Create your first photo portfolio

A printed portfolio is the perfect way to showcase your photographs, whether you're entering a photography competition, approaching a tutor or mentor, or just hope to present yourself and your work to other people. But how do you get started when you want to create a photography portfolio?

Nature photographer and Canon Ambassador Marina Cano regularly travels to Africa and South and Central America on photo shoots but started photographing animals in the Cabárceno wildlife park, the largest in Europe, which happened to be near her home in Santander, northern Spain. Over a period of about three years, she built up a portfolio of images, which she turned into her first book.

Based on this background and her experience since then as an in-demand professional photographer, here is Marina's advice on how to make a successful photography portfolio.

The most common mistake that people make is not being selective enough, Marina says. "You need to analyse your photos and be very demanding. Include only the best of the best. Don't just put two similar pictures together, for example, because you like them both. You have to choose." Aim to include no more than about 15 to 20 pictures to start with, but quality is more important than quantity.

The most effective photography portfolios are not just collections but sequences of pictures, says Marina. "I think one of the most important things is storytelling, presenting something that captivates viewers and guides them through a story with different elements." In Marina's case, this typically includes some landscape shots to set the scene and give context to her wildlife photos.

Marina's wildlife photography is known for capturing the drama and emotion between animals.

"Making an emotional connection, that's the most important thing for me." It's also the key factor she looks for in putting a portfolio together. It's the way to get viewers to remember your work, she says, whether they are picture editors or competition judges.

How often should you update your photo portfolio? "As soon as you create more work," Marina says. "For me, it's every time I come back from a trip. I select maybe one or two pictures from the thousands that I've taken. You are growing and learning all the time, so you can produce better work." A good portfolio is one that reflects your very best photography right now.

If you are producing photos for clients, you will try to work out what they are really looking for and get closer to their expectations. But even then, Marina emphasises, you should remain faithful to your own style.

"This is the key," she says. "Don't try to please everyone."

The purpose of a portfolio is not to demonstrate that you can produce commercial photos to different client specifications. Rather, it is to present yourself.

Although Marina recommends choosing photos that you feel have the most impact, she says it is valuable to get other people's opinions.

"We as photographers are sometimes too close to our work," she says. "It's interesting when someone views your work from a fresh point of view."

So do seek comments from friends, colleagues and everyone who sees your portfolio, and take this into account as you review and refresh its contents.

You might have an inkjet printer that you use for general home or office printing or for projects such as scrapbooks, greeting cards and calendars. This will almost certainly produce perfectly good-quality photo prints, but to really make an impact, it's worth considering one of Canon's best printers for photo printing.

The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 is a cost-effective A3+ printer incorporating advanced professional-level features including the same pigment ink technology used in Canon's Large Format Printers. This means it delivers spectacular print quality for both colour and black and white images on glossy, lustre and matte photo papers, as well as fine art media.

The choice of paper for your portfolio is up to you, but ordinary office paper won't show your photos at their best. Take a look at our guide to the best papers for photo printing, and choose media to suit your subjects and style of photography. Think about the most effective way to present your portfolio, too – you'll give a more professional impression by collecting your prints in a presentation folder, available at little cost from stationery and art supply shops.

Marina's photos are often black and white. "It creates drama and a timeless feeling – a photo could be 40 or 50 years ago, or it could be yesterday," Marina explains. "Black and white works perfectly for the mood and atmosphere I want to create in my work." Producing great monochrome prints is an art itself, but whether you are printing in mono or colour, you will want to be confident that what you get in print is a good match to what you see on-screen. To help ensure this, it is wise to adopt a colour-managed workflow and calibrate your monitor.

There's a wide range of software you can use for printing. For a portfolio, it's best to keep things simple and let your photos shine. Don't go overboard with elaborate layouts – stick to one picture to a page unless there's a very good reason not to – and avoid filters and special effects (unless, of course, your proficiency with these is what you're aiming to showcase).

For a professional finish and greater control over the process, it's a good strategy to use the software and workflow that professionals use. Edit and optimise your photos for printing using your preferred editing software, whether that's Adobe Photoshop*¹ or Canon's own Digital Photo Professional (DPP). To get the best from your Canon printer, paper and inks, use Canon's Professional Print and Layout software (PPL) to manage the print process – this works both as a standalone app and as a plug-in for Photoshop or DPP.

For consistent colour accuracy, PPL and other software can print using ICC profiles, which fine-tune the printer settings on compatible printers to suit the specific paper you've chosen. To minimise wastage of paper and ink, PPL enables you to soft proof on-screen – with a calibrated monitor, this can accurately preview how your print will look. You can also use PPL's clever Pattern Print feature, which outputs a test print on your chosen paper containing a set of thumbnails of your image, each with slightly different brightness, colour balance and contrast settings. Simply choose the best to print at full size.

Printing isn't a mysterious art, or something separate from photography. "The photography journey is a creative journey, from going to a place and taking the shot to printing," Marina says. "My advice is to learn editing, learn printing – learn the whole creative process."

And, most importantly, Marina advises:

"Don't rush. Create a good body of work first, and from that create a portfolio that reflects your own style. Be very demanding, and focus on creating impact and emotion."

Written by Alex Summersby