Today, everything is online — including photography portfolios. But is an online portfolio enough, or do photographers still need to create a physical one? Online portfolios make photographers easy to find, yet the quality of a physical photo can often be more revealing than a digital image. While some photographers may do well with only an online portfolio, photographers meeting their potential clients in person should consider a print portfolio. Here’s why — and one reason why not.
Print portfolios often allow for larger images.
Images on the web are usually resized — large photos cause slow load times and if a potential client has to wait too long for your website to load, they’ll just hit that back button. Print portfolios, on the other hand, are only limited by the size of your book. Images on paper often have a different feel than their digital counterparts, and it’s often easier to get a good feel for an image’s quality when you can actually feel that image.
Physical portfolios leave a lasting impression.
Maybe it’s the portfolio, or maybe it’s meeting the photographer in person to deliver that portfolio, but an album on paper has a much different impression than one online. Most photographers have online portfolios, but fewer still maintain that print version. If your potential client is meeting multiple photographers in person, which will stand out more — clicking through that same online album with a laptop or viewing a sleek physical book?
Print portfolios leave more room to get creative.
Sure, there are plenty of different ways to design your website, but in the end, it’s still a website. Physical portfolios leave more room for creative flair, from sizing, binding and covers to even leaving that traditional album format behind. Instead of photography albums, single prints can double as oversized business cards. Printing a portfolio in the same format you offer albums to clients in also help clients visualize exactly what they are paying for.
Physical portfolios don’t need a watermark.
Online portfolios present a problem that’s much less common in physical ones — image theft. Most photographers fight theft by adding a watermark to an image. While those watermarked images can prompt a client to call, an unobstructed photo in a printed format could be the one that seals the deal. Print portfolios help photographers show off their work in the way that they’re meant to be seen.
Print portfolios can get expensive.
So why not have both an online portfolio and a physical one? Since printed portfolios have material costs, they are often more expensive than online portfolios. With online being a necessity for most, print becomes just a luxury, and one that not every photography business can afford. While simple albums and DIY options can keep print portfolios from becoming prohibitively high, cost — and the cost of updating down the road — is also a consideration in the print versus online debate.
Online portfolios often catch the client’s attention initially, but a physical portfolio can often make that customer confident in their choice. Print portfolios may have a higher price point, but they allow for larger images, leave a lasting impression, allow for more creativity and don’t require a watermark.