# Can I get a critique on my portfolio?



## Benjgf

Okay, I've been trying to make a simpler portfolio to show to potential clients. But I suffer from that disease photographers have where they just want to show every damn piece of their work. How do I make a good portfolio? I'm into editorial, commercial, and music mostly.
But for now, here is my website or "portfolio" or whatever you wanna call it. Looking for critiques on layout, photography... Everything. Please be brutally honest. Thank you.
Website is Bgfphoto.weebly.com *<-Contains images NSFW!*


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## Didereaux

Very inconsistent lighting.  If you have a style it certainly is not apparent.  If not told by you I would not have guessed this to be a professional portfolio to be presented to potential clients.


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## tirediron

Didereaux was rather kind in his comments; I'm going to be a little more direct.  You're simply not there yet.  You mention the photographers disease of "Wanting to show every image they have", unfortunately you have also caught, "I want to be a pro without learning the basics!", an all too common malady these days.

This body of work is simply not suitable for presentation to clients.  The lighting ranges from unusual to poor, many of your cropping choices are (IMO) inappropriate, and basic, "technical" aspects such as colour correction & white balance are all over the map.  You do have some very interesting concepts in your images, but the technical side is letting them down, significantly.

As a f'rinstance:  You have four images of a real-esate agent.  In the first, his pose isn't bad, but his chin needs to drop just a bit.  The lighting however...  you're blasting him from one side with what looks like a single, bare-tube, and the specularity on his skin is out of control.  You've managed (whether by accident or design) to get a Rembrandt lighting pattern happening, but that's NOT what you want.  In the second image, again, good, solid pose, but the same single side light and his near eye is a black hole and hte whites in his shirt are blown/nearl blown.  The third image...  this is an ideal real-estate agent shot.  friendly, confident, but not cheesy.  I wouldn't have gone with the lean, but that's a personal choice, but once again, strong side light and his eyes are pits.  The last image has no business being in an estate-agents shoot.  He looks like my father used to when Mom was explaining just what it was that I'd done before he got home...  

Lighting for shots like these is really easy.  A basic two light set, key light light 30 degrees camera right/left and with the centre of the brolly/SB at about the 7' level.  Fill 1.5 stops below, on axis.  Done.  That will produce a good, solid, albeit not the most exciting headshot light.  

I would recommend turning off your 'Open for Business' sign for a bit and spend some time really honing your lighting skills.  The basics aren't hard, and a few weeks of concentrated work should get you to a much better place!


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## john.margetts

Got to agree with Tirediron, these are not professional. Some are OK, some are nowhere near OK. If you want clients you need to do one of two things: practise for three or four years, being VERY critical of your own work or enrol on a degree course in photography (tutors will be critical for you).


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## dennybeall

Ben, First off I have to agree with the previous posts in that your lighting and exposure techniques need work.
However I think your ideas and compositions are very interesting and show creativity. It takes care to retain that creativity and not get hung up on the mechanics of capturing and presenting your work.
Consider partnering with someone that has a firmer grasp of the hardware and particularly someone with Photoshop skills.


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## snowbear

What they said.
The pages are slow loading for me -- I give up after 10-15 seconds and move on.


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## Benjgf

The Rembrandt was on purpose.
I appreciate the detailed critique. I guess I'm more into dramatic, fashion-oriented lighting and I'm learning that isn't appropriate for corporate headshots. However, that is what the client asked for because he wanted to stand out in New York City. I also sent him some more "even" photos, but I liked these better. 

I'm going to take the advice someone else left on here and start partnering with people who are much better with photoshop than I am. 

I've spent a lot of time learning "the basics" and it's a little crass to assume that I haven't, IMO. So, I will definitely keep in mind what all of you said. Apparently my portfolio looks like crap, and I will take a hard look at it and dedicate a lot of time to fixing it, along with having a more constant white balance throughout. However, I won't be turning off my "open for business" sign anytime soon.


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## Benjgf

dennybeall said:


> Ben, First off I have to agree with the previous posts in that your lighting and exposure techniques need work.
> However I think your ideas and compositions are very interesting and show creativity. It takes care to retain that creativity and not get hung up on the mechanics of capturing and presenting your work.
> Consider partnering with someone that has a firmer grasp of the hardware and particularly someone with Photoshop skills.


