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4 Tips for Making a Portfolio Photography Website
A portfolio is the best way to showcase your work, skills and testimonials to employers, prospective clients and others. Technology has become an integrated part of the creative industry where writers, artists, photographers, graphics designers and film technicians use specialized software to bring out the best in their creations. Building an online portfolio is equally important to showcase your work and achieve better response and greater interest. An online portfolio is ideal for professional photographers as well as hobbyists, who can save a lot of time and effort involved in making physical copies or CDs.
It is not so difficult to create a photography website on your own. The best way to get started is to get your own website and starting building your online portfolio around it. A photography website design involves a combination of your photography skills plus exposure to web designing. However, for those who are not familiar with technical aspects of web design, there are simple free website building tools to help you get an outline of your website ready in minutes. For photographers there are specialized photography website design templates for photo gallery, albums and portfolios.
Creating an online portfolio is easy, but creating a successful portfolio requires meticulous planning, designing and execution to achieve your goals. To build a good portfolio it is important to follow the following four key principles as discussed below:
1. Identify Portfolio Goals:
It is important to articulate your goals in any business, and this is true for your portfolio too. You can have a vision or mission statement followed by a set of goals. If you find different portfolios serve different purposes you can create different sets of objectives for each portfolio, which for instance can be Sales Generation Portfolio, Freelancing Portfolio, Networking Portfolio, Personal/Hobby Oriented Portfolio, etc.
2. Design for Target Audience:
It is important to design keeping your target visitors and audience in mind. For corporate clients and customers from traditional industry backgrounds provide professional, formal and clean layouts without any fancy or edgy designs. Focus more on what your prospects want and cater to their needs, for instance a photographer specializing in corporate events will have a different audience compared to those of a fashion photographer. So the right choice of design for your website and portfolio is critical here.
3. Navigation:
This is high priority for your visitors and prospects because if they have difficulty in viewing your portfolio or browsing through your web pages, then it is a definite put off. Even if you manage to get thousands of visitors, poor navigation or design will pose huge obstacles in achieving your goals.
4. Planning & reviewing your Portfolio:
Your portfolio should be professionally managed and reviewed like any other client project. Since this is a showcase of your work, spend more time on planning, updating and reviewing your online web pages and components of your portfolio on a regular basis.
Following these tips for your online portfolio design would help you win more projects, build a strong client base and achieve your professional goals.
It is not so difficult to create a photography website on your own. The best way to get started is to get your own website and starting building your online portfolio around it. A photography website design involves a combination of your photography skills plus exposure to web designing. However, for those who are not familiar with technical aspects of web design, there are simple free website building tools to help you get an outline of your website ready in minutes. For photographers there are specialized photography website design templates for photo gallery, albums and portfolios.
Creating an online portfolio is easy, but creating a successful portfolio requires meticulous planning, designing and execution to achieve your goals. To build a good portfolio it is important to follow the following four key principles as discussed below:
1. Identify Portfolio Goals:
It is important to articulate your goals in any business, and this is true for your portfolio too. You can have a vision or mission statement followed by a set of goals. If you find different portfolios serve different purposes you can create different sets of objectives for each portfolio, which for instance can be Sales Generation Portfolio, Freelancing Portfolio, Networking Portfolio, Personal/Hobby Oriented Portfolio, etc.
2. Design for Target Audience:
It is important to design keeping your target visitors and audience in mind. For corporate clients and customers from traditional industry backgrounds provide professional, formal and clean layouts without any fancy or edgy designs. Focus more on what your prospects want and cater to their needs, for instance a photographer specializing in corporate events will have a different audience compared to those of a fashion photographer. So the right choice of design for your website and portfolio is critical here.
3. Navigation:
This is high priority for your visitors and prospects because if they have difficulty in viewing your portfolio or browsing through your web pages, then it is a definite put off. Even if you manage to get thousands of visitors, poor navigation or design will pose huge obstacles in achieving your goals.
