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Give Yourself an Honest Portfolio Review

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Over the last year or so, I suspect that I have been asked hundreds of times (thousands?)  to review portfolios of other photographers in my online photography classes, on our Facebook page, and other places.

Portfolio reviews are incredibly important because it allows you to see your work through someone else's eyes who are seeing your work for the first time.  But as I review so many photos, I am constantly brought back to the same 4 or 5 things that most photographers just don't quite realize.

So today, I hope to provide you with the main problems I see in portfolios of other photographers.

I hope that this provides you with perspective that allows you to take a long and honest look at your photos in an effort to improve.  I have done the same and see areas in my own portfolio where I need to improve.

Stage One Photographer

Beginning photographers can easily be spotted because they don't know enough about the technical side of photography to do much with the camera, so they really only concern themselves with the person being photographed.

How to spot a stage one photographer…

  • They consider a photograph “good” when they captured an interesting expression on someone's face, or something random or rare that occurred (like a fire or a UFO).  You can spot this from a mile away, because when looking at their portfolio, the photographer looks over your shoulder and starts explaining things in the picture because he failed to tell the story with the photo.
  • The photos are rarely sharp enough to show fine detail on the photos and all of them are taken from standing height
  • None of the photos show any artistic flair.  The photos would look the same if taken by any person who was standing in the same spot.
  • Almost all of the photographer's portraits are zoomed way out.
  • If the photographer does any post-processing, it is spot color (all black and white except one item in the photo that is color).
Classic Stage One Photographer's Portfolio

Stage Two Photographer

Stage two photographers have gotten lucky a few times, and their pictures have been applauded by friends and family; however, they find themselves caught up in so many little tips and rules of photography that they manage to miss out on the biggest pieces.  For example, they find a beautiful landscape and concern themselves so much with the camera settings that they fail to notice that they are shooting in TERRIBLE lighting, or that the composition is dull.  Soon, they must learn that lighting and composition are more important than anything else.

How to spot a stage two photographer…

  • Some photos in the portfolio are slightly blurry or have other technical issues.  The photog at this stage is still paying so much attention to the subject that he frequently skips over the essentials.
  • Few of the photos in the portfolio have interesting lighting.
  • The photographer is happy with the pictures because they have started to use shallow depth-of-field in their portraits.
  • The photographer might follow the rule of thirds… but ignores the fact that sometimes the most interesting composition does not follow any “rule” per se.
  • The photographer takes out the camera for a picture when he sees an interesting PERSON or LANDSCAPE, but not when the photographer sees interesting lighting, shapes, or compositions.
  • Some of the photos are still taken from too far away, but other photos in the portfolio are zoomed in to the extreme.
  • Their portraits are posed with the subject placed right next to a “really pretty bush.”
  • Their favorite post-processing technique is spot color (all black and white except one piece of the photo in color).
Pictures like these are indicative of a stage two photographer

Stage Three Photographer

By this point, the photographer has started to clue into the fact that lighting is a big deal.  They stop taking landscapes in the middle of the day and at least find shade to shoot portraits to avoid ugly harsh shadows.   Most of their pictures look better than an average person could do, and they are beginning to be known by friends and family as a photographer.

How to spot a stage three photographer…

  • Their best photos are macro shots of flowers.  At some point they need to realize that photos of flowers are EASY.
  • Their photos almost always incorporate good lighting, but they occasionally leave one in there with bad lighting because they really liked the subject, or because they have some sort of “war story” from the shoot that makes them especially fond of the photo.
  • A few of the photos in the portfolio look quite good, but most of them are just “nice.”
  • When the photos are shown to friends or family members, they have said things like, “Wow!  You could sell that!”
  • Stage three photographers are always eyeing the 5D Mark III or D800, and secretly tell themselves that their photos will finally be professional if they just had the right equipment.
  • They have entered the world of Photoshop and post-processing and can do some really neat tricks, but a professional would look at the photos and clearly see the image quality being ruined by untrained hands.  When I look through portfolios, I'm amazed how many pictures are WAY over-sharpened, grainy, or where the colors are all messed up.  This makes it easy to spot a stage three photographer.
These photos are indicative of a stage three photographer

Stage Four Photographer

Stage Four Photographers are just on the cusp of consistently producing professional work, but they still have some baby habits deeply ingrained in their heads.  These photographers are known by most of their family and friends as a “really serious photographer” and have at least considered going pro.  They spend a tremendous amount of time or effort working to get their work noticed by others, but have a tough time drawing as many eyeballs to their work as they would like.

