portfolio advice

John, why not shoot fashion on location with models that want to build their own portfolios as well?

John,



Join up at <a href="http://www.modelmayhem.com">ModelMayhem</a> and look for models which require Time For Prints (TFP) or other portfolio building services. <br>

Ideally for fashion you need a portfolio which includes both studio and location shots, as this shows the person browsing your portfolio that you have the ability to handle most location shoots.

Hey John,
I would go around to the local model agencies and offer my services to them for testing the models. This is quite frequent in New York. Agencies will want newer models to build their portfolios. So, you dont pay for your model and they dont pay for the photos- al least at first. If they like the work you are doing then you can offer them a rate to shoot their models for either their portfolio’s or comp cards. I recommend focusing on shooting outdoors. Your in Thailand! it shouldn’t be to hard to find great locations. Photographers fly half way around the world to shoot on location there. Also, you can try to cultivate a relationship with one studio, maybe see if they will let you use the studio once in a while for your personal stuff and then bring them the business when you have it. Maybe you could offer to work in their studio one or two days a week in exchange for use one day a week…. Start with locations! Your in F__kin Thailand!

Fashion work in the portfolio is very important, and always use film!

Thank you, all of you for the feedback. 

Billy, I was curious as to why you recomended that I always use film.  I use film for most of my personal art and some commisions but I am under the impression that digital is rapidly becoming the prefered media for the fashion industry.  In fact the other commercial photographers who I have chatted with both here and in the states are using digital for all their assignments, as it is what the client has requested.  Am I off base thinking that industry is leaning strongly towards digital and that film in my portfolio will not lend it any additional merit?  I still prefer film as I think the quality is better, but for images which are eventually slated for print, would there be any advantage to showing that I am proficient with film?

- John

It all depends on what you do, whether you’re doing fashion for the sake of commercial, or for some other reasons. If commerciality is involved then you would shoot in digital for the sake of it being instant. Film saves you the extra time spent in front of your computer.

Billy thats a crazy comment, sorry



Film saves you time? err its all the same as most film takes 1 day to develop and then scan/manipulate etc

Commercially speaking it does seem to take a longer time for the lapse at the lab.



The digital scenario presents this:

The client sees the images on the spot, while attending to the client comments and the art directors pick the shots, there goes a decisive moment when the photographer is not behind the camera, and the photographer’s attention leaves the set. Even the photographer’s own strict discipline couldn’t hold back to the overwhelming requests from the various persons.



Well, different media serves different purposes. In fact, most sane people would think its crazy, but from my own experience I spent more time balancing colours on direct digital images than those that were drum scanned from transparencies. For certain fine details like hairs in backlight, somehow most digital equipment can’t handle well. Since Klukas was talking about fashion in his portfolio, then there’s fabrics and hairs and skin involved, and only Sinar would perform outstandingly well for capturing these surfaces.



To hire Sinar digital equipment isn’t cheap either, that I would stick to 120 transparencies and polaroid tests.



Maybe I’m spoilt for the choice here as it only takes 3 hours to get films processed, and another 3 hours for the lab to get the images scanned at extremely high resolution. Whilst in between the time I get other work and errands done instead of sitting in front of the computer. (I’m responding and reading posts here, that’s also computer time…too much screen isn’t good for our precious eyes which we depend on dearly.)