From Showcase to Sales: Using Your Portfolio to Attract More Clients
Why You Need a Photography Portfolio
Want more clients but convinced you don’t have time to update your portfolio - or even create in the first place?
A professional photography portfolio is more than a pretty collection of your best work. It’s one of the most powerful - and affordable - tools for showcasing your skills, building your brand, and attracting new clients.
Once upon a time, a physical printed portfolio was a working photographer’s best friend. It worked as a visual resume, quickly demonstrating expertise, style and creative vision.
In today’s digital era, a well-crafted online portfolio is of equal - if not more - importance.
Let’s take a look at how it can boost your visibility, build trust with potential clients and help your photography business grow.
How to Create a Photography Portfolio
Creating your portfolio might feel daunting to begin with. After all, it’s especially hard for creatives to curate and cull favorite photos!
Breaking it down into a few practical steps simplifies the process:
1) DEFINE YOUR TARGET MARKET - Think about who your ideal client type is so you can tailor your portfolio to appeal directly to them. What sort of photography do you want to do more of both in terms of genre and style? It’s important to show what you want to shoot (or whatever you’ve got that’s closest to it) so potential clients can imagine themselves or their family / business / product / pet etc. in your photos.
TIP: If you don’t love a particular genre or style of work, don’t include it in your portfolio. Better to have a tightly curated, intentional set of photos to share and market your services with, than water down the potency of your portfolio with photos you’re not the most proud of
2) CURATE YOUR BEST WORK - Select photos that highlight your skills and style. Make the total number of images in your portfolio small so you can keep potential clients engaged and wanting more, rather than stuck in a doom scroll of same-same photo overload that puts them to sleep. Give potential clients just enough to get a feel for who you are and what you’re great at, while leaving them intrigued and wanting to see more.
TIP: Show your initial selection of portfolio images to a friend or colleague and ask them for feedback: are there any photos that don’t sit well with the others? Are there too many or too few to clearly communicate the sort of work you want to book more of? Is your portfolio interesting or a little bland?
3) DISPLAY & OPTIMIZE YOUR PORTFOLIO - Choose a photo showcasing platform that suits your needs and budget, whether that’s a dedicated photography portfolio or gallery site, or your website. Or - if you’re planning on working with clients local to you - why not have your portfolio professionally printed and bound and make appointments to share it in-person? Choose whatever medium or platform that showcases your photos beautifully and is easy to navigate and share. You can organize your portfolio photos logically (perhaps by category if you’re a multi-genre shooter) or creatively via color or content theme.
TIP: Think about organizing your portfolio images in unexpected pairings or interesting groupings to generate intrigue and interest. Be sure to present your strongest photos at the start AND at the end to leave a lasting impact
Picking a Portfolio Platform
Choosing the right platform for your photography portfolio is an important decision that can impact your brand perception, workflow, and ability to attract paying clients.
With numerous options available, it's worth considering what the different platforms offer working photographers aiming to appeal to potential clients and ultimately, book more jobs.
Here's what to look for when choosing a photography portfolio platform:
DESIGN & AESTHETICS - It’s essential your portfolio looks impressive; that the photos are the star of the show. First impressions count. Is the design minimal, can photos be spotlighted in individual light boxes when clicked, and are there ways to make your portfolio a more immersive experience or change the presentation format depending on the audience?
IMAGE QUALITY - The platform must support fast-loading, high-resolution images and responsive design across all devices
BRANDING & CUSTOMIZATION - You need to be able to brand your portfolio with your logo and, if desired, each of the photos within it. Can you adjust layout options, have different sections within your portfolio, add text, or design custom creative layouts that suit your brand and style?
EASE OF USE - You don’t want to waste time coding or fiddling with complex portfolio interfaces. Is it easy for you to update and adjust the photos inside your portfolio? Is it easy for potential clients to navigate through it?
MOBILE RESPONSIVENESS - A significant portion of your audience will view your portfolio on mobile devices. Ensure the platform creates a seamless and visually appealing experience across both smartphones and tablets
SHAREABILITY - You need to be able to quickly and easily (and proudly) share your portfolio, and do so in a variety of ways e.g. via your website, a link, QR code, direct to social media, in slideshow or blog form etc.
CALL TO ACTION (CTA) - Make sure there’s an obvious way for portfolio visitors to take the next step and make contact with you. Can you leave written instructions, a prompt, tab or a button to help them know what to do next?
SCALABILITY & PRICING - Choose a platform that can grow with your business. Having a free option is ideal for newer photographers, while the ability to advance through different pricing tiers offers seasoned photographers greater flexibility and functionality as their business grows. Review the pricing tiers available to ensure they fit your budget now and into the future, offering good value for the features provided
CUSTOMER SUPPORT & RESOURCES - Good, prompt customer support and readily available tutorials or help guides if you have questions or come across issues
TRUST & REPUTATION - Have you heard of your chosen portfolio platform before? Is it an industry leader that’s regularly mentioned and chosen by fellow photographers? If you’re going to invest time and money into creating your photography portfolio online, do it with a reputable platform that’s demonstrated longevity and who you can trust
Bonus Portfolio Features To Look For
By carefully considering all of the factors to look for when selecting a portfolio platform - keeping in mind these couple of bonus tips - you can make a selection that suits your needs, showcases your photography and works as an effective sales tool for your business:
E-COMMERCE CAPABILITIES: While you're sharing your best work, why not offer it for sale? If you’re open to monetizing your portfolio, look for integrated e-commerce features like customizable price lists, secure payment processing, print fulfillment options and the ability to sell various photo products like ready-to-hang artwork or photo prints for DIY framing
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO) TOOLS: To ensure your portfolio is discoverable by potential clients, check for the option of built-in SEO tools. Look for features that allow you to customize page titles, meta descriptions, image alt text, and heading tags. Blog functionality especially, is a huge plus for content marketing and SEO
Including Testimonials in Your Photography Portfolio
Client testimonials are a secret weapon for turning portfolio browsers into paying clients.
