Professional Photo Book of Samples — Easy to Make and Share.
In the last post, I introduced you to the concept of using a quality online photo sharing source for creating your own professional art portfolio. This is a very high quality bound book that you can share with art patrons and potential clients through several vehicles: 1) The printed book itself. 2) E-mail. 3) Social media posts like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others.
Lifephoto prints your sample book in its professional photo lab — you get archival quality paper, satin cover linings, parchment pages and pro quality printing. Plus — and only on Lifephoto — can you get a link to share your complete art portfolio via e-mail or social media. Read more about this in my last post.
Get Started on Your Portfolio
Here is a step-by-step guide to formatting your photo portfolio, a link to the sculptor’s portfolio previewer and tips for using the book and previewer to market your art work more effectively.
Assemble digital photos of your artwork. Depending on the type of art and the price it commands, you may want to have professional studio photography done. Then upload them to lifephoto.com and begin building a hardcover photo book. (You will also have the option of selecting a softcover book in a number of sizes, but for this exercise, we are looking at how sculptor Tom Eddington put his professional portfolio book together.)
- Cover Type. Select one with a photo printed on the cover itself or one with a photo book jacket. Tom used a photo cover.
- Cover Color. Six color choices.
- Book Size. Three sizes to choose from.
- Inside Look. Select background, font size/style/color, opacity and border (or not).
- Photo Placement. Let the system place your photos or do it yourself. (You can always rearrange photos and pages later.)
- View Your Book. See how your portfolio will look so far. This is where you add text and change any options. You can change the layout/background of individual pages if you want a different look. Each page can be edited. You can also add or delete pages. Remember to save your changes as you go along.
- Your Previewer is Now Complete. Order your book, e-mail the Previewer or post its link on any social media site.
Our Sculptor’s Portfolio finished out at 34 pages plus front and back cover with photos on both. You can make a photo book with just 20 pages – adding photos and text where you’d like. His finished portfolio is incredibly rich and professional-looking, showing off the wood grain and intricate design of his many pieces of art — just what you want from a high quality portfolio.
Previewer for Tom Eddington’s Sculpture Portfolio.
View Tom’s entire book online in this exclusive Lifephoto previewer. Your art portfolio will be just as portable and easily viewable from your Web site, Facebook page, Twitter account or other social media format. And don’t forget, you can easily e-mail this link to any interested clients.
Marketing Tips:
- Build an E-Mail List. Take names and e-mail addresses at your next art fair, show or exhibit. Follow up with these individuals with an e-mail message that includes your Portfolio link.
- Intro Page. Be sure to include an opening page that has your name and a brief description of the portfolio’s contents.
- Text — Captions. Use the text feature to give details about each art piece — its name, material of which it’s made, dimensions — whatever is appropriate for each piece and what might be of interest to the prospective client.
- Include a Bio/Contact Page. Give a brief bio of yourself. Include a photo of yourself. (Tom Eddington used a “working” photo of himself with his sculpture in the background. Very effective.) Be sure to include your Web site URL, e-mail address and phone number. You want people to view your work, then contact you to buy. Be sure to proofread all your text and captions — at least twice — before you send to print or send out a previewer to a potential client.