4. Planning & reviewing your Portfolio:
Your portfolio should be professionally managed and reviewed like any other client project. Since this is a showcase of your work, spend more time on planning, updating and reviewing your online web pages and components of your portfolio on a regular basis.
Following these tips for your online portfolio design would help you win more projects, build a strong client base and achieve your professional goals.
7 Best Online Institutions For Photography That Can Change Your Career
Online institutions for photography are great options for professional and amateur photographers who want to improve their photography skills. Compared to the conventional photography institutions, online schools have various benefits from lower fee structure to efficient time utilization. Our busy schedule today, does not allow everyone to regularly attend a regular classroom program but it is easy for anyone to regularly attend an online photography course. Since the materials can be downloaded and learnt at your own convenience, you can learn during your spare time and weekends.
7 best online institutions that you should consider are:
1. AS in Digital Photography, International Academy of Design and Technology- For photography beginners, this is probably the best online course because it covers a large range of topics from composition to lighting techniques at a beginner level.
2. Photojournalism Program, Boston University- Boston University is a renowned university in United States. When the university officials realized the potential of internet as a great resource for educating students, they came up with a number of fascinating online courses and their department of photography is one among them. The faculty includes professional photographers who have won several prestigious awards and worked with prestigious institutions.
3. BFA in Visual Communication, American Intercontinental University- BFA program from AIU is dealing with the artistic side of photography. However, this program also provides very good insight to various photography equipment, photography techniques and the scientific aspects of photography.
4. BFA in Photography, Pratt Institute- The photography program from Pratt Institute covers various aspects of photography including the history, color and studio lighting. The program has eight semesters.
5. BFA in Photography, Savannah College of Arts and Design- If you are photographer with a strong passion for art, this program works best for you. The introductory classes include drawing and painting sessions to provide you a better insight to colors. MFA in Photography, Savannah College of Arts and Design is one of the best courses for professional photographers and students who want to learn the commercial aspects of photography. The MFA program covers marketing and sales as well as digital photography.
6. BFA in Photography, Academy of Art- The San Francisco based institute is well known for their cutting edge art courses and this course is no exception. You will learn about working with clients, organizing portfolios, studio tools and lighting. They also offer an MFA program.
7. Visual Journalism, Brooks Institute- The Visual Journalism program from Brooks is the best option for those who are looking for a specialized photography degree. Be it fashion, advertising or industrial photography, the institute has tailor made courses that suits you the best. This course can be the best choice for amateur photographers who want to learn about a particular niche and for professionals who are planning to expand their career to one more niche.
7 best online institutions that you should consider are:
1. AS in Digital Photography, International Academy of Design and Technology- For photography beginners, this is probably the best online course because it covers a large range of topics from composition to lighting techniques at a beginner level.
2. Photojournalism Program, Boston University- Boston University is a renowned university in United States. When the university officials realized the potential of internet as a great resource for educating students, they came up with a number of fascinating online courses and their department of photography is one among them. The faculty includes professional photographers who have won several prestigious awards and worked with prestigious institutions.
3. BFA in Visual Communication, American Intercontinental University- BFA program from AIU is dealing with the artistic side of photography. However, this program also provides very good insight to various photography equipment, photography techniques and the scientific aspects of photography.
4. BFA in Photography, Pratt Institute- The photography program from Pratt Institute covers various aspects of photography including the history, color and studio lighting. The program has eight semesters.
5. BFA in Photography, Savannah College of Arts and Design- If you are photographer with a strong passion for art, this program works best for you. The introductory classes include drawing and painting sessions to provide you a better insight to colors. MFA in Photography, Savannah College of Arts and Design is one of the best courses for professional photographers and students who want to learn the commercial aspects of photography. The MFA program covers marketing and sales as well as digital photography.
6. BFA in Photography, Academy of Art- The San Francisco based institute is well known for their cutting edge art courses and this course is no exception. You will learn about working with clients, organizing portfolios, studio tools and lighting. They also offer an MFA program.
7. Visual Journalism, Brooks Institute- The Visual Journalism program from Brooks is the best option for those who are looking for a specialized photography degree. Be it fashion, advertising or industrial photography, the institute has tailor made courses that suits you the best. This course can be the best choice for amateur photographers who want to learn about a particular niche and for professionals who are planning to expand their career to one more niche.
