Last time I did this was on Geocities...
July 7, 2022 6:34 AM Subscribe
I have decided to create a website for my art portfolio. What am I supposed to put on it?
I currently host all of my public-facing photography on Flickr. I've been looking at renting some facilities in local art studios, but they want to see a portfolio website as part of the application process. Since I pay Adobe a monthly fee to use Lightroom and Photoshop, they also give me free hosting and simple website generation tools through their Adobe Portfolio product. So that's all great, but... what do I put on it?
I don't want to copy everything over from Flickr, obviously. I already put together a couple of "galleries" that showcase some recent work, but how much is enough? Or too much? Should I be rotating through material as time goes on?
I don't run in arty circles, and I'm not really trying to build a business out of this. I don't have an "artist's statement," I don't use social media (except Flickr) to share my work, I've never shown physical copies anywhere except my home. If I were building a resume for my job, I'd include education and awards/recognition, but I have none of that for a hobby. Do I include a bio? Anything else?
I figured I'd get a cheap domain name also, but I have never done that before. Where do I go for that?
I currently host all of my public-facing photography on Flickr. I've been looking at renting some facilities in local art studios, but they want to see a portfolio website as part of the application process. Since I pay Adobe a monthly fee to use Lightroom and Photoshop, they also give me free hosting and simple website generation tools through their Adobe Portfolio product. So that's all great, but... what do I put on it?
I don't want to copy everything over from Flickr, obviously. I already put together a couple of "galleries" that showcase some recent work, but how much is enough? Or too much? Should I be rotating through material as time goes on?
I don't run in arty circles, and I'm not really trying to build a business out of this. I don't have an "artist's statement," I don't use social media (except Flickr) to share my work, I've never shown physical copies anywhere except my home. If I were building a resume for my job, I'd include education and awards/recognition, but I have none of that for a hobby. Do I include a bio? Anything else?
I figured I'd get a cheap domain name also, but I have never done that before. Where do I go for that?
Some of this will depend on the vibe of the studio and whether there's a lot of competition for the space you want to rent. The more interest in it, the more the portfolio is going to be a filter. But the looser the vibe of the other artists, the less likely they are to consider the portfolio a barrier to entry.
As a baseline, I'd choose 20 good pieces, put them on the website in a way that keeps attention on the work (as in Dolley's examples. Format also has some good templates.). If you have a "genre" or niche you especially want to continue, or excel at, focus the pieces on that.
Have a brief About You page. I don't think a bio has to show a professional or artistic track record, but just saying why/when you first picked up a camera and have stuck with it would be informative. If you don't have an artist's statement per se, consider reflecting on why you're interested in studio space now. What will that make possible for you? What opportunities would open up and how would that impact your work (process, product, place, etc.)? Boil that down to one forward-looking sentence such as, "My current direction is exploring large scale formats/output, and playing with space." "My work is beginning to factor in multi-media elements." "My current direction is post-pandemic productivity and a return to playfulness."
I've created portfolio sites using Wix, and bring my own domain via Namecheap and HostGator. Inertia has kept me with that configuration, but I've never had problems with any of them.
posted by cocoagirl at 7:39 AM on July 7, 2022
As a baseline, I'd choose 20 good pieces, put them on the website in a way that keeps attention on the work (as in Dolley's examples. Format also has some good templates.). If you have a "genre" or niche you especially want to continue, or excel at, focus the pieces on that.
Have a brief About You page. I don't think a bio has to show a professional or artistic track record, but just saying why/when you first picked up a camera and have stuck with it would be informative. If you don't have an artist's statement per se, consider reflecting on why you're interested in studio space now. What will that make possible for you? What opportunities would open up and how would that impact your work (process, product, place, etc.)? Boil that down to one forward-looking sentence such as, "My current direction is exploring large scale formats/output, and playing with space." "My work is beginning to factor in multi-media elements." "My current direction is post-pandemic productivity and a return to playfulness."
I've created portfolio sites using Wix, and bring my own domain via Namecheap and HostGator. Inertia has kept me with that configuration, but I've never had problems with any of them.
posted by cocoagirl at 7:39 AM on July 7, 2022
Look at examples like the one above, search for more. I suggest a short statement about yourself. It can be one sentence with your name and something about how you see the world or photography or your subjects. It can include your location if you want. I’d start small just to get it done. The thing about the web is you can modify it easily.
