2 weeks to put together a portfolio?!

Magnum

Magnum

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In order to get into a course ive applied for, i would need to have the 'edge' over other applicants because the course is over subscribed. The advisor at the college said i should bring along my portfolio in two weeks to the induction.
I do not have a portfolio.

I'm not asking what exactly i should shoot for the portfolio, but i need to know what range of subjects i should be capturing to show some versatility.
I have time off school from now, so thats two weeks of being able to go out any time i want.
I have quick easy access to London, and i think this would be a good place to start.
I could also have access to a studio of my uncles.

What should i shoot?
 
I'm not the person to answer this but i'd stick to what I know...do it good and make the portfolio crisp. I would say this is not the time to experiment with subjects I do not know..
 
Surely when you are applying for college courses you apply well in advance? Therefore should'nt you have been preparing a portfolio sooner?
I think what the tutors will be looking for in a portfolio is a variety of subjects showing creativity and technical competence. London would be a good place to start, and take advantage of the studio access you have.
As for what are you going to shoot....... Try the subjects from the top dial of your camera, i.e. sports, macro, landscape, portrait and night time?
 
you do not say what sort of course it is, if it is general course, then a good varied range of shots would be beneficial. ie some candid,landscape, portrait, architecture, creative etc etc.

if it is a portrait specific course, then mostly portraits(indoor and outdoor), perhaps a few others to show your not a one trick pony as well.

make sure you get them printed properly as well at a decent size
 
smithphoto said:
Surely when you are applying for college courses you apply well in advance? Therefore should'nt you have been preparing a portfolio sooner?
I think what the tutors will be looking for in a portfolio is a variety of subjects showing creativity and technical competence. London would be a good place to start, and take advantage of the studio access you have.
As for what are you going to shoot....... Try the subjects from the top dial of your camera, i.e. sports, macro, landscape, portrait and night time?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice.

It was a late application. I already had a place at another college, but it turned out that the other college was then affiliated with my school. So, by the time i found out that the schools were linked, i applied late. But i still got into the college.

I'm a bit limited with what i have. Currently only one lens at 28-80. I can still give macro a try since i got some extension tubes.
 
fletch5 said:
you do not say what sort of course it is, if it is general course, then a good varied range of shots would be beneficial. ie some candid,landscape, portrait, architecture, creative etc etc.

if it is a portrait specific course, then mostly portraits(indoor and outdoor), perhaps a few others to show your not a one trick pony as well.

make sure you get them printed properly as well at a decent size
Click to expand...

Its a general course.

I can get cheap prints from my uncle.
What would be a decent size per image? How many images should i include in the portfolio?
 
If you want impact then bigger is better, and A3 size will be sufficient. Don't pack your folio with to many images. 15 to 20 will be enough, and think about which order you place them in. For example you want the first one and the last one to be the best of the bunch. By doing this you will hold their attention at the begining and give them a lasting impression at the end.
Also remember to add a mixture of both colour and Black and White.

Good Luck!
 
i think i saw somewhere say 12x15 was reccomended(on a previous thread on here, started by fraggle101 i think)ill go look

edit, here we go:http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=61471
 
Good advice smithphoto. I think 20 keepers in two weeks of solid picture taking should be ok.. i hope :\
 
So you want to have one overall folio or a folio for one aspect of your photography?

My book is now seperated into three. One is news and sports, which is A4 size and has 15 images in it. One is Fashion, Beauty, and other studio work, which is A3 and will have 25-30 images in it (still printing and working on it), and one is fine art and travel, which has 30+ A3 prints in it.

If you are starting from scratch, and not knowing what specifically your course is about, I would have maybe 15-20 images in a A3 or 11x14 folio. Something like:

- 4-5 landscape or cityscape images
- 2-3 Studio portraits
- 1 or 2 product shots
- 2 or 3 macro or detail shots
- 3-4 sports or action shots
- 2-3 news type images or performance (bands) if you are into that stuff

But of course if you do alot of fine art landscape work, just put a whole bunch of that stuff in.
 
FranchiseJuan said:
So you want to have one overall folio or a folio for one aspect of your photography?

My book is now seperated into three. One is news and sports, which is A4 size and has 15 images in it. One is Fashion, Beauty, and other studio work, which is A3 and will have 25-30 images in it (still printing and working on it), and one is fine art and travel, which has 30+ A3 prints in it.

If you are starting from scratch, and not knowing what specifically your course is about, I would have maybe 15-20 images in a A3 or 11x14 folio. Something like:

- 4-5 landscape or cityscape images
- 2-3 Studio portraits
- 1 or 2 product shots
- 2 or 3 macro or detail shots
- 3-4 sports or action shots
- 2-3 news type images or performance (bands) if you are into that stuff

But of course if you do alot of fine art landscape work, just put a whole bunch of that stuff in.
Click to expand...

Perfect advice thanks. I'll make a list.
I doubt i will be able to get any performace shots... What else would you recommend for news?
 
Magnum said:
In order to get into a course ive applied for, i would need to have the 'edge' over other applicants because the course is over subscribed. The advisor at the college said i should bring along my portfolio in two weeks to the induction.
I do not have a portfolio.

I'm not asking what exactly i should shoot for the portfolio, but i need to know what range of subjects i should be capturing to show some versatility.
I have time off school from now, so thats two weeks of being able to go out any time i want.
I have quick easy access to London, and i think this would be a good place to start.
I could also have access to a studio of my uncles.

What should i shoot?
Click to expand...
Hiya

I'm not trying to be an old man here (although I am) but I think you should really concider why you're doing a photography course.

In some ways, if you are a keen photographer, I find it a little odd that you haven't already got a portfolio. And you don't need to have been to college to make a good photographer.

If I was you, I'd be out there taking pics and hustling the world to commission me do my stuff. A portfolio of good pics says much more about you as a photographer than a certificate from a college.

So just think about your motivation about college.
 
^
I am chosing the course because i want to progress more technically. The course will also encourage me to go out and take photos, and give me a qualification afterwards for further education in the subject.
Even before i have started the course, i am being forced to go out and get creative.
 
Magnum said:
^
I am chosing the course because i want to progress more technically. The course will also encourage me to go out and take photos, and give me a qualification afterwards for further education in the subject.
Even before i have started the course, i am being forced to go out and get creative.
Click to expand...
Well thought out my man. Excellent.
 
Is this for an A level course? If so, when I did mine, the tutor wanted to see our work influenced by famous photographers such as Ansel Adams, Minor White etc. Have a look on the luminous lint website for some ideas.
 
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