Websites are often the first place we show our work to prospective clients. The prospect arrives at your site via an Internet search looking for a photographer to fulfill a specific assignment. In these tough financial times, the searches usually include a specialty and a business location. If you fit these criteria and they come to your site, the next step is to view your work. It seems increasingly common for photographers to organize their portfolios by subjects; such as people, places, things, environmental portraits, products, architecture, interiors, corporate, lifestyle, fashion etc. In addition, many have a “personal work” portfolio.

I challenge you to look at your photography from a different perspective. Focus on your vision not the subject. Consider putting a portfolio together that speaks to your unique way of seeing the world. One tightly edited portfolio of forty or fifty images will tell the buyer more about you than six portfolios of ten to twenty images each. The latter may look like you are trying to fit any project or worse yet, the portfolios may simply get tiresome as the buyer weeds through to see if you can produce what they need. Many believe it is critical to show your personal work, but if that work is totally out of sync with your client work I am not convinced it helps you. Your vision needs to be honed to the point where your personal work can be integrated into your client work without it feeling awkward.

Prints are still the fastest and most compelling way to edit your work. You can stick them up on a wall, move them around and view them over time to make sure they hold up as your best. The most compelling commercial portfolios I see weave all types of subjects together into a narrative about the photographer’s vision. If you do want to share a personal project that should be seen as a specific collection that is fine just make sure your vision rings through. And, title the portfolio the name of the project rather than “personal work.” All the work on your site should be personal.

As we move into the challenges of our Internet dominant economy, your unique vision is critical to building a sustainable career in this profession. It is the one completely unique offering you bring to the table. Vision is key to your success.

Susan Carr recently published her first book, “The Art and Business of Photography“, which focuses on finding the delicate and productive balance of creativity and business.

While ASMP does believe that proper titling of the images you register is a good long-term goal, until the eCO system is prepared to receive this information reliably we currently recommend that you do NOT follow the suggestion of adding titles in the “contents title field” of the registration application. For now, we recommend that you continue to follow ASMP Best Practices for Registering. Additionally, ASMP has an instructional podcast that gives you a step by step guide for registering “groups of unpublished images.” This seven-minute instructional podcast is available here.

This week five of our blog contributors, including myself, will share quotes that have been meaningful to each of us in the course of developing our careers.

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”  - Calvin Coolidge

I keep this quote on persistence taped inside the kitchen cupboard that holds my coffee mugs. As an avid coffee drinker, I put this quote inside my mug cabinet to ensure that everyday starts with it’s not so subtle reminder (Subtlety doesn’t work on me until the second cup kicks in).

I have seen persistence prevail over and over in my 20+ years in the photography business. Whether struggling with a new technique, defining the parameters of a personal project or making sales calls; the stamina to continue the work necessary to build my career in photography receives the highest marks for making that dream a reality.

Susan Carr is ASMP’s Education Director and recently published her own book, “The Art and Business of Photography”.

InfoTrends is conducting a study with professional photographers to better understand their use of technology, future requirements, and new business services. The results will be used to determine the impact of digital photography on your business, and to identify opportunities and threats to help you navigate through this rapidly changing marketplace. Manufacturers will use the results to design better products and solutions that fit your needs.

As thanks for your time and input, a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate will be sent to 100 randomly chosen respondents, and all respondents will be entered into a drawing for $500.

Please go to http://survey.infotrends.com/prophoto2011asmp.htm and take the survey.

ASMP has a new online resource designed to guide imaging professionals through the ins and outs of social media. This tutorial includes guides on social media marketing, blogging and social networking as well as legal considerations, an overview of common Terms of Service and recommended best practices for posting images and video to social media sites.

ASMP is dedicated to making sure you have the tools you need to use social media wisely and well, so check this out – you won’t regret it.   For more information, see our Press Release about this exciting new resource.

The Copyright Office, in response to concerns over the recent court decision invalidating the bulk Corbis copyright registration, is making some new recommendations for online registration of both published and unpublished work.

Read the full alert here. And, watch for further announcements from ASMP as we work towards a reasonable solution.

Dear Friends,

I want to take a moment and thank you, our readers, for making this blog a success. I also want to express my gratitude to our talented contributors for sharing their insights on all aspects of the photography business. Together we continue to build a valuable resource for the trade.

I’d like to encourage you to share your blog topic suggestions with us by posting a comment here. What do you want us to talk about? What questions would you like us to address?  Which types of information really hit home and which don’t? Please share your ideas and feedback with us.

The SB blog team is going to take a short vacation and will return on July 11th with new and valuable information to share.  In the meantime, we look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Thank you,

Susan Carr
SB Blog Editor

Following up on the excellent Clarion Call telesummit this past February, Selena Maitreya presents Clarion Call II, featuring 7 speakers and 8 jam-packed hours of real-world, hard-hitting information on sales, negotiations, estimates, pricing and licensing for your still and motion imaging services.

I am very excited to be joining ASMP National Board member, Gail Mooney, and 5 other illustrious presenters: NIKE Global Branding Photography Manger, Aric Rist; Art Buyer & Consultant, Beverly Adler; Photography Consultant, Maria Piscopo; Photographer’s Representative, Frank Meo and, Clarion Call II creator, Selena Maitreya for this exciting event.

Gain effective sales and negotiation techniques.  Learn how to estimate, price and license your creative work successfully.  Join us from Noon – 8 pm Eastern Time, tomorrow: Friday June 10, 2011.

A tiered pricing structure starting at $25 makes Clarion Call II a great value, no matter your budget. Seating is limited for this event. Go HERE for registration details.

You have nothing to lose and lots to gain. Take advantage of this amazing offer.

Susan Carr is a photographer and ASMP’s Education Director. The author of “The Art and Business of Photography”, Susan has long been dedicated to the advocacy and education of fellow photographers.

And, follow ASMP’s extensive use of these funds to benefit our industry by going here.

The resource will be packed with everything imaging professionals want to tell each other about and users will be able to review all posts. (A little like Digg, StumbleUpon & Reddit – only just about photography.)

Make your name submissions short and sweet and please do a domain search to determine if they’re already taken. To find out more about the contest and how to submit, go here.