The Evolution of Picture Sharing
Photography has come a long way since its' founding during the mid 1800s. Of course, as photography evolved, so did the way in which people share their photos. From old black and white photographs to a battery operated picture light and battery picture lights, how people are able to show their photographs to others has really changed dramatically in a pretty small amount of time. When photography first came about, there was usually only one photograph that could be developed, so people kept their photos for long periods of time because photos were not able to be replaced like they are today.
The camera itself evolved to a point where it was able to hold film that could be developed. Individuals were then able to share developed photos with friends and family. People were then also able to create copies of photographs, so it was not a huge problem if something happened to the original copy of a photograph. The process worked in such a way that people would take their photos to either a drug store or a special photography store to have the film developed. Individuals would then either mail or hand-deliver copies of relevant photographs to relatives or friends. This process took a fair amount of time and effort to share photographs with another individual.
With the advent of computers and the introduction of the Internet to the consumer market, photography sharing became much easier. With the advent of the Internet, people were able to slowly, but surely put their photographs onto their computer then email them to whomever they wanted. This made it quicker and easier to share photographs. The computer also almost single-handedly took away all photography business from drug stores and specialty photography studios. In order to keep up, many drug stores introduced machines for people to use to develop their digital photos at the store if they wanted hard copies of their photos.
With the evolution of cell phones, photography sharing also changed. With the first camera-ready cell phones, people could take photos and then load them into their computer and share them with others. Eventually, cell phones evolved to a point where people could actually take photographs with their phones, then immediately send that photograph in a text-message to whomever they choose. Cell phones make photo sharing pretty much instant with the advent of instant messaging and texting. A relative who is halfway across the world can share a photo of a famous landmark to a relative in another country in a matter of minutes with current technology.
It will be interesting to see how the photography sharing world will change again as new technology continues to be developed. Cell phones and computers are constantly evolving to allow people to become closer with another faster and with less effort than ever before. It is now easier than ever to share photographs with almost anyone, anywhere in the world. Photography sharing has certainly come a long way since photography became a part of American culture.
The camera itself evolved to a point where it was able to hold film that could be developed. Individuals were then able to share developed photos with friends and family. People were then also able to create copies of photographs, so it was not a huge problem if something happened to the original copy of a photograph. The process worked in such a way that people would take their photos to either a drug store or a special photography store to have the film developed. Individuals would then either mail or hand-deliver copies of relevant photographs to relatives or friends. This process took a fair amount of time and effort to share photographs with another individual.
With the advent of computers and the introduction of the Internet to the consumer market, photography sharing became much easier. With the advent of the Internet, people were able to slowly, but surely put their photographs onto their computer then email them to whomever they wanted. This made it quicker and easier to share photographs. The computer also almost single-handedly took away all photography business from drug stores and specialty photography studios. In order to keep up, many drug stores introduced machines for people to use to develop their digital photos at the store if they wanted hard copies of their photos.
With the evolution of cell phones, photography sharing also changed. With the first camera-ready cell phones, people could take photos and then load them into their computer and share them with others. Eventually, cell phones evolved to a point where people could actually take photographs with their phones, then immediately send that photograph in a text-message to whomever they choose. Cell phones make photo sharing pretty much instant with the advent of instant messaging and texting. A relative who is halfway across the world can share a photo of a famous landmark to a relative in another country in a matter of minutes with current technology.
It will be interesting to see how the photography sharing world will change again as new technology continues to be developed. Cell phones and computers are constantly evolving to allow people to become closer with another faster and with less effort than ever before. It is now easier than ever to share photographs with almost anyone, anywhere in the world. Photography sharing has certainly come a long way since photography became a part of American culture.
Photography Tour in Indochina
It is difficult to imagine an area of the world so bursting with photography opportunities than Indochina. No matter what type of photography you want, Indochina has the light, the colours and the exotic views. Beautiful land and seascapes, floating markets, rich paddy fields, saffron robed monks, ancient temples, French influenced architecture, historical monuments, traditional minority costumes...
