here are some basic guidelines to have a nice decent looking portfolio


1. realize what you want to shoot first,, people, still llife, animals, cars , clowns , sexy stuff etc...

2. if u want to shoot for magazines and willing to shoot anything just to get ur foot on the dooor, have a book

: normally 8x12 in size , i think you can buy a nice leather folio book now in sketches at gbelt 2 or 3.

what do i put in the book?

normally we would all llike to shoot models diba or sexy stuff...but the editors want to see variety so gather lots of images print them 8x12 and show them
1. portraits 2. high fashion looking models, 3. nice interiors 4. food

probably show more of one of the topic you want emphasized.

: then leave a set card with a few pics and your name and contact number nice enough for them to pin around their cubicles.

if one of the editors call you for any kind of shoot.. drop what your doing, cancel your appoinments and dont give them a hard time and just do it

magazine work is now becoming harder to penetrate since tons of photogs r appearing every month thats why when u make your portfolio.. it shouldn't look half baked and aim for a world class look. if u need to hire a model and stlyist,, do it :)

post ur questions here if ur serious in making a portfolio:)
cheers!!!

Wow, great advices...

Very informative Pat, thanks!:)

Thanks Pat! :) Very good guides.

Thanks, Pat!!!

I am dead serious in coming up with my portfolio.

hi princess

1. either way is ok with them
2. well with the publishing houses,its better you go there maybe spend a day or two going around the different cublicles waiting fo the editors so u can meet them personally...
.although i hate leaving my folio,, it does at times gets lost and hard to get mad at the ad agencies or editors right. so have 2 or 3 sets as backup

here are some of my questions:
1.) would you prefer them to be printed on glossy, matte.. or depends on your preference
2.) are their other companies that require you to leave your portfolio behind?

oh.. if you guys are after the leather folio books at sketches (greenbelt 3) it costs about 2k-5k :)

Hi Pat, my wife (Cecile Jusi) and I have been editors at Summit Media, probably the Philippines' largest magazine publishing house. Our suggestion would be to look at their 20+ titles; each mag has a certain style. One can see what the editors prefer.

Choose a mag that caters to your particular photography style. You'll have a good chance the editors will like your work.

@ Mr. Baltasar - thanks for the advise!

Great info! Thanks a lot Pat and Winston!

@Pat and Winston,

Thanks for all your advises and tips! This is probably one of the best tips here. :)

I personally adjust my folio depending on which magazine I present to. I remember the first time I presented my folio to Allan M. of FHM, he just flipped over the fashion, beauty, etc... and went straight for the sexy shots.

Quite the opposite when I showed my stuff to Men's Health and Cosmo; they wanted to see situationals and fitness related stuff. And Pat's right about the dropping whatever you're doing part, especially if it's the first time the magazine is calling you up. Hehehe. :Grin:

i used to have separate folio/set card for people, food, cars etc..

also help to have friends working for the publishing company. she/he can show/point you to the right people..

some magazines have go-see days. so might be better to call ahead and set an appointment. most of the time, they will tour you around and introduce you to different magazines/titles.

also, dont except high pay and glamorous job shooting for magazines. its really not like that (at least not in the philippines hehe). its more hard work and sometimes a lot of work-arounds due to tight budget. but if you think you can enjoy it naman, its also a lot of fun.

lastly, be humble. most people in the industry have been there long enough to tell who can really do it and who are merely bluffing.

very insightful info. thnx

Will keep that in mind. Thanks for sharing

I hope to see nice samples of on-line portfolio posted in this forum soon! ;)

i used to have separate folio/set card for people, food, cars etc..

also help to have friends working for the publishing company. she/he can show/point you to the right people..

some magazines have go-see days. so might be better to call ahead and set an appointment. most of the time, they will tour you around and introduce you to different magazines/titles.

also, dont except high pay and glamorous job shooting for magazines. its really not like that (at least not in the philippines hehe). its more hard work and sometimes a lot of work-arounds due to tight budget. but if you think you can enjoy it naman, its also a lot of fun.

lastly, be humble. most people in the industry have been there long enough to tell who can really do it and who are merely bluffing.

Kai! Kamusta na? Cecile says hi.

Networking can be a crucial part of getting jobs. As Kai says, it's an advantage to know people in the publishing industry, especially Editors. Btw, Cecile and I are former Summit editors, not current. I've already received a PM from someone who thinks I'm still in the biz and I only started posting at DPP yesterday!