Think of them as compelling social proof – genuine endorsements from satisfied customers that help build trust and highlight the real-world value of your photography service and deliverables.
Testimonials are usually far more persuasive than anything you could say about yourself. They offer immediate credibility so it’s important to actively seek them out if you haven’t already.
Once collected, strategically display your customer reviews in and around your photography portfolio so potential clients can’t help but stumble across them.
By showcasing authentic client experiences, you'll add a powerful layer of trust - and likability - to your portfolio, effectively influencing potential clients to choose you and your work.
How Pic-Time Can Help with Your Photography Portfolio
Pic-Time stands out as a powerful and flexible solution for photographers looking to transform their portfolio from a simple photo showcase into a robust marketing tool and ultimately, sales engine.
While many platforms offer simple gallery features, Pic-Time goes beyond by integrating a suite of comprehensive tools that can be utilized for portfolio purposes:
DEDICATED PORTFOLIO FEATURE: Build out a custom online portfolio right from where your photos already are. Choose favorite photos from your existing galleries - or upload them specifically for portfolio building purposes - and place them into individual genres or shoot types ideal for browsing. Customize the layout of your portfolio. Update it after each new shoot and add SEO keywords to help search engines and potential clients find you. Display your Pic-Time Portfolio as an independent landing page or seamlessly integrate it into your existing website
CUSTOM ONLINE GALLERIES: Particularly for multi-genre photographers who may want to show different portfolios to different potential client types, it’s handy to be able to create specialized photo galleries you can easily share via email or link. Pic-Time galleries display beautifully on desktop computers and offer a free mobile app for a seamless on-the-go experience. Pic-Time galleries can be white-labelled and customized with your logo, watermark and preferred photo layout style. Create one general portfolio that you share or several different portfolio galleries, one for each genre you photograph
BLOG BUILDER: A blog layout built in Pic-Time is a beautiful, clever way to create custom, personalized portfolios that you can either embed directly into your website OR share independently via a dedicated, private web page Pic-Time provides. Make blog-style portfolio pages generalized that you can share and direct traffic to over and over, or easily create bespoke portfolios geared directly towards prospective clients when they enquire with you, to offer a personalized portfolio experience. Pic-Time blogs can include text, videos, slideshows, buttons and links, making them a comprehensive and fully immersive portfolio option
SLIDESHOW BUILDER: Pic-Time’s in-house slideshow builder caters to those who want to harness the powerful combination of audiovisuals to showcase their best photos and book work from it. Pair your best photos with your favorite music - use one of the 10k licensed music tracks provided or upload your own - and have it automatically beat-matched to precision for a unique and engaging portfolio experience. Close your slideshow with a written CTA slide, including next steps and your contact information. Easily convert your portfolio slideshow from traditional horizontal orientation to mobile format to share on social media or send via text message directly to your potential client. Insert your slideshows into your portfolio gallery, embed into your blog layout, or anywhere you like on your website
Photography Portfolio FAQs
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It’s about quality over quantity. Aim for a thoughtfully and tightly curated selection - generally 15-30 of your best images. If you’re presenting multiple genres in a general portfolio, aim for your best 10-15 photos from each. Enough to showcase your skills, but concise enough to keep potential clients engaged
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Regularly. Update it with your newest, best work as often as possible - ideally after every significant shoot but realistically, at the start or end of every quarter. This keeps your portfolio fresh, relevant, and demonstrates your ongoing skill and style evolution
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You can do it logically by genre, project or client type. You can also get creative with themed or color complementary groupings. Always start and finish your portfolio with your strongest images to make a lasting impact on text goes here
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Generally, yes. Consistency in style helps define your brand, showcase your vision, and ensure potential clients know exactly what to expect from your work should they book with you. Always and only show what you want to shoot more of
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Choose a platform that balances stunning aesthetics with robust features. Look for options that make it easy to upload, customize, share, and ultimately, sell your work
Your Portfolio - A Valuable Marketing & Sales Tool
Your photography portfolio is not to be under-estimated or under-utilized - it’s far more than a brag brook collection of your favorite photos.
Your portfolio is your most potent tool for attracting new and best-fit clients and growing your business long-term.
By thoughtfully defining your ideal clientele, curating your best work, selecting the right online portfolio platform, and strategically including client testimonials, you transform your visual ‘business card’ into a powerful, immersive, automated sales tool.
Ready to put what you’ve learnt into action and make your photos work harder for you?
Start building or upgrading your photography portfolio today.
About Pic-Time
Pic-Time is the photography industry’s leading online gallery software designed to empower photographers to: present stunning client galleries, boost sales and market with efficiency. With an intuitive suite of purpose-built tools, Pic-Time helps elevate your photography to a successful business.
Try if free - no credit card required - for 30 days.
