Putting Together a Portfolio...

When I was applying for a photography course last year I had the daunting task of putting together a portfolio of my photographs to show at interviews. I had no idea what I was doing having never done any art based courses (for my creative writing degree we just emailed a few examples of our writing - very straightforward!) and I couldn't really find much help online that wasn't aimed either at professionals putting together a portfolio to show clients, or at art students. So I figured I'd share how I put together my portfolio for anyone who is having a similarly frustrating experience.

Firstly, and most importantly, check any guidelines given by the school/college/university you are applying to. My university (LCC) specified a small portfolio of 15-20 images. This means 15-20 images. Not 5 images. Not 30 images. When I went for my interview there was a girl there with three enormous portfolios (those ones that are like A0!) with her, containing all her photography work from the last three years. Trust me when I say that the people interviewing you will not be impressed, and they may in fact begin to question your reading ability.

Secondly, pick images you like because you may be asked to talk about them. Don't be tempted to pick images that you think the interviewer might like. It's okay to put in some 'classic' shots, but trust your gut and go for images that have interesting angles, show a unique perspective, or bend the rules. These say way more about your work and about you as a person, and the interviewer will be more impressed that you used your initiative.

Thirdly, variety  is the spice of life. Unless you are very focused and know exactly what type of photography you want to do then I'd suggest putting in a range of photos showcasing a range of styles and subjects. This is a piece of advice I should have heeded myself as I didn't really have any portraits in my portfolio because, quite frankly, I didn't have any! But try to include examples of architecture, portraits, landscape, still-life, travel. Oh and mix it up with some colour and some black and white.

Finally, when presenting images keep it simple. I know it's tempting to add weird borders and text and graphics and arrows, but try to resist. Get yourself a nice big plain album or book with thick pages and just stick the images in. I used an A4 self-adhesive album (don't go any smaller than A4, you don't want them to have to crack out a magnifying glass) and had my images printed out at Snappy Snaps. The total cost was about £20. I know some people had enormous prints made and mounted individually which came to in excess of £300. If you have that money to spend then I'm not going to stop you! But bear in mind you may never use them again. You could always gift them to relatives for Christmas though.

So, without further ado, here are the photos I submitted for my portfolio. Please note I am a total amateur, I don't claim to be an expert at either photography or creating portfolios!

MA Photography/Photojournalism Graduate Shows

Last November/December the MA Photography and Photojournalism students were showing their work around LCC, which was pretty incredible. It was so inspiring walking round and seeing so much amazing work, and there were even postcards to take. I wanted to share a few of my favourites here - go check out their work, by clicking the links. They are all so talented.

Florence Royer

Kelly Hill

Diane Bielik

Teresa Cos

Hannah Jones

Rab Harling

Elisa Noguera Lopez

Celine Marchbank

Friday Favourites

1. Coffee at home, 2. THIngs to do 2, 3. birds, 4. Empty seats on Princess Pier, Torquay, 5. 28 Camera Drawings - Limited Edition Print, 6. bank holiday cupcakes, 7. xoxo, 8. versailles, 9. birthday hair

First Shoot...

I have a confession to make dear blog readers. I am a procrastinator. I am a promise breaker. And I am afraid of Photoshop. It is a mixture of these three things which mean that I have only just edited and blogged the photos from my first photoshoot with my sister which took place last summer. Oh yes, that's 8 months ago. Please forgive me little sister!

So we were going out to walk the dog and I suddenly had the urge to take some pretty photos. My sister agreed to be my model and to wear a dress (both are unusual occurences), and we headed over to a nearby park. It was definitely a case of 'right place at the right time' as the sun was going down and it made the prettiest flare through the low-hanging tree branches.










I need to go out more on mini shoots, with props, and a model, and an idea of what I want. And I need to learn to use Photoshop properly. Baby steps.

(Day) of Everything

Last month me and the lovely Kate went on a day out exploring the Primrose Hill area. I'd never been before, and fell in love immediately with the cute cafes and shops, and of course the gorgeous signage.













Our main reason for visiting the area was to see the new exhibit at the Museum of Everything. Kate had been to the last one and loved it, and I was intrigued by the idea of a 'pop-up' museum showcasing all manner of weird and wonderful items. All round Primrose Hill were signs for the museum; it felt rather like going on a treasure hunt!








Eventually we found it, and it was worth the wait. No pictures were allowed inside, which is probably a good thing as I could have easily filled up my whole memory card! It was like walking into a curiosity cabinet - there were taxidermy squirrels dressed as boxers, old fairground rides, a room decorated completely in shells, marionette puppets, crewel hangings, old photos, and everything in between. Unfortunately it is closed now, but will re-open later in 2011.