If you want to get to know the editors, try the Summit forums. Maybe Mega and the ABS-CBN newspapers have forums, too. They do have EBs from time to time. Of course, ultimately, your talent is what will get you the job. Chika-chika helps but it will only get your foot in the door.

And never give up when your work is turned down. It simply means there more room for improvement. It took me several return trips to publishing companies before I got my first break. I simply tried to one-up myself each time I get a turndown.

I gotta thank Maya Calica (EIC of Seventeen at that time) for taking a gamble on me; that was about 6 years ago. Hehehe. :Grin:

Thanks for the tips guys!

hey there,




1. either way is ok with them
2. well with the publishing houses,its better you go there maybe spend a day or two going around the different cublicles waiting fo the editors so u can meet them personally...
.although i hate leaving my folio,, it does at times gets lost and hard to get mad at the ad agencies or editors right. so have 2 or 3 sets as backup

also kai and jay correct on adjusting your samples per mag department.

here are some of my questions:
1.) would you prefer them to be printed on glossy, matte.. or depends on your preference
2.) are their other companies that require you to leave your portfolio behind?

oh.. if you guys are after the leather folio books at sketches (greenbelt 3) it costs about 2k-5k :)[/quote]

what's important is you show them your pinaka best work and if things dont't happenyet for you ..try building up your portfolio more ....

dont pala also hataw all the publishing houses ,,try one first and find out what some editors think of your work.

it may be a turn off to a lot of photographers bec. they think the pay is low...but remember, the most fun work is with the magazines, plus the creative freedom, lots of beautiful people....respect in the industry....etc...

what's important is you show them your pinaka best work and if things dont't happenyet for you ..try building up your portfolio more ....

dont pala also hataw all the publishing houses ,,try one first and find out what some editors think of your work.

it may be a turn off to a lot of photographers bec. they think the pay is low...but remember, the most fun work is with the magazines, plus the creative freedom, lots of beautiful people....respect in the industry....etc...

Absolutely right, Pat. Sayang I didn't get to work with you when I was with Top Gear. But I did marry Cecile, formerly with Seventeen. You might remember her.

Some photographers have leveraged their magazine portfolios into successful advertising work. That where the good money is.

hey winston.yes i still rmeember cecille..congrats on you guys again...o nga we never shot together for top gear..sayang

@Pat and Winston,

Thanks for all your advises and tips! This is probably one of the best tips here. :)

You're very welcome, Ian and Melvin. Note also that Editors are usually VERY busy, so please excuse them if they are curt and short-tempered. They're usually thinking of their upcoming deadline; they get their balls cut off if they're delayed. And woe to you, if you're the cause of the delay! :Grin:

Wow great tips!!! ... hope to have my own portfolio soon =) thanks for all the tips =)

Very informative, thanks for the tips....:)

Sirs approximately how many images should we include genre?

Thanks in advance. :)

i agree this is one good advice.


thanks

@ Mr. Baltasar - thanks for the advise!

hehe. I'm getting a kick from Ces calling me "Mr. Baltasar" from way back in 2007. This must have been one of my first DPP posts. :D

So this is not OT, used to be Editors would only accept printed portfolios. Back in the 2005, when I was still with Summit, the publishers prefered film for the photos. In my last shoot for Top Gear, I was sent to Sepang, Malaysia to cover Formula 1. I had 100 rolls of film in my backpack.

What a difference 3 years makes. I've been asked to send in my portfolio for a magazine, but this time, my photos on a CD will do. Technology moves onward.

very informative..,:)

thanks for sharing pat

great advice :) .. will note that one for a newbie like me ;)

hi, newbie here, the posts have been really informative and im learning a lot......

hope you can give us tips on how to approach editors of different magazines?

do u just walk-in or do u need to make appointments...? things like that...:)

thanks:)

here are some basic guidelines to have a nice decent looking portfolio


1. realize what you want to shoot first,, people, still llife, animals, cars , clowns , sexy stuff etc...

2. if u want to shoot for magazines and willing to shoot anything just to get ur foot on the dooor, have a book

: normally 8x12 in size , i think you can buy a nice leather folio book now in sketches at gbelt 2 or 3.

what do i put in the book?

normally we would all llike to shoot models diba or sexy stuff...but the editors want to see variety so gather lots of images print them 8x12 and show them
1. portraits 2. high fashion looking models, 3. nice interiors 4. food

probably show more of one of the topic you want emphasized.