In the northern mountains of Vietnam, live some of Vietnam's 56 minority groups. You can visit their villages and share their traditional lifestyle for a while, all the time recording what you see. In Yunnan, in South-west China, the Dai, Bai and Naxi peoples are proud to display their colourful traditional costumes as they go about their daily lives in their villages and towns with traditional architecture. But be careful. Some ethnic minorities have cultural prohibitions against photography. Just ask first. Buddhist monks in Laos and Thailand stroll the streets and are sometimes happy to pose for you. Always obey signs forbidding photography - failure to do so can cause great offence in religious settings. If in doubt, ask.
Especially in Vietnam, one can see the blending of French and Vietnamese architecture, with a little Chinese influence thrown in too. In Hanoi, the French mansions line boulevards that could have been imported directly from France. In Cambodia, the Khmer architecture reaches its peak in the 12th century temple of Angkor Wat. This is one scenic area that demands photography! Similarly, in the Thai capital, Bankok, the Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is a photographer's dream as are the hundreds of smaller temples across all of Indochina.
The cities, too offer occasions to capture great images. The bustling markets in every city; perhaps an elephant walking through the crowded streets of Bangkok; the stalls selling weird and wonderful food which appear on the streets every night; the fascinating mix of styles and influences.
For natural wonders, the karst islands of Halong Bay in northern Vietnam are hard to beat. Thousands of islands rise from the seabed creating a mystical panorama. The island beaches of Thailand are stunning and no one should miss the vivid turquoise seas which surround Indochina. The rivers that irrigate the whole area also offer many photography possibilities - whether from the natural wonder or for the communities who live beside and on the rivers. The floating markets of the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam are a prime example of the photogenic. Phu Quoc in the far south is Vietnam's largest, and most beautiful, island and it is known as an ideal place to catch the sunset.
The local holidays and festivals also offer special photography opportunities. The important water festival known as Pimai in Laos and Songkran in Thailand is a colourful event celebrated across Indochina. Be careful to keep your camera dry! But perhaps the most beautiful festival is Thailand's Loy Krathong when thousands of tiny boats made from banana leaves are set afloat on the river, bearing candles.
No matter which interests you have photography tours can be arranged to your special requirements to ensure you miss nothing. Whatever you do, bring spare batteries and lots of memory capacity - you are sure to go home with many more pictures than you thought possible.
In the northern mountains of Vietnam, live some of Vietnam's 56 minority groups. You can visit their villages and share their traditional lifestyle for a while, all the time recording what you see. In Yunnan, in South-west China, the Dai, Bai and Naxi peoples are proud to display their colourful traditional costumes as they go about their daily lives in their villages and towns with traditional architecture. But be careful. Some ethnic minorities have cultural prohibitions against photography. Just ask first. Buddhist monks in Laos and Thailand stroll the streets and are sometimes happy to pose for you. Always obey signs forbidding photography - failure to do so can cause great offence in religious settings. If in doubt, ask.
Especially in Vietnam, one can see the blending of French and Vietnamese architecture, with a little Chinese influence thrown in too. In Hanoi, the French mansions line boulevards that could have been imported directly from France. In Cambodia, the Khmer architecture reaches its peak in the 12th century temple of Angkor Wat. This is one scenic area that demands photography! Similarly, in the Thai capital, Bankok, the Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is a photographer's dream as are the hundreds of smaller temples across all of Indochina.
The cities, too offer occasions to capture great images. The bustling markets in every city; perhaps an elephant walking through the crowded streets of Bangkok; the stalls selling weird and wonderful food which appear on the streets every night; the fascinating mix of styles and influences.
For natural wonders, the karst islands of Halong Bay in northern Vietnam are hard to beat. Thousands of islands rise from the seabed creating a mystical panorama. The island beaches of Thailand are stunning and no one should miss the vivid turquoise seas which surround Indochina. The rivers that irrigate the whole area also offer many photography possibilities - whether from the natural wonder or for the communities who live beside and on the rivers. The floating markets of the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam are a prime example of the photogenic. Phu Quoc in the far south is Vietnam's largest, and most beautiful, island and it is known as an ideal place to catch the sunset.