I have been doing a lot of researching to find good retouchers lately. Thanks!!


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## Benjgf

john.margetts said:


> Got to agree with Tirediron, these are not professional. Some are OK, some are nowhere near OK. If you want clients you need to do one of two things: practise for three or four years, being VERY critical of your own work or enrol on a degree course in photography (tutors will be critical for you).


This isn't really a critique so much as it is a general statement that doesn't provide any insight or tips on what to do different and better. Critiques should include a little more specificity, no?


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## Benjgf

However, I did not start this thread to be combative. You guys are (for the most part) right. My site needs a lot of work and I plan on putting that work into it, as well as the continuity of my photos. I need to get better at adjusting exposure and white balance. Thanks. Anyone else?


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## john.margetts

Benjgf said:


> This isn't really a critique so much as it is a general statement that doesn't provide any insight or tips on what to do different and better. Critiques should include a little more specificity, no?



The insight was intended to be the necessity for vigorous self criticism. If you need to ask for criticism you are not ready to shoot for clients.


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## smoke665

john.margetts said:


> If you need to ask for criticism you are not ready to shoot for clients.



As I understand it, unless you ask for critique, most of the time none will be given. How else will you grow in your craft unless you get feedback from others?


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## MSnowy

I think what might also help is going to the websites of the TPF members who are critiquing you here. Check out their work and see how you compare to the work their putting out.


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## john.margetts

smoke665 said:


> john.margetts said:
> 
> 
> 
> If you need to ask for criticism you are not ready to shoot for clients.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As I understand it, unless you ask for critique, most of the time none will be given. How else will you grow in your craft unless you get feedback from others?
Click to expand...

Certainly ask for criticism - but as a prelude to being professional, not as a part of it. And you should be your own worst critic.


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## smoke665

john.margetts said:


> smoke665 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> john.margetts said:
> 
> 
> 
> If you need to ask for criticism you are not ready to shoot for clients.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As I understand it, unless you ask for critique, most of the time none will be given. How else will you grow in your craft unless you get feedback from others?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Certainly ask for criticism - but as a prelude to being professional, not as a part of it. And you should be your own worst critic.
Click to expand...


It appears we're on the same wavelength. One of the previous comments about looking at other's work was an excellent idea, both to gain understanding and to verify the validity of the criticism. Unlike some other photography groups I've been on, the critique here can be brutally blunt, but if that critique is coming from someone who really knows their stuff, it's more valuable than gold, if you ever intend to improve.


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## sniper x

I have to agree with the previous comments about the lighting.  While photography ( and video)  are somewhat subjective,  there are rules.  I've been shooting motion picture film,  video professionally for over 35 years and teaching classes on camera technique and lighting.  The last thing it seems everyone gets right is lighting for the mood of the scene. Work on getting enrolled in some classes and concentrate on lighting. Good luck I do think you have some talent there and do like a lotnof the photos.


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## TheLibrarian

Certainly way too many pics in one of the nightlife sets. Gratuitous nipple shots for no good reason and some unnecessary underwear shots. No NSFW option (im at work) so might turn off some clients and does no good being there. It's cool that some girl in a club flashed you but not helpful imo. Bio could use some work, people know they can contact you or will see the links to other albums on flickr no need to tell them. Like resumes though they say to end with call me but i dont think anyone is fooled or compelled by jedi mind tricks. No one but photographers and models know or care about model mayhem, again it could be a link but i dont feel its needed in the bio. Can use symbols for these sites as the link instead of writing out the website names (Add image, insert hyperlink). Weebly sites as far as i know dont come up in internet searches well. Pay for the account there so its not .weebly.com if this is a for real business. Why is the price list a downloadable pdf? Prevents the casual user from looking at them which may or may not be good. Prices could be their own page maybe not visible in the top menu but accessible from a link on the about page instead of a download. 

I've seen plenty worse photographers seeming to charge money in another FB group. I've been at it a month and had people offer me money and jobs (i didn't take it). Also 2 shots from the same shoot on the main page, shes gorgeous, they're nice but not pro front page stuff to have 2 of the same person i think... I wouldn't throw in the towel or get an MFA if you dont want one. Also why no kids, wedding, maternity, family they seem to be the bread and butter of most professional photographers? Not something I'm interested in doing either but im not trying to support myself with it.


