How to make a photo portfolio: a step-by-step guide

As an emerging photographer, a fantastic portfolio is fundamental. It could mean the difference between landing that all-important first professional commission that accelerates your career and finding yourself stuck in a less creative job, still knocking on industry doors.

Here, Canon Ambassador and Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Daniel Etter, who is a mentor on the Canon Student Development Programme (CSDP), and master's student Sarah Köster, who participated in the 2021 programme, share their advice on building a photography portfolio.

Whether you'll be sending your photo portfolio from your inbox or showing it directly to a reviewer, choose only images that make you feel proud – no fillers. "It's really important that you show your unique style – what it is you want to be known for, and what you want to continue doing," advises Sarah.

The image industry has become increasingly specialised, so don't feel like you need to tick every genre box. "The market has changed in the past 20 years," explains Daniel. "When I started out, you would have newspaper photographers who shot everything. That doesn't really exist anymore. A photo editor will be looking for a specific photographer for a specific job."

When he's doing portfolio reviews, Daniel expects to see one or two strong stories or projects in detail. More than this is too much to take in. "Don't overwhelm people with too many images. Keep it concise and really understand what you're trying to say," he advises.

For a big story, you're probably looking at 15 images, something shorter might be seven to 12 images, he suggests, adding that a project should have a mood, possibly through a distinctive use of light or colour palette.

"You should have enough photos that it's not boring, but few enough that people are left curious to see more," adds Sarah.

"Like any story, there needs to be a beginning, middle and end," says Daniel, giving the example of a project about firefighters tackling a wildfire in Portugal: "You want a sense of the location, you need to see the firefighters, the fires they're putting out, the effects on the landscape, the firefighters resting after working a 16-hour day." Avoid being repetitive, he stresses. "There has to be some rhythm to the sequence – you can't only have landscapes, you also need to show aspects of the story up close."

Compiling images from different shoots or series, Sarah arranges her profile based on visual connections such as colour. But, she concurs with Daniel on repetition: "It's important they are not too alike," she says. "If I have two portraits of the same person, I'll choose one close-up and one that shows more of the environment. And you need a good overall flow." At the end she inserts examples of how her work's been used – on an artist's album cover, for example.

"You should be able to sum up your project in three sentences," says Daniel. After that, and particularly if you are emailing your portfolio, think carefully about what text or other details you need in there to ensure the recipient – an editor, publisher, gallerist or funder perhaps – has all the information they need to fully understand your work.

"With the portraits, for example, I always include who the person is, and his or her profession and the location," says Sarah. "And if it's a personal project, I also start with the title, the year and a small introduction."

When Sarah shared her Invisible Bond series in person during the CSDP, however, she deleted the introductory statement and talked about the siblings before widening out into an explanation of her overall concept.

As with many students, the Covid-19 pandemic meant Sarah didn't have the opportunity to present her portfolio in person, so she has PDF portfolios that she can present remotely or send to potential clients. "I don't think you necessarily need a printed portfolio because you can show your images on a tablet or laptop," she says. "But I would love to have one someday – it's always nicer to see your photos printed. It has more value."

The layout of Sarah's PDFs is clean and simple. She uses the same font as on her website to ensure her brand visuals are consistent and includes a collage of different images at the end along with her contact details and website URL. "The resolution should be at least 72dpi, though I like to go higher. But I try to keep the overall file size below 10MB so I can send it as an attachment," she explains.

Sarah has multiple versions of her digital portfolio – a comprehensive one, consisting of two projects and a series of portraits, commissioned and personal, and a shorter one that has just single images. She also creates portfolios for specific projects as and when she needs them. PDFs allow her greater adaptability and control, while her website is where people can go to discover more.

It's an investment when you're starting out, but a printed portfolio is well worth it if you want to showcase your work to best effect. The easy-to-use Canon PIXMA PRO-200 offers high-quality printing for colour and black-and-white imagery, while the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 is an A2 desktop printer with an advanced 12-ink system for exceptional results.

A portfolio is a marketing tool that can help you build your network. To use Daniel's example, this editor might not be looking for a story about firefighters in Portugal right now, but that doesn't rule you out indefinitely.

"Just try to get a feel for the person, what they need and what they want and what you can provide for them," Daniel suggests. "And then, when you're ready, contact them. Don't write to people out of the blue, wait until you have something to offer."