How to spot a stage four photographer…

  • Most of their photos look good only because they include some interesting style or technique, rather than being a photo that can stand on its own.   Often this means that 90% of the photos have creatively tilted horizons, over-processed HDR photos (which they always describe as a “really subtle HDR effect”), overly vibrant colors, are taken from extreme angles, or are weirdly wide panoramas.  There is nothing WRONG with these techniques, but it is obvious when a photographer is using them as a crutch, because only a few of the photos in the portfolio can stand on their own without one of these techniques.
  • Every photo in their portfolio is quite good and any amateur photographer would be envious.
  • None of the photos in their portfolio have technical problems.  Everything is sharply focused, properly exposed, and most (but not all) of their poor Photoshop habits have gone by the wayside so their image quality is now quite good.
  • They have been asked by people who are NOT family members, friends, or co-workers to shoot an event for them or to buy their photos.
  • The photographer rarely notices it, but a trained eye sees many distracting elements in the photos that take away from the overall picture.

Stage Five Photographers

While these photographers are not all full-time pros, they are capable of consistently producing truly professional-quality work.  People can't take their eyes off the photos they see from these photographers, and people often ask if the image was “Photoshopped” because the post-processing adds interest without creating surrealism.  They recognize that gear is fun to talk about and buy, but find themselves scaling back to just the essentials on many of their shoots.

How to spot a stage five photographer…

  • Every shot in the portfolio has perfect image quality (no graininess or wacko effects added in post-processing) and is shot with perfect technical skill.
  • The photographer is capable of shooting any event and returning with very good pictures that have interesting lighting.
  • The compositions of these photographers are mature and make the photo feel put-together and solid without being too extreme.
  • Each element in the frame is carefully placed and no distracting elements have slipped their way into the frame.  Each item in the photo plays a specific role in the overall composition.
  • The photos are not just “correct” or good, or even really good–they are jaw-droppingly good.
  • The photographer's portraits are not only nice looking, but they actually communicate something about the person being photographed.  They truly “tell a story.”
Stage five photography

Stage Six Photographers

These photographers have grown bored of taking “professional quality” pictures.  It is no longer challenging to go somewhere and create work that is impressive to others.  They find their drive to continue learning photography in challenging themselves with specific techniques and styles.

How to spot a stage six photographer…

  • Their work is no longer “random” with one sports picture, then a wildlife shot, then a landscape, etc.  All of the photos in the portfolio go together and you can spot the photographer's style coming through in the work.
  • The photographers can create art without the crutch of a beautiful subject, even if that is what they choose to take pictures of.
  • They create photography for their enjoyment and the praise of others has at least deadened some.
Want to see samples of work from stage six photographers?  Check out Jeremy Cowart (one of my most respected photogs on the planet right now), Joe McNally, Ansel Adams, and many other amazing photographers.

The Takeaway

I hope that, by posting this, no one feels discouraged in their photography.  Portfolio reviews are not about seeing if you “measure up.”  They are intended to help you along your way in becoming the type of photographer that you want to be.

I hope you take the information from this post–realizing that it is the culmination of reviewing hundreds of portfolios–and decide on at least one thing you can do to become better.

What did you learn from this?  Be honest with yourself and share in the comments below.  I'm anxious to see what struck a chord with you.

121 thoughts on “Give Yourself an Honest Portfolio Review”

  1. I think I have made a few of the stages, not sure where I’m really at. I have had people tell me ( You should be Selling your photos).
    I get a great confidence boost and then start going through my thousands of pics and then don’t see what anyone sees in them.
    I know what I like to shoot and some people think I’m crazy but most shots are shot from the hip. I don’t go out and intentionally shoot any one thing, I always carry my camera and if there is a shot I like I take it….for better or worse. I always tell myself, shoot it if it doesn’t work at least you tried, but it’s a terrible feeling if you don’t and kick yourself for not attempting.