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## Benjgf

Ok, well my site needs some serious work I guess. Thanks for all the info. 
I took some advice that I got on here and partnered with a real pro retoucher. I think in the long run it will help with keeping my portfolio more consistent and developing a real style. I would say it's a great improvement so far. Small steps. 
I think my problem is that, for a while, I couldn't figure out what kind of photography I wanted to do, so I just tried to put everything on the website. Kind of a dumb idea. And yeah, the dirty nightlife shots probably have turned off some potential clients. I have a marketing degree, but I guess I can't even figure out my own image! 
Anyways, I started to make a separate portfolio that is more specifically tailored for hopefully what clients really want to see benfringuello.weebly.com


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## Benjgf

TheLibrarian said:


> Certainly way too many pics in one of the nightlife sets. Gratuitous nipple shots for no good reason and some unnecessary underwear shots. No NSFW option (im at work) so might turn off some clients and does no good being there. It's cool that some girl in a club flashed you but not helpful imo. Bio could use some work, people know they can contact you or will see the links to other albums on flickr no need to tell them. Like resumes though they say to end with call me but i dont think anyone is fooled or compelled by jedi mind tricks. No one but photographers and models know or care about model mayhem, again it could be a link but i dont feel its needed in the bio. Can use symbols for these sites as the link instead of writing out the website names (Add image, insert hyperlink). Weebly sites as far as i know dont come up in internet searches well. Pay for the account there so its not .weebly.com if this is a for real business. Why is the price list a downloadable pdf? Prevents the casual user from looking at them which may or may not be good. Prices could be their own page maybe not visible in the top menu but accessible from a link on the about page instead of a download.
> 
> I've seen plenty worse photographers seeming to charge money in another FB group. I've been at it a month and had people offer me money and jobs (i didn't take it). Also 2 shots from the same shoot on the main page, shes gorgeous, they're nice but not pro front page stuff to have 2 of the same person i think... I wouldn't throw in the towel or get an MFA if you dont want one. Also why no kids, wedding, maternity, family they seem to be the bread and butter of most professional photographers? Not something I'm interested in doing either but im not trying to support myself with it.


Sorry!! Hope I didn't get you in trouble at work. I'm going to get rid of the whole nightlife thing. Not much something I'm interested in doing anymore and it probably hurts my image more than it helps. I have done maternity, weddings, and corporate headshots. I just don't know how those things would fit into a fashion portfolio.


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## Kwenami

I feel super bogged down when I look at your portfolio-there nothing specialized about it to tell me what you love taking photos of most. You have so many categories that don't really relate to each other or DO related to each other too strongly. I see a few repeats when you look at 'clothing' and 'tear sheets' for example-you don't need this twice, and the lack of diversity makes it feel like you have nothing better to share yet. I don't mind the dramatic head shot lighting as much, but it's like you only used two subjects-you want to show MUCH more diversity of what you can do. Skin tones, facial expressions, styles, etc. The architectural folder looks like you aren't passionate about architecture at all-where are the intense building features, the crazy scale of variety, the textures? 

You'll get there, but I feel like these things in particular could use work and would be easy enough to do with more shooting. The organization is just as important as what you're presenting.


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## Beatles2

Photographers charge based on their ability , and ability to give what the customer  has requested. I have in the past took shots that most people would say what the hell we're you thinking, it's what they wanted.  That being said I've seen worse and I've seen better.

Normally I never offer critism unless asked personally, but if I can offer my two cents. Your web site needs work.


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## fmw

A very successful marketing executive once told me.  "Be something to everybody or everything to somebody.  You can't be everything to everybody."  For a photographer the key is to be everything to somebody.  You need to determine who your potential clients are and then show them work of the sort that they would want to buy.  From your images, I can't tell who your target client is.  

I did commercial photography some time ago.  My portfolio was filled with the kinds of images a commercial account would want.  There were no art images, no portraits, no wedding shots.  Just commercial shots.  Define your target market.  Don't try to be everything to everybody.  I didn't get my business from the internet.  I got it by making sales calls and asking clients for referrals.  

I was always better at marketing than photography.  I could do the job but not really any better than any other commercial photographer.  I just knew who I wanted as clients and went after them.


