In response . . . . the portfolio

'A Visual Society' and 'A Photo Editor' both picked up on my 'Want to stand out in a crowd' post and have expanded upon it. Their writing and the follow up commentary contains plenty of sound advice for us all. My rambling was meant as a follow up to some of the other web chatter concerning getting noticed and standing out in a crowded market place. It wasn't meant to be so much about the color of my bags or size of my portfolio but was about trying to make smart and intelligent choices for oneself and ones work.

By the way the reason I have orange bags is quite simple and practical. When I was starting out I used to deliver and pick up the book myself. It was hard for me to get meetings so I would join the crowd and throw my portfolio in the ring on the assigned drop off day. After a couple of times doing this and having my share of messenger center woes I figured a little color wouldn't go amiss seeing as my then black bag was indistinguishable from the pile. "Look Sir thats my bag over there ! Yes the orange one. That was easy wasn't it ?"

AVS lays it out from the agents side and I concur with their posting. A heavy book is nobodies friend. It needs to be manageable. My book is 16x16 square which may sound large but is not as hefty as it may seem. I shoot square 99% of the time and therefore my prints are, well you guessed it square. Up till this point I had been using an 11x11 format which I felt really wasn't giving my work the chance to breath. I am happy with the bigger size, it is working for me and I limit the number of pages to around 25 which works out at, yeah you guessed right 50 images. Oh and don't forget what the final dimensions of your book will be when its open. Will it fit on a regular desk or will you need a steel reinforced conference table. So mine opens to 16x32 not so bad. I have seen some of the infamous monster books out there, 20x24 and bigger but I wouldn't openly encourage that sort of behaviour.

Mine is standard House of Portfolios fare, straight forward name embossed black cover with plastic sleeves. I have, as we all do from time to time considered ditching the sleeves for some mounted prints or Epsons and have seen such books but to be honest mine get so much ware and tear I just cant bear to be so precious both emotionally and financially. I am already eating it with replacement pages as they run $ 3.00 each.

Keep the pages clean and always check their condition each time you get the book back. If you have an agent they will probably take care of this and replace your pages for you. I once interviewed with a rep who said he replaced the first and last page every send out no matter, they are the ones that take much of the beating. Note to self now that I am self-represented don't let scruffy pages hold me down. I have had my books come back with the prints rearranged and out of order from time to time, thats a good thing right ? Means someone went to the trouble to take them out and copy them me thinks ?

"Before sending the book back I always make sure and huck a promo in the trash. Photographers seem to like that better than my previous practice of not grabbing one." A Photo Editor

Wow APE is fuckin honest with that remark so in return be honest with yourself as I am being with myself how many times have you counted the promos in the back of the book before the drop off only to count them when you get it back and been relieved that one/some are magically gone. Yeah baby, score ! Well myth fuckin busted, if APE is doing it, there may be others. Although a leave behind note no matter how generic is always a treat. See earlier post here on the portfolio drop off.

All editors have inspiration walls in their offices/cubicles adorned with favorite promos and prints. This is where your promo needs to go, if not its hidden in the bottom of a drawer at best garbage at worst. If you are lucky enough to get an in house meeting be sure to be all over that wall with your eagle eye scoping out what tickles their fancy. Do your homework, might come in handy down the line.

Remember APE is giving us the magazine perspective and I appreciate his/her fondness for the web but I have heard from other editors that they prefer to see books and print quality can seal the deal particularly if it is someone they haven't yet worked with. So there are no hard and fast rules its still a matter of personal preference.

Books though are still particularly valid when it comes to advertising as they are the main go to. Sure art buyers and creatives will hit your site but they call portfolios in for review, especially when you are under consideration for a campaign. And remember some of the bigger agencies have huge offices so no one will want to be lugging a 20lb book around from meeting to meeting.

First impressions are everything, whether it be yourself or your book. Maybe think like an editor or an art buyer from time to time. Be open and honest with yourself no matter what point you may be at in your career, perhaps some of the nuggets on APE or AVS might pertain to you as they have to me, there are always new lessons to be learnt.

Hey APE while we are at it and now that I am representation free whats your feeling on agents, are they a help or a hindrance, do you prefer to deal with them or the photographer direct and if you are not so keen on an agency in general does that taint your view of the individual talent. Does it help your cause if you are on an uber roster. Do you feel more safe and secure if the photographer has a safety blanket of support or do you just not care. Oh and do you huck agency promos in the trash too ! I would love to hear about your experiences and I think it may be enlightening. Any advice and insight would be appreciated as I go through my own transition. I don't think you have really posted heavily on this topic yet.