Portfolio's

Hey y'all.. I'm about to create and construct a portfolio this weekend so I can exempt a photography class that I havent taken but it's an intro class which would be a waste of a semester and i wanna hop into an advanced photo class...

Well my problemo is, I have never made a portfolio.. can I get some advice from you guys as to how to construct it and what types of pics I should take? I was told it should consist of 5-7 pics... I'd like some advice, and i write it here b/c this is the only forum I watch..

THANKS!

I'll post my portfolio online some time next weekend. ;-)

Perhaps that's covered in the class you say you don't need!

sloopage said:

Hey y'all.. I'm about to create and construct a portfolio this
weekend so I can exempt a photography class that I havent taken but
it's an intro class which would be a waste of a semester and i
wanna hop into an advanced photo class...

Well my problemo is, I have never made a portfolio.. can I get some
advice from you guys as to how to construct it and what types of
pics I should take? I was told it should consist of 5-7 pics...
I'd like some advice, and i write it here b/c this is the only
forum I watch..

THANKS!

I'll post my portfolio online some time next weekend. ;-)

Click to expand...

Skip the advanced too and you won't even have to bother with a portfolio!

Steve Wolf said:

sloopage said:

Hey y'all.. I'm about to create and construct a portfolio this
weekend so I can exempt a photography class that I havent taken but
it's an intro class which would be a waste of a semester and i
wanna hop into an advanced photo class...

Well my problemo is, I have never made a portfolio.. can I get some
advice from you guys as to how to construct it and what types of
pics I should take? I was told it should consist of 5-7 pics...
I'd like some advice, and i write it here b/c this is the only
forum I watch..

THANKS!

I'll post my portfolio online some time next weekend. ;-)

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

well if your only reason for a porfolio is this then you should use images you already have.
I assume you have lots otherwise you wouldn't be skipping the first class right?

You should make a portfolio of you best images and a majority of the subject matter you like to shoot, if you make new images remember don't just "make" them always aproach with "create" them.

I have 3 large books for commercial and professional reasons sepertated out with People, Products, and Places with places being locations and location shoots.

They each contain about 20 images @ 11x14.

You can go to an art store and just get a clear acetate type page porfolio to start out and then if you want really nice books there are many pro portfolio case companies around but the books run anywhere from $75-300 a piece.

Light impressions has some good archival books in lots of sizes ( search them on the net and get a catalog coming).

good luck

bud hines said:

Steve Wolf said:

sloopage said:

Hey y'all.. I'm about to create and construct a portfolio this
weekend so I can exempt a photography class that I havent taken but
it's an intro class which would be a waste of a semester and i
wanna hop into an advanced photo class...

Well my problemo is, I have never made a portfolio.. can I get some
advice from you guys as to how to construct it and what types of
pics I should take? I was told it should consist of 5-7 pics...
I'd like some advice, and i write it here b/c this is the only
forum I watch..

THANKS!

I'll post my portfolio online some time next weekend. ;-)

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I will sound condesending here but take it with a grain of salt.

From your post it sounds like you need to take the intro course. Many moons ago, I had your same attitude... thought I knew it all, didn't need an "Introduction to Photography" course. What could someone teach me?!! Take the course. You will learn more than you realize now. You will also cover material that you will need in those advanced classes that you might not have learned before. Get back to the basics. Learn the art of photography, aesthetics, how to properly critique works of art and how to handle someone criticising your work. Get to know what "banal" means. You will hear that alot. The intro course will take you down a peg or two, but also build your strengths as well. It did for me. the Intro course will be good practice for you.

If you don't have a portfolio yet, you need to take the intro course. Your portfolio should contain images you have already been working on. Portfolio pieces are not something you just "take", they are pieces you have worked long and hard on, pieces that you are proud to say you produced/created/CRAFTED. Pieces that are aesthetically pleasing, technically perfect, spotted, matted, etc. The class will teach you how to build a proper portfolio. It is not a waste of time.