The local holidays and festivals also offer special photography opportunities. The important water festival known as Pimai in Laos and Songkran in Thailand is a colourful event celebrated across Indochina. Be careful to keep your camera dry! But perhaps the most beautiful festival is Thailand's Loy Krathong when thousands of tiny boats made from banana leaves are set afloat on the river, bearing candles.
No matter which interests you have photography tours can be arranged to your special requirements to ensure you miss nothing. Whatever you do, bring spare batteries and lots of memory capacity - you are sure to go home with many more pictures than you thought possible.
Start a Photography Business From Your Home?
Numerous photography lovers have recently noticed that their passion could truly make them money. Of course they need to invest some money in a light meter, Fresnel lamps or other lighting equipment but this is actually the case that applies to hobbies for example painting, and as drawing since folks have turned them into their careers and produced an income from it. Most professional photographers actually started off by following their hobby in photography and therefore love undertaking it. According to many people, businesses which make most income are run by people who enjoy their jobs simply because they take pleasure in doing it. Nevertheless, photography lovers must be aware that when they transform it into their job, they must treat it as such in order for it to succeed and achieve the targets that they want to accomplish. Therefore, factors for instance promoting, budgeting and marketing techniques among several others ought to be put into account.
The first and most crucial element is actually creating a company plan prior to beginning the company itself. The business plan will deal with challenges for instance the genre of the company to venture in, the target clients, the market and also how a company is required to perform even throughout tough times. With all these elements considered, a business person will know if photography company is for them and so they will therefore make a far better decision about whether to start the business or not. Another photography business tip is calculating how much money the business may make. Understanding this helps it be simpler for the business owner to estimate how much they are prepared to spend on the company and if they'll eventually make enough income. If the money needed to start up the business isn't available, the company owner might have to produce proposals and source for investors who will be willing to invest within their company and ensure that it begins in a good way.
Another essential digital photography business suggestion is making certain that the aims set aren't too high and therefore are actually achievable. This means that one must not have expectations which are too high when it comes to exactly how much to charge their customers and how much the business will generate. By doing this, the actual company owner is prepared to handle the running expenses of the business even if it does not bring in any income initially. One can make a clear estimate of charges and costing through studying other digital photography companies within the region as well as their competitors on the internet. When comparing charges, the company owner can also find out what area inside the industry is not getting taken care of and specialize in it. This can boost their chances of having a client base that's totally different from other photography companies within the region.
Another way to start a home based photography business is to invest in specialized photography equipment and rent out your own studio and equipment to other photographers.
The first and most crucial element is actually creating a company plan prior to beginning the company itself. The business plan will deal with challenges for instance the genre of the company to venture in, the target clients, the market and also how a company is required to perform even throughout tough times. With all these elements considered, a business person will know if photography company is for them and so they will therefore make a far better decision about whether to start the business or not. Another photography business tip is calculating how much money the business may make. Understanding this helps it be simpler for the business owner to estimate how much they are prepared to spend on the company and if they'll eventually make enough income. If the money needed to start up the business isn't available, the company owner might have to produce proposals and source for investors who will be willing to invest within their company and ensure that it begins in a good way.
Another essential digital photography business suggestion is making certain that the aims set aren't too high and therefore are actually achievable. This means that one must not have expectations which are too high when it comes to exactly how much to charge their customers and how much the business will generate. By doing this, the actual company owner is prepared to handle the running expenses of the business even if it does not bring in any income initially. One can make a clear estimate of charges and costing through studying other digital photography companies within the region as well as their competitors on the internet. When comparing charges, the company owner can also find out what area inside the industry is not getting taken care of and specialize in it. This can boost their chances of having a client base that's totally different from other photography companies within the region.
Another way to start a home based photography business is to invest in specialized photography equipment and rent out your own studio and equipment to other photographers.