No More Single Images, Please!
[by Selina Maitreya]
The day and age of your portfolio being a collection of single images is over. Clients in every area of our business are asking you to show up with a defined, deep and well focused body of work. Are you ready for this shift?
Before we go any further, make no mistake, this is NOT just the thinking in the field of advertising. Editorial photo editors, architects, corporate communication directors, graphic designers, art directors, and, yes, agency art buyers, all have a specific need when they go looking for photo and they have lots of suppliers to chose from, many of whom already have the type of portfolio clients seek.
All clients are operating under stressful situations on a daily basis. They too, work on tight budgets and are often doing the job of more than one person. It makes sense that they need to trust that you are the right person for the job. When assignment photo is an option, clients know more money is being spent and the images have to be perfect.
The assurance that you were the right choice used to be communicated through an image or two, but now with the number of photographers at an all time high, many showing complete bodies of work, the stakes have been raised. Clients are seeking value and in today’ s client driven market, value to a buyer on the front end, is a portfolio that is an expression of a single visual approach applied to a specific topic with many examples within.
Savvy photographers know that buyers seek full bodies of work and they have been developing vision based portfolios for quite a while now. Look at the websites of Nick Thomas or Dan Root, these two photogs have it down cold and they both are both busy working.
Do you have the goods that clients are requesting? Or, is your portfolio filled with images that represent lots of different assignments? Have you taken the time to determine what your visual offering will be, then developed a new body of work? If you are reading this blog post and are one of the shooters who caught on early and have a complete portfolio to show congratulations.
If you have yet to make the leap, do so now.
Go here and listen to an mp3 I’ve created that talks more about this new selling paradigm.Then get to work. Before you know it , you’ll have the body of work you need, and a whole new attitude!
Selina Maitreya is a consultant to photographers worldwide. Signup for her new 3 day video “Why Photographers Fail”, and learn how you can succeed at: www.selinamaitreya.com