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## zombiesniper

The only thing I have to add is that the blog structure to view you work really sucks for a client. I like that you have separated the styles of work but they should go to an album. Leave the blog structure for a blog.
If I'm looking for someone to take photos I want to see the pics. The blog format initially made me go back and look for a portfolio,


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## The_Traveler

I'm not a commercial photographer nor do I sell pictures but I think of myself as having a decent eye for positives and negatives. 
When I flip through just the pictures on your index page, probably half have issues that pop out negatively to me.
If I was in a postion to hire, I'd go somewhere else immediately.



Benjgf said:


> The Rembrandt was on purpose.
> I appreciate the detailed critique. I guess I'm more into dramatic, fashion-oriented lighting and I'm learning that isn't appropriate for corporate headshots. However, that is what the client asked for because he wanted to stand out in New York City. I also sent him some more "even" photos, but I liked these better.



These don't look like 'dramatic, fashion-oriented lighting' issues, just issues.



 
Sorry.

L


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## PersistentNomad

Benjgf said:


> I'm going to take the advice someone else left on here and start partnering with people who are much better with photoshop than I am.


I sucked at editing when I was using Photoshop, mostly because I hated doing it with that program. Then I found Lightroom, and now editing is one of my favorite aspects about photography. It seriously improved workflow and made the whole process way more enjoyable. So, before you start outsourcing your editing, try that. Or, if you are into outsourcing, I'm down. 

As for your portfolio, I agree with others: your images are kind of all over the place, particularly with lighting/style editing. I'm not a professional photographer (yet), but I am a professional critiquer. I've been working as a curator for non-profit spaces for many years and guest lecturer for college art programs, dealing directly with helping emerging artists get off the ground. I specifically disagree with people who are saying don't present these works to clients. How the hell else are you going to land a job if you aren't presenting your work?! But, given that your portfolio is all over the place, less is definitely more. It's better to wow with a few images than visually overwhelm with images that are sub-standard. As a general rule of thumb, many viewers are adverse to images that seem overly worked in post-process, so that can help you eliminate some images right there. Keep the ones with strong composition (which you do have quite a few) and that have a more consistent lighting look.


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## The_Traveler

Benjgf said:


> I'm going to take the advice someone else left on here and start partnering with people who are much better with photoshop than I am.



This is not necessarily a bad idea for the actual execution of the editing but you must able to see and understand exactly what you want done.
Before you get all set to send stuff out, I suggest you start posting individual images here for suggestion so you can see how others would proceed on the editing.

For example

At first this looks like an intereseting shot but the bars are distracting because they are so bright.





Darken the bars to put them in their place and it becomes clear that the palm of her right hand is too bright and prominent and her left eye is blocked and her hair is burnt out.
You need to be able to see those things and either reshoot or tell the retouch person what you want.


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## Benjgf

PersistantNomad said:


> Benjgf said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm going to take the advice someone else left on here and start partnering with people who are much better with photoshop than I am.
> 
> 
> 
> As a general rule of thumb, many viewers are adverse to images that seem overly worked in post-process, so that can help you eliminate some images right there. Keep the ones with strong composition (which you do have quite a few) and that have a more consistent lighting look.
Click to expand...


Okay, thanks for the comment! What ones do you think are best? I know that it's my work and I'm supposed to be the most critical, but I really would like to have others' points of view.


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## PersistentNomad

The red ones are the ones you should definitely cut. They either look way too over processed, are not good quality or just don't really fit in with any of the others and it doesn't give your portfolio a coherent look.
Green are the good ones, or at least good enough to deserve a long-term place in your portfolio (until something better comes along to replace them).
The un-outlined ones are ones that I think you can keep or discard at your pleasure.