As for what work you put up there, I would be selective. Few people want to look at hundreds of photos. Choose your top 10 or so? Or group them into themes. Are some landscapes, some portraits, others with a color/mood/lighting/content theme, etc.? Start small. Get it done. You can add and tweak it later but I would focus on getting enough on there to meet your goal of something ready for the application.
posted by Bunglegirl at 7:41 AM on July 7, 2022
As for what work you put up there, I would be selective. Few people want to look at hundreds of photos. Choose your top 10 or so? Or group them into themes. Are some landscapes, some portraits, others with a color/mood/lighting/content theme, etc.? Start small. Get it done. You can add and tweak it later but I would focus on getting enough on there to meet your goal of something ready for the application.
posted by Bunglegirl at 7:41 AM on July 7, 2022
The most relevant examples would probably be the portfolios of other artists who are already working at the studios you're applying to - any chance you can track some of them down?
posted by mskyle at 7:43 AM on July 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mskyle at 7:43 AM on July 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Make sure you include a reliable way to contact you on your About page or in the page footer. An email address is an excellent choice. If you prefer to use a contact form to reduce spam, make sure you test it frequently (like, once a week) to make sure that entries in it actually get through to you and that it hasn't broken.
If you absolutely know that you are not open to commissions or other paid work, say so. If you are open to commissions, selling originals, selling prints, or certain kinds of paid work, say so, and say that potential clients/customers should contact you for pricing details.
posted by brainwane at 7:51 AM on July 7, 2022
If you absolutely know that you are not open to commissions or other paid work, say so. If you are open to commissions, selling originals, selling prints, or certain kinds of paid work, say so, and say that potential clients/customers should contact you for pricing details.
posted by brainwane at 7:51 AM on July 7, 2022
If you prefer to use a contact form to reduce spam, make sure you test it frequently (like, once a week) to make sure that entries in it actually get through to you and that it hasn't broken.
Might be different in some fields, but in my line of work as a freelance editorial and corporate photographer, contact forms are an extreme turn-off to many people who would hire me. I know many editors and creative directors who have explicitly said something to the effect of "If the only way to contact you is a contact form, I move to the next photographer." Email and phone are preferred, and if you don't want to put your real phone number, getting a google voice number to forward to your real number is pretty easy and cheap/free (not sure about the sign-up process now, but it was free when I signed up a decade or so ago and I've never paid a dime for the google voice number I use almost daily; not sure if available internationally, either).
Others above are correct about what should be in the portfolio. Think of it as a digital advertisement for your work and likely the first representation of you and your work that many will see. First impressions count. Make it representative of what you do and have done. Have some newer work to show what you're currently up to. Don't put a blog on it unless you really commit to constantly updating it; looks bad to have a post dated 3 years ago as the freshest thing on the site. Name, contact info, location, where people can find or buy your work if that's applicable.
posted by msbrauer at 9:44 AM on July 7, 2022
Might be different in some fields, but in my line of work as a freelance editorial and corporate photographer, contact forms are an extreme turn-off to many people who would hire me. I know many editors and creative directors who have explicitly said something to the effect of "If the only way to contact you is a contact form, I move to the next photographer." Email and phone are preferred, and if you don't want to put your real phone number, getting a google voice number to forward to your real number is pretty easy and cheap/free (not sure about the sign-up process now, but it was free when I signed up a decade or so ago and I've never paid a dime for the google voice number I use almost daily; not sure if available internationally, either).
Others above are correct about what should be in the portfolio. Think of it as a digital advertisement for your work and likely the first representation of you and your work that many will see. First impressions count. Make it representative of what you do and have done. Have some newer work to show what you're currently up to. Don't put a blog on it unless you really commit to constantly updating it; looks bad to have a post dated 3 years ago as the freshest thing on the site. Name, contact info, location, where people can find or buy your work if that's applicable.
posted by msbrauer at 9:44 AM on July 7, 2022
(By the way, if for whatever reason Google Voice is not a good option for you for an additional phone number, JMP is another option.)
posted by brainwane at 9:52 AM on July 7, 2022
posted by brainwane at 9:52 AM on July 7, 2022
For the domain name, I recommend NameCheap.com or pairdomains.com
posted by Lanark at 5:18 PM on July 7, 2022
posted by Lanark at 5:18 PM on July 7, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Dolley at 6:44 AM on July 7, 2022 [1 favorite]