-Brian

sloopage said:

Hey y'all.. I'm about to create and construct a portfolio this
weekend so I can exempt a photography class that I havent taken but
it's an intro class which would be a waste of a semester and i
wanna hop into an advanced photo class...

Well my problemo is, I have never made a portfolio.. can I get some
advice from you guys as to how to construct it and what types of
pics I should take? I was told it should consist of 5-7 pics...
I'd like some advice, and i write it here b/c this is the only
forum I watch..

THANKS!

I'll post my portfolio online some time next weekend. ;-)

Click to expand...

I clicked on your profile and read your previous posts. Here's one: "sorry.. i'm new to this and i gotta learn someplace and some time " You're in high school and you're young. Be thankful. There are no shortcuts, take the time to learn photography. I wish I had some formal training when I started out. I've been at it for over 30 years and I still have a lot to learn. Stick with it, listen, study, keep your enthusiasm, and good luck.

sloopage said:

Hey y'all.. I'm about to create and construct a portfolio this
weekend so I can exempt a photography class that I havent taken but
it's an intro class which would be a waste of a semester and i
wanna hop into an advanced photo class...

Well my problemo is, I have never made a portfolio.. can I get some
advice from you guys as to how to construct it and what types of
pics I should take? I was told it should consist of 5-7 pics...
I'd like some advice, and i write it here b/c this is the only
forum I watch..

THANKS!

I'll post my portfolio online some time next weekend. ;-)

Click to expand...

Well the only problem is I'm signing up for classes next year, senior year... that means college is the year after that, and i want to take impressive classes, not intro classes where i could stay after school and get the help that I may not know.. do you all know what I mean? I would take the intro class - but I dont have time to take it.

Steve Wolf said:

sloopage said:

Hey y'all.. I'm about to create and construct a portfolio this
weekend so I can exempt a photography class that I havent taken but
it's an intro class which would be a waste of a semester and i
wanna hop into an advanced photo class...

Well my problemo is, I have never made a portfolio.. can I get some
advice from you guys as to how to construct it and what types of
pics I should take? I was told it should consist of 5-7 pics...
I'd like some advice, and i write it here b/c this is the only
forum I watch..

THANKS!

I'll post my portfolio online some time next weekend. ;-)

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Here are a couple of web pages I found that might help you select and present your best images for your portfolio:

http://www.nyip.com/tips/tip_business0101.html
http://www.nyip.com/tips/tip_business0201.html
http://www.nppa.org/services/pjedu/careers.html

Best of luck.

sloopage said:

Well the only problem is I'm signing up for classes next year,
senior year... that means college is the year after that, and i
want to take impressive classes, not intro classes where i could
stay after school and get the help that I may not know.. do you all
know what I mean? I would take the intro class - but I dont have
time to take it.

Click to expand...

--Curtis CleggFalls church, [email protected]

I kind of have to disagree with this Brian. I understand exactly what you are saying. It is good to take starter classes but most of them are really about "how a 35mm camera works" and don't get into the asthetic details enough. At the JC where I live they have an intermediate class that I think would be perfect for Sloopage. You already know the camera and which chemicals not to drink and it's time to work on the fine details.

As far as the portfolio just a simple book with 8x10s would probably be fine. This is for a school, not a job. I don't think 11x14s mounted on even larger boards would be needed for this situation.

Talking to art directors and photo buyers they all seem to want consistency in a portfolio. For school, I think a bit more diversity would be good since they are going to want to see that you can print black and white well, and can work with different genres of images.

my 2 cents...

Teymoor

Brian Trimm said:

From your post it sounds like you need to take the intro course.
Many moons ago, I had your same attitude... thought I knew it all,
didn't need an "Introduction to Photography" course. What could
someone teach me?!! Take the course. You will learn more than you
realize now. You will also cover material that you will need in
those advanced classes that you might not have learned before. Get
back to the basics. Learn the art of photography, aesthetics, how
to properly critique works of art and how to handle someone
criticising your work. Get to know what "banal" means. You will
hear that alot. The intro course will take you down a peg or two,
but also build your strengths as well. It did for me. the Intro
course will be good practice for you.