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## Benjgf

PersistantNomad said:


> The red ones are the ones you should definitely cut. They either look way too over processed, are not good quality or just don't really fit in with any of the others and it doesn't give your portfolio a coherent look.
> Green are the good ones, or at least good enough to deserve a long-term place in your portfolio (until something better comes along to replace them).
> The un-outlined ones are ones that I think you can keep or discard at your pleasure.
> View attachment 127017



Thank you


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## The_Traveler

This one below is really the only one that I can be reasonably certain of why the picture was taken.
IMO, none of the others are close to being 'finished.' (Not that this one is perfect but it looks like an ad for the shirt)


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## Benjgf

Okay, I have taken some time to simplify the portfolio. I think it shows a more definitive style, with much fewer photos being shown. Also i think it shows more directly what I want to do. Got rid of the blog link on the index page because it wasn't needed. I think I am only showing what I truly believe to be my best work. I am still expecting some harsh criticism, but if anyone would please take the time to critique it again, it'd be much appreciated. I believe it is very important to get feedback from others in the photography community. bgfphoto.weebly.com *<-Contains images NSFW!*


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## cherylynne1

You have got to warn people that the link is still NSFW!!!


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## tirediron

cherylynne1 said:


> You have got to warn people that the link is still NSFW!!!


Fixed.


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## Derrel

Critique: The blonde woman to open the portfolio is just not a good image: in the above contact sheet, there are multiple photos that are more interesting. And the man in the suit jacket looking left into empty space: that image as well is not interesting enough to hold the #2 photo spot. The two laundromat images, or the woman behind the elevator door would be better as opening images.

 We read and see things mostly left-to-right, and those images guide the eye off into empty space in a way I find disconcerting. The portfolio has been simplified, yes, stripped down to an utter bare-bones level; in doing so, you've cut out many interesting images. But the worst issue is that the first two images people are shown are weaksimply not compelling photographs.

My C&C advice is to have somebody who can go through your images with you, to give you advice on what to include, on what makes a good showing of your skills.


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## Benjgf

cherylynne1 said:


> You have got to warn people that the link is still NSFW!!!


ah. Sorry.


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## Dmariehill

I'm late to the discussion.  And I'm not a pro, but I'm hoping to get there.   I look at your newest version and I don't as a client know what you want to do.   Are you hoping to shoot for magazines? It doesn't look like portrait work.   The guy in a suit looks like a magazine ad.  If that's what you're going for, great.   You need more images though to really show what you can do and draw people in.   I only see 1 headshot(and it's merged with 2 others that don't work as a headshot) on your page although you list that as a service.  A headshot imo typically is something a professional would use on their website, in their advertising etc.  It's not an overly artsy shot of a profile.   To me, if you list a service, you should have multiple examples using multiple models/objects etc.   Your website should make me say I want to hire this guy.   Your photos should call to me.  I should see my subject in your setting.   For example, if I was looking to hire a family photographer, I want to look at their pictures and be able to see my kid looking awesome in that setting.  I pick a photographer  based on their style and that's an emotional connection that says that person can make my kids/person/family/house/product look awesome.   Even if that isn't true, it's what your portfolio has to say to me.  I'd suggest more variety in your product placements.  It looks like all you do is jewelry.  Find some businesses to let you take some free shots of their products to expand your portfolio.

I've started taking some classes to help my problem areas.   I've looked at the portfolios of people near me to see what they charge and what their work looks like.   I've decided what I like and dislike about their work just so that I can challenge myself to do better and to help solidify my style.  I've discovered that  a number of photographers in my area host workshops where they'll have the models on site for you to shoot.  Even less expensive, a few of the clubs in the area host a shoot night where you pay $20 and the models are there (I'm hearing the way to eval those is if you get 1 good shot for your portfolio it's a success)  But that's a good way to expand your portfolio with variety.

Instead of pairing with someone with processing skills,  pair and shadow photographers who do the type of work you like and want to do.   See if the photographers you like host workshops.  If you haven't already, join a local photo club and go on their events.  

You've gotten a lot of good advice and have obviously been tweaking this.   I'd encourage you to think about your brand and as a previous poster said, your target market.   After you identify your target market, see if you can identify who is servicing them already, check out their sites.  Compare them to yours, not to copy but to critique yourself.   Use it to identify the gaps in your portfolio.


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## Benjgf

You can never be too late to this discussion and any critique is greatly appreciated. Thank you for the great advice. I will definitely keep all of this in mind as I continue to work on my site. I really need to continue to grow my body of work so I have more to show relating to what I want to do. Lately it has been hard to coordinate shoots with people. Getting studio space/artists/models when you have almost no budget in New York is hard. I do have a page that I use to show my headshot work. Do you think I should put that on the main page? 
Thanks again for the detailed reply.


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