How to Create An Online Photography Portfolio

Turn your digital photos into an attention-grabbing portfolio.

A photography portfolio allows you to showcase your skills, experience and techniques in a visual way. By having the portfolio online, you are opening it up to a much wider audience which can bring in more business or exposure to your photographs. Include only your best work that you feel represents your photographic strengths as well as the style of your art.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Digital Photos (of course!)
• Computer
• Internet Connection

1. Choose high-quality digital photos that you feel represent your level of expertise and skills in the area of photography. Ensure the photos reflect your best work and are edited with photo-editing software prior to putting them in your portfolio. Choose a variety of photos that show your range of skill and style.

2. Decide how much money you are willing to spend on your portfolio. For example, if you are looking for an inexpensive portfolio, use a free website editor or photo-sharing website.

3. Hire a reputable graphic designer to create a professional, flash-based website. Ensure he can reflect your style onto the website. Ask him to create branding such as a logo if you do photography as a business. Be as detailed as possible when describing the preferred type of site for your portfolio, including the color scheme.

4. Upload your chosen photographs when the portfolio is online. Label each photo with a title. Add additional information such as the names of the people in the photographs, information about the setting and the type of camera used, if desired.

5. Include contact information on the portfolio such as your name, email address and phone number. Write your biography and include your photography education and experience. Add a pricing page with your current session fees, if you are a professional photographer.

Tips & Warnings

• Get written consent from the people in your pictures before you put them into your online portfolio.

• Announce your portfolio through social media sites and word-of-mouth.

• Consider "Watermarking" your photos with your website address or name, but don't go overboard as these can be very distracting.

• Make sure the settings on your new online portfolio only allow visitors to download a thumbnail sized image, as some sites will let visitors download a full sized original

References

• Onextrapixel: Creating a Professional Online Photo Portfolio: Goals, Tips, Best Designs; Tina Zennand
• Pixiq: Creating a Photography Portfolio