  2. You left out one point…not sure which level it would be, but “You must have a really great camera!” Has to fit SOMEWHERE. Somebody made this comment to me about fireworks photos. NOT a family member, either. I see bits of myself in the first 4 levels, but I don’t fit completely into any of them. LOL. Guess that’s a good thing. And I don’t think a new camera would help my photography, but I’m darn sure a little “L” glass would. 😉

  3. Jim,
    Excellent article! Discouraged? Hell no! Feeling challenged to take it up to the next level. Thankyou very much for the very helpful (FREE FOR ALL) knowledge. You Rock!

  4. You have some type of script running on this page that freezes it up and makes it almost unusable.

    It did this on two differnt PCs using IE and Firefox.

    I think the article may be good but I’m not willing to put up with the script issues to find out.

  5. Follow up on the script issue.
    I sent eh link to my home and there was no issues.
    It was most likely a security program running within the firewall of my company.

  6. Its seems I am always searching for stage 5, and I feel I am between 3 and 4. I haven’t found my niche “signature” style yet. I think that is why most of us shoot everything, moving or not, evaluate, then shoot more. For me I have hundreds of people that like my work because it does cover so many interests. The one thing I think about this article is that is makes you think about where you are, and realize how these stages actually make sense. I have found for me that each time I upgraded my equipment, mainly my lenses, my work became increasingly better. Better in clarity, color, lighting, and it gave me more confidence to try advanced techniques. I do appreciate your putting forth the effort on this article. I have to ask: when did you cruise through each stage and how long did it take to get to where you are. Oh, and don’t give the standard lawyer answer.

  7. I would add that those at levels 2-3 have free websites, and level 4’s have a real one. That goes for email addresses too. Only recently would I consider myself a level 4, except for a real website which I am currently working on. Hopefully by Aug….

  8. Really quite insightful. The early categories seem specific and actionable and I like how they were defined. The more advanced categories (in particular 5 and 6) however are described only by vague adjectives. That is not to say that these categories and photographers do not exist. They clearly do. It is just that much of what defines them in your categories are quantitative rather than qualitative terms. Too bad. I was looking for easy pointers.

  9. I would rate myself four . . . I’m not sure if that’s accurate, but I hope I am.

  10. Thank you for your article. I found it truly inspiring. The reason for this is that I find, in this day and age, anyone with a camera has become a “photographer”. I think we can only call ourselves professional when we are willing to criticize our own work. I have seen many over-saturated photos and remember the days when that was me. Now my post processing is much more subtle. That is how we learn. That is how we grow. Only then do we become truly professional.

  11. Jim, last summer I got my first camera that was NOT a point and shoot kodak. Rule of thirds? Depth of field? F-stop? Aperture? What the heck is that??? OMG… the manual was 400+ pages! Never mind… turned on the camera, selected “auto” and started snapping… however my pictures looked the same as with the kodak. Guess what? It’s not the camera that makes a great photo… it’s the photographer.

    So I set upon a journey to learn “how.” I have progressed from bad level one to level three and half and still learning. I can look at other photos and see what’s good and bad and I look at my own with a very critical eye. Not because it’s bad, but because I want to see what I can improve. Ok… some of them are bad, but I’m still learning! LOL. But no more auto mode for me… the camera stays on M all of the time. It’s second nature to just adjust with the toggles now.

    Maybe in a year I can claim level five if I’m lucky, if not well I’m having fun and getting some pretty decent photos now.
    .

    1. I am so glad someone else said its not the camera its the photographer!! I have been saying that for a while now!

  12. I don’t find this article negative at all. Constructive criticism may be hard to take for some but I am operating under no pretenses and understand fully that I am always learning as a photographer regardless of the stage I exemplify. Taking better and more “educated” photographs is and will always be a goal of mine and I appreciate this site for it’s unassuming approach to teaching and learning from others. Thanks Jim and company, keep up the good work!

  13. I was encouraged by this. It helped me see where i’m at and encouraged me to press on. I’m def a 3 (although I have never shot a flower). I’ve avoided buying PS because I want to focus on capturing a photo in the camera rather than depending on PS to make the picture.

  14. I am a solid 3. But I do look at my work very critically, and try not to post stuff that is bad… And it doesn’t matter how much I love the subject- if it’s out of focus, I don’t show it. I do not care for taking pictures of flowers, lol. I don’t think I ever went through the flower phase. I really do appreciate this article.

  15. Refreshing. Much to ponder. I know where I sit on your scale on the basis of my own path and especially in the last 2 steps which I find harder to grasp ie I’m not there now. Its difficult to get accurate critique from my peers

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