To a photographer, a portfolio is a single gathering of the most breathtaking photos they have captured over their lifetime. These pictures can vary from warm family photos to fascinating landscapes. If you are an aspiring photographer trying to learn how to set up a photography portfolio, read the following tips to help you get started.
The first thing you need to consider when learning how to set up a photography portfolio is the CMS you will use. If you know or are a web designer and developer, than you can take the advanced route and create your website from scratch. If you have no web design experience, the best option would be to use a web 2.0 platform like WordPress. These sites will allow you to use a custom Domain that you can purchase, or a sub-domain through their service. Through the content management system that these services provide, you will be able to log into your website and update the photos in your portfolio with ease.
In a photography portfolio, one of the most important elements is the theme used. For the most part, you will be able to find free basic themes built into the CMS you are using. If you want your portfolio to stand out, there are many external sites that offer premium themes that are much more visually appealing. Once you purchase a theme, you will need to install it using the admin panel of your site. WordPress themes are easy to customize and manipulate to your liking. If you know a little bit of coding, you can completely alter the appearance of a theme to your specific needs. An expert web developer will be able to create a custom theme from scratch, making it a completely unique site.
The last priority you need to address is choosing which of your photos will make an appearance in your portfolio. For some, this can be a very daunting task. It is almost as if choosing between your children, deciding which one is your favorite. You are going to have to set aside a time period in which you can individually go through every photo you have taken, and select the absolute best. Choose the pictures you want to display on your site carefully, because they will be open for the world to see.