photo laureates provides here some pieces of information on how to build your photography portfolio.

A few Business Tips back, we suggested that every photographer - amateur and professional - needs a business card. As we explained in that article, even if you've never sold a photograph and never intend to, you never know when a business card that identifies you as a photographer will come in handy. In case you haven't read this Tip , you can find it on the Reference Shelf on this Website. We suggest you read it after you finish this article.

Once a photographer has a Business Card, we think the next step is for him to have a portfolio as well. Now, if the idea of a portfolio conjures up images of photographers, artists, and models struggling down the street lugging a three-foot by four-foot black behemoth (known by some as a "pizza box" ), dismiss the idea from your mind.

While it's possible that you may need a large display for your work, chances are, you don't. The size of the portfolio you carry will be dictated by the size of the largest prints you carry in it. How big? In most cases, 8x10 will be big enough. Maybe 11x14 or 16x20. At the other extreme, it may be as small as 4x6 or 5x7.

What about the material the cover is made of? We've seen portfolios encased in stainless steel, in cowhide, and in brightly colored plastic - all designed to set the photographer "apart from the pack." If you ever start to compete for very high-ticket advertising assignments, that exotic type of portfolio may be necessary for you. But for most purposes, you can create a great portfolio using the commonly available black plastic. It's a lot simpler and a lot less expensive. After all, when someone is looking at your work, all that fancy packaging is of little consequence when it comes down to eyeballs on your images.

In fact, as we'll discuss at length later in this series, ease and convenience are a key to a good portfolio. Some of those extravagant portfolios that get lugged around to top-flight advertising agencies may seem really cool to the photographers who spent fortunes constructing them, but for a harassed Art Director whose desk is piled with other portfolios, the cumbersome portfolio can actually be working against the photographer because it's so bulky and inconvenient.

Our advice: Keep your portfolio simple.

Why do I need a portfolio?

This is probably the first question you have to answer. If you want to be a professional photographer then the need is obvious. But what if you're just a devoted amateur photographer ? Do you need a portfolio?

We think you do. You love photography and you take lots of photographs. Some of them are good. In fact, if you're like most of us, a few of them are very good. Even if you never see yourself seeking a professional assignment, it makes sense to have your best photographs available in a format that allows someone who is interested in you and your photography (whether for a possible job or for any other reason), to look at your pictures easily and conveniently .

Remember, even if you are interviewing for a job that seems to have nothing to do with photography, letting your prospective employer know you're good with a camera and showing him or her a portfolio of your best pictures may help. It's the rare job that doesn't need a photograph taken now and then - whether for the company newsletter or for an insurance record or for a zillion other purposes. Your talent in photography may be just the "extra" skill that gets you the job.

Or you may want to become a part-time photo laureates "stringer" for a local newspaper. Or maybe you just want to impress your friends when they sit down in your living room. For many reasons, having a portfolio showing your best work can be a good idea.

photo laureates suggests that you start building your portfolio early.

Which brings us to the next question:

What is a portfolio?

Without going to Webster's Dictionary , here are a few possibilities:

A book or folder of photo laureates prints, or printed versions of photographs as they ran in magazines or newspapers.

A set of transparencies, either in book format or contained in a single page of polyethylene plastic pockets.

A slide tray of transparencies that are either original images or slide versions of photo laureates prints or published images.

A set of images on a CD-ROM or DVD.

A set of images on your Website.

These are five basic ways you might present your portfolio. (There are also a few that have fallen by the technological wayside, like portfolios on videotape or Laser Disc. Although both technologies were hyped ten years ago, they're not practical today.)

Of course, the most probable type of portfolio for you will be the first one in our list: A book or folder of your photo laureates prints . But if you shoot lots of transparencies or are into today's technologies like CD-ROM's or DVD's or you have your own Website, the other types listed above are certainly viable.

Regardless of the way you package your portfolio, however, you have to next answer the following question:

What type of images should I put in my portfolio?

This is a question that's not unlike the photographer's version of: "What is the meaning of life?"

The answer is simple:
Put photographs in your portfolio that will give the viewer a positive reaction to your work and a secure sense that you can handle any job that might be assigned to you.

That's a little vague, so let's dig into the details.

First and foremost, don't put too many images in a portfolio. For most types of portfolios, somewhere between twelve to twenty photos will probably suffice. For example, NYI Dean Chuck DeLaney uses three small portfolios, one that features his work as a photojournalist for magazine and newspaper clients, another portfolio of portraits and people pictures for clients interested in portraits, and a third portfolio of travel and scenic images for clients with travel assignments or who need travel photographs for editorial or catalog illustration.

Why doesn't he blend all three portfolios into one big one? Because people looking for a photographer's ability to do one type of work are probably not interested in other areas. As DeLaney explains, "I often bring all three portfolios with me, since each is only 9x12. I start by showing the one that's related to the work the client has in mind. After that, I would rather get the client talking about the proposed job. If there's a need to show one of the other portfolios I can do so, but I would rather move onto the client's needs and clinch the job."

In other words, keep it simple. Beginners' portfolios tend to have two basic faults: There are too many photographs, and the photographs lack a focus.

There are a few basic rules to keeping your portfolio short: Eliminate all photographs that aren't technically excellent, and similarly, get rid of all photographs that you don't think are representative of your best work.

For example, if you're creating a portfolio of scenic images and you have six photos that you (and your friends) think are great and another four photos that are almost as good, you're probably best eliminating all four that are "almost as good." It's always best to present only images that are as perfect as you can make them. There will undoubtedly be two or three that you love "except for" some little flaw. You're welcome to love those photos, but don't put them in your portfolio. Only the best will do. Use the best ones as entries in photography contests.

It's not easy to edit your own work. Choosing to eliminate some of your favorite "almost perfect" photos is akin to having to choose among your children. We won't comment on "Sophie's Choice," but when it comes to culling out the "almost perfect" images, our advice is: Be Brutal! Show less. But let everything you show be prime! Some of the best entries in photography contests have a simple structure.

Which brings us to focus.

Often we look at beginners' portfolios and we see two people pictures, a couple of nice scenic photographs, a great animal photo, and a few other things. The problem with this type of portfolio is that it doesn't show a cohesive body of work. If you're into people pictures, make your entire portfolio (even if it's only six photos) people pictures - or architecture, or wildlife, or photojournalism, or whatever type of subject is of interest to you.

In a way, the size and complexity of your portfolio will be dictated by the types of pictures you select.

In next month's Business Tip we'll look at the five different formats we listed above for possible portfolio formats, discussing the merits of each and giving you some tips about how to construct each type to your