How to showcase your photography work to a big production agency
I just got off a call with a big production agency in London. It was a huge opportunity for me to showcase my work, show them what I'm capable of, and a chance for them to ask me questions.
I find calls like these so terrifying. It's like being interviewed for a job! But never the less, they're soooo important to do when you get a chance, because how often do you get the undivided attention of a whole production agency?
If you're wondering how I got to chance to do it, by the way, it's cause I pitched to them ;)
The reason I'm bringing this up is that it showed me, once again, just how important investing time in building a portfolio is. I showed a mix of personal projects and commercial work. Of course, I do think that it's great for potential clients to see my commercial abilities, but without fail, they're ALWAYS most interested in my personal projects.
They want to know what inspired them. They want to know how I produced them. They're what get conversations going.
Shooting for your portfolio can be time-consuming. It can be hard - how do you gather a team together? How do you find a location? How do you know that your idea is going to be worth it?
But I promise you that it is so worth doing. It's creatively fulfilling, but equally, it's what is going to get you hired.
If you have no idea where to start with adding to your portfolio, ask yourself these questions:
What is my portfolio currently missing?
Who is my dream client, and what would they like to see?
What personal project would fill my heart with so much joy?
Those should be enough to get you started!
If you're wanting to learn more about portfolio building, I'm in the final stages of my new online course, Perfect Portfolio. It's going to be a whole new learning experience where I help you produce a shoot from start to finish. I'll help you work out what gaps you have in your portfolio, find the perfect shoot idea, and make that shoot happen.
It's going to be totally different from any of the courses that I've ever run before - more interactive, and much more results driven. There will be actual homework! I'll be checking in and making sure that you do what you say you want to do! I'm going to be there to hold you accountable.
For that reason though, there will also be limited numbers of students. I'm keeping the first cohort small because I've never run a course in this way, so I want to make sure I can do it right.