If you don't have a portfolio yet, you need to take the intro
course. Your portfolio should contain images you have already been
working on. Portfolio pieces are not something you just "take",
they are pieces you have worked long and hard on, pieces that you
are proud to say you produced/created/CRAFTED. Pieces that are
aesthetically pleasing, technically perfect, spotted, matted, etc.
The class will teach you how to build a proper portfolio. It is
not a waste of time.

-Brian

sloopage said:

Hey y'all.. I'm about to create and construct a portfolio this
weekend so I can exempt a photography class that I havent taken but
it's an intro class which would be a waste of a semester and i
wanna hop into an advanced photo class...

Well my problemo is, I have never made a portfolio.. can I get some
advice from you guys as to how to construct it and what types of
pics I should take? I was told it should consist of 5-7 pics...
I'd like some advice, and i write it here b/c this is the only
forum I watch..

THANKS!

I'll post my portfolio online some time next weekend. ;-)

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Why doesn't everyone just skip the first class and take the second and then the second becomes the first so skip that and take the third which is now the second but will soon be the first? I like the guys idea to just skip it all if you can't hack the first class. We had guys at Brooks that wanted to shoot fashion in the second class which was intro to 4x5. They dropped and I haven't heard of them since. I stuck it out and I've been a pro since '77. My roommate then is now a multimedia producer at Boeing and I have other classmate friends that are videographers and commercial photographers because we stuck it out. Try it you may like it.

BC

I saw someone elses post saying that he had not taken the intro class and that he is in high school. So, IMHO he should take the intro class but not in a high school. He should take a city college class.

And Bruce is right, you better be ready to stick it out and put the time into it. It doesn't happen over night.

--Teymoor--

Bruce Conner said:

Why doesn't everyone just skip the first class and take the second
and then the second becomes the first so skip that and take the
third which is now the second but will soon be the first? I like
the guys idea to just skip it all if you can't hack the first
class. We had guys at Brooks that wanted to shoot fashion in the
second class which was intro to 4x5. They dropped and I haven't
heard of them since. I stuck it out and I've been a pro since '77.
My roommate then is now a multimedia producer at Boeing and I have
other classmate friends that are videographers and commercial
photographers because we stuck it out. Try it you may like it.

BC

Click to expand...

sloopage said:

Well the only problem is I'm signing up for classes next year,
senior year... that means college is the year after that, and i
want to take impressive classes,

Click to expand...

Trust me. It does not matter that much.

sloopage said:

not intro classes where i could
stay after school and get the help that I may not know.. do you all
know what I mean?

Click to expand...

Not at all.

Take the intro class. Use the learning and knowledge that comes in
that class to build a portfolio that might be used in 12 months to show
to other art colleges. Think of it this way. "This kid has only taken
an intro class and look at his/her work. WOW!"

Don't read to much into the titles of the classes and think more about
what classes you are taking. Schools will be more concerned that you
were taking art classes more than what those classes were.

sloopage said:

I would take the intro class - but I dont have
time to take it.

Click to expand...

You don't have the time NOT to.

My 2 cents

Steven

sloop dog

theres nothing like the feeling you get when you dont know the answer to a question that you woulda learned from photo 1. you gotta start somewhere, man, and the basics are what its all about. take photo 1, and really listen to all the questions that other people might have and show your teacher that youre enthusiastic about photo. as someone who works with a lot of high schoolers, theres nothing that makes me wanna help a student more than having them show their enthusiasm...if you get stoked about it, then your teacher gets stoked about it, then he or she (with their knowledge and experience) can tell you when its time to move on and maybe think about the other photo classes. tough it out man, theres no shortcuts when it comes to learning photo. discouraging i know, but in the end a recommendation from a teacher looks a whole lot better (and is more effective) than a class listing on a transcript.

good luck and post more questions if you have any.

df