: then leave a set card with a few pics and your name and contact number nice enough for them to pin around their cubicles.

if one of the editors call you for any kind of shoot.. drop what your doing, cancel your appoinments and dont give them a hard time and just do it

magazine work is now becoming harder to penetrate since tons of photogs r appearing every month thats why when u make your portfolio.. it shouldn't look half baked and aim for a world class look. if u need to hire a model and stlyist,, do it :)

post ur questions here if ur serious in making a portfolio:)
cheers!!!

how to get models that are willing for to pose in front of your cam for free? my purpose here is to have a compilation or a portfolio for portraitures and glamour shots.

@Jonathan Mabini: I'm not sure if this will work for you, but this is what I usually do. I registered on modelmayhem and I look for models in the country looking for xdeal shoots, so they only ask for your pictures as payment for their time. They usually also have friends or know other models they could bring who would be willing to settle for the same "fee", and that's how you build a network and your portfolio.

kudos to sir pat.. this is a good start at least... very informative.. :)

thanks for this info pat...

Is it advisable to put my signature below every photograph in my folio?

I am also an aspiring photographer...ano ba maganda camera para makapag start sa photography? pwede na ba yung 10 MP ng kodak?

Seriously, read the rules. Change your forum handle, and use english

@Jonathan Mabini: I'm not sure if this will work for you, but this is what I usually do. I registered on modelmayhem and I look for models in the country looking for xdeal shoots, so they only ask for your pictures as payment for their time. They usually also have friends or know other models they could bring who would be willing to settle for the same "fee", and that's how you build a network and your portfolio.
Effective approch, a good suggestion. I have collected my samples thru my elder sister modista.

@Jonathan Mabini: I'm not sure if this will work for you, but this is what I usually do. I registered on modelmayhem and I look for models in the country looking for xdeal shoots, so they only ask for your pictures as payment for their time. They usually also have friends or know other models they could bring who would be willing to settle for the same "fee", and that's how you build a network and your portfolio.

Hi,

is this available in the philippines?

Thanks,

Hi,

is this available in the philippines?

Thanks,


Yes. :)

You may even narrow your search to a city in the Philippines.

Also, here in DPP there are a lot of micro clubs that you can join. This way, you would be able to learn from more advance shooters and divide the TF for the models that your club would hire.:)

is it ok if i formatted my work in A4 size?

is it ok if i formatted my work in A4 size?

Can't speak for all the magazines, but the ones I've shot for are ok with A4. It's not so much the size as the quality and impact of the photos.

hi, newbie here, the posts have been really informative and im learning a lot......

hope you can give us tips on how to approach editors of different magazines?

do u just walk-in or do u need to make appointments...? things like that...:)

thanks:)


same question with mine :)

Any which way that you can grab their attention -

Sometimes, you have to keep calling, emailing, sending cards and other marketing materials. Persevere. Know the difference between being persistent and being a pest.

Sometimes, you chance upon media people in events, or at a party. You strike up a conversation, you give your card, you deliver your 1-minute pitch, and voila! You got them interested in your work. Be prepared to turn any opportunity into good luck.

Thanks, will follow your advices!

very nice thread...very helpful....planning to build my portfolio very very soon....hehe

:)

kudos to those who shared and to the TS...thanks so much!!

Very informative.. thanks for this!

SIRs and MA'AMs,
thanks for this thread really help me. I've been meaning to make my own portfolio and these tips are very good :D

THANKS!!!

Hi,

I just want to ask. If I'm going to submit my portfolio, should I leave it in their office and wait for it or I will just leave it there and never expect it to comeback?

thanks for the advice!!! :D now i'm wondering... where can I show my work... :D

Hi,

I just want to ask. If I'm going to submit my portfolio, should I leave it in their office and wait for it or I will just leave it there and never expect it to comeback?

It's probably not wise to leave it. Make an appointment, and get the person you are presenting to to commit to a time to meet you. It's always better if you can personally present your own portfolio so you can explain your photos or share some stories about them. Also, if this is your first time to meet the editor or publisher, then you would have the opportunity to make a good impression. Let them see that you are a good photographer as well as a good person to work with. Make that connection while you impress them with your photography.

If you find it difficult to get an appointment - send a postcard of your photography. Make sure it's one of your best, and make sure it has your contact info, a short message about your photography, and addressed to a particular person at the editorial office.

Good luck.:)