. Some of it I still really like and can see the value in showing it to potential clients. But there are things that will get replaced and updated.
As my body of work has expanded, I can also see that I have 3 distinct styles emerging. They’re all still “me”, but instead of mixing them together in one gallery, I’m going to separate them so it’s easier for clients to hone in on what’s relevant to them. A great tactic for pitching BTW. I can send work to potential clients that’s more specific to their brand.
Which brings me to the next point:
Future proof your professional portfolio: Create the work you WANT to be getting paid for even if you don’t have clients hiring you for it now.
If you’re still in the beginning stages of your career, (or ready to jump into a new/different level of work) there is nothing wrong with doing fantasy projects that show off what you’re capable of. Most of my photography portfolio is made up of images I created for myself as I was practicing my craft. That’s because I’m focused on getting bigger and better clients. Does that mean there isn’t any client work in my portfolio either? Heck no! But a good portfolio is a well-rounded mix of practical application and aspirational eye-candy.
As an agency art director, this mix showed me that someone could follow a brief, work with a team and deliver expected results, but also bring creativity and insight of their own to the table. Clients want to be assured but also inspired!
Your professional portfolio is always evolving & you’re never done.
You will build and grow and create better and better versions of your portfolio as you go on. A portfolio is never done. Read that again. It’s a living, breathing, evolving representation of your work, and YOU are never done. Portfolios are just a snapshot in time, so treat them that way. Just as your work improves, you’ll improve the way you present that work.
I’ll give you some examples from my own business. Right now, my photography portfolio is pretty straightforward, divided into 3 categories: food, product, and client projects. Behind the scenes though, I’ve been curating brand pitch PDFs with specific categories and case studies. Curating this way has shown me that I have different styles within my food photography and a couple more related but non-food areas that I want to include on my website portfolio. If I would have waited to do this for my online portfolio from the get-go, I 1) never would have been able to even figure out what those other categories were and 2) would have missed out on projects and opportunities I’ve scored in the meantime with my “less than” portfolio.
Periodic portfolio updates are opportunities to look for ways to expand what you offer.
Again, I’ve spent the last 6 months creating work that pushed my food photography boundaries so I can offer more variety to clients.
But here’s an example as I look toward the future: I love to travel and frequently take pictures when traveling, but I’ve never truly made the effort to create portfolio-worthy work when I’m on the road. I know that travel photography is a natural fit with food, so I’m looking for ways to create that kind of work in my own city without even hitting the road- like creative field trips to Chinatown or Venice Beach. This will be added to my online portfolio in my next update and will expand both the kind of work I can do for clients AND the kinds of clients I can pitch to.
I know it can feel overwhelming, so I’ve put together this checklist to help you kick start your portfolio, and/or prompt some ideas on refining your existing professional portfolio.
6 tips for building a dream client-attracting portfolio
Sarah is a blend of Los Angeles woo-woo meets Midwest practicality. She’s a photographer, design expert, brand strategist, and personal growth enthusiast who helps the culinary and wellness inclined to show up beautifully online. Her career chocolate and peanut butter swirled together when she fell for food photography while designing for some of the world’s biggest consumer packaged goods & retail brands.
