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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. Hmmm, I wonder if a PJ could progress beyond stage five. All those darn random pictures of sports, fires, lightning, landscapes and people.
    AS a PJ, my portfolio has to show range, not just one style, or method, i have to show that I am capable of handling just about anything, at any time, in any weather.

    Otherwise, a good read. 🙂

  2. I have been reading your website for the past few days and really enjoy it. This is the first post I have to disagree with. I am FAR FAR from pro but I do know one thing, photography and art is very subjective.

    What you call over sharp or over saturated might be perfect in another persons eyes.

    I have read a lot of books on photography. Some of the work I love, some I wonder how on earth did you ever make it? Obviously it’s subjective. If we all liked the same look then we wouldn’t need different lenses, photoshop, and all the other things we use to manipulate photographs.

    HDR is a perfect example. Some people hate it, some people love it. Personally I do not like most HDR that is over done but some of it that is over done I do like.

    Another thing I notice about most photographers is they break every single rule they make. Why is this? It’s because rules are meant to be broken and that is the look they are going for. If all the pictures looked the same, photography would be boring. Keep up the good work!

  3. Jim:

    This definition/characteristic of the Stage 6 photographer is spot on:

    ‘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.’

    Sadly most of us never get to that sublime stage where we just do one thing, over and over and better and better. Photography is like art or music — we recognise Mozart whenever we hear him because he had a “style”. Same for Rembrandt. Adams, Halsman, Newman, Mapplethorpe, Brandt, Haskins, Cartier-Bresson — all did one thing and did it to perfection. And, interestingly, when they departed from their one thing the result was usually banal.

  4. Looks like the author is a “rules” photographer. Rule of thirds. sunny 16 rule. Everything must be sharp and exposed a certain way. Landscapes must be taken at certain hours. Shadows must be managed in portraits a certain way.

    Maybe stage 7 is that you stop taking boring perfect photos, throw the stupid rules out the window, and do something interesting.

  5. I’m leaving 3, going into 4… with lots of practice and learning I’ll be in 5 in one more year 😉 At this moment I don’t even feel capable to become a 6.

  6. I found your article to be very interesting. I believe I’m between level 3 and 4. I would love to be on level 5 heading to 6. Once I get my DSLR I know for a fact my pictures will be greater than what I do now with a mirror lesson camera. Thank you

  7. Really good article! Thank you for “quantifying” some of these levels/steps for us. It’s often hard, but so important, to be honest about our skills and the level at which we operate. We need to be proud of the pictures we are taking but also realistic about their objective quality, which will help us identify the areas where we need to improve to get to the next level. Thanks for helping lay that out for us!

  8. I’m a level three. I’ve only had my DSLR since 2012 so I think that’s fair. One stage per year?

  9. I think the biggest thing that stuck out to me from this article, that I will definitely try to work on, is backing off the Photoshop and Lightroom for a while, and just try to get a picture to be good by itself. I’ve only had my DSLR for 1 year (and it’s only a Canon T3 with a 50mm 1.4 lens), but I’ve been practicing Photoshop since 2011 with my old point and shoot pictures. It’s habit for me to “just take some pictures” and then make them look better in PS.

    Also hoping to take a class or two soon! 🙂

  10. This feels harsh… I think only because none of us want to admit that we aren’t as great as we’d like to be. I think I’d rate myself as a stage 3 and cross my fingers someone would consider me a stage 4. The key is to always grow and thrive to be better. One thing I love about your site (and podcast) is I can go back and re-read or re-listen as I grow into new stages. Always coming away with something different than the last time I listened to the podcast or read the blog post.

    Thanks for all that you do – no matter what stage I am, was or will be – I owe a lot of what I have learned to you and am very thankful for that!

  11. In photography portfolio the most important part is the placement of the images in right place and in right angel. I am fully agree with all your tips you have mentioned here.

  12. Your writing is absolutely stunning for me because I haven’t any interest about photography. But now I think it’s time to start my journey with photograph. Thank you so much for writing these unique steps for us. I know it’s hard to start, but I have desire to develop my skills 1 stage every year.

  13. I’m dabbling still in level 3 and sliding into level 4. I’m my own worst critic it’s true!! My friends and family have told me they loved my photos, but I have more recently gotten nice comments and requests to do portraits and weddings for people I don’t know that like my photos to! So instead of completely doubting myself, I’ve taken the compliments as a great boost of confidence and trying new things, and techniques along with studying and learning more. I love photography way to much to give up!! There’s only up from here and I’m determined to make a go at this for my career hopefully soon. Best of luck to everyone out there trying!!!

  14. Very helpful article. I’m not sure why some people find it upsetting. I appear to be between levels 3 and 4 and am thrilled to have a usable scale with which to critique my skill level. Relying on the praise of friends and relatives is neither realistic nor helpful; unless they are highly skilled themselves, they will almost always think everything you do is wonderful. We learn more from our mistakes than we do our successes – but only if we are able to honestly appraise ourselves and recognize where we need to improve.

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