If you don't think you need a printed portfolio, you are sadly mistaken. Maybe one day this will be true, but in today's market the transition away from print has not fully happened. When I have meetings with modeling agencies they always ask to see my book. A good statistic to think about is this: 80% of photography is still viewed in print whether it be magazines, books, billboards, etc. While attending Hallmark during portfolio review, Greg Heisler spoke about how everything should be done with the final print in mind. If your photo does not print well, it is worthless and won't stand the test of the time. Back in the days before digital, printing was more of an art form and more valued as a skill. Today, often times because of digital, a young photographer such as myself can really miss the impact a well printed image can have. I had been shooting for at least a year and a half before I ever had the opportunity to see my image printed well. Before that, I had only seen my images on a computer screen.
We've seen why a printed image in general is important, but how does that translate specifically into a printed portfolio? Some of you may be thinking, I can get work with my website and images print perfectly fine when they need to be. Well, the advantages to having a printed book outweigh the disadvantages of NOT having one. When you have a book, a potential client is able to share your images with others a lot easier in a meeting area where they may be discussing who should shoot what. People can pass or gather around a book much more easier than they can gather around a 13 in. computer screen. Also, technology has not advanced enough where your portfolio is accessible where-ever, whenever. If the internet connection somewhere is down or slow, then so is your portfolio. Let's not also forget that a client has the opportunity to see how your images will print and be sure and not have to rely on faith. I've been told that it's best to give potential clients as little to question as possible when it comes to your skill.
You might be thinking now, I know I need a book, but where do I get one? There are several online portfolio companies that can take your order, and have a custom book made for you within a couple weeks. I got mines (pictured above) from House of Portfolios. It is made of Wax Skin, which feels pretty similar to leather. HOP has plenty of different materials and colors to choose from. I didn't want anything too crazy, so I went with the classic look of the black book, and got it customized to me by having my name embossed in the front cover in silver lettering. The size of my book is 11x14 so clients can really see the detail in my images. I started out by having 15 pages in my book which leaves me with 30 slots for images which is plenty for me at the moment. More pages can always be added in later if need be. The book is flush, bound by a screw post in the middle. In total my book ran me about $130 + $8 shipping. Hope this post helped clear up some things for some people. If you have any ideas for the next topic, let me know.
