It was about one year into my photographic career when I first sat down to put together a book.  In this digital age where it’s hard to find a printed phone book, the importance of your online portfolio presentation cannot be overestimated.  However, there comes a time in a young fashion photographer’s career when a printed portfolio is called for.

It is quite possible to have a lucrative career in many genres of photography without ever showing a printed book.  This post is intended to assist those photographers & models whose clients do request their book.  Working professionals from architectural photographers all the way across the board to high fashion makeup artists can benefit from representing themselves with a quality book.

I will not discuss in detail the style & design of your book during this post.  Part 2 of this series will delve into that in detail.  First, I would like to discuss aspect ratio.  I think this is a good place to start due to widespread ignorance on the topic.  I too fell victim to the assumption that my DIGITALslr produced book-ready images.  For the first year I was shooting, I composed the shot in camera as I expected to display the final image.  Even when I cropped down images, I maintained the same aspect ratio as the raw file.

The following is a quote from Blue Cube Imaging:

In our industry standard portfolio sizes for models (9×12), photographers and MUA’s (11×14) do not fit the aspect ratio produced by the majority of todays cameras.

Current 3:2 aspect ratio cameras (95% or more of all SLR’s) print to 4×6, 6×9 (if your lab offers it), 8×12, 12×18, 16×24 & 20×30 without cropping. Any other size including 9×12 and 11×14 require cropping or another form of layout if you want to print full bleed (image all the way to the edge of the paper).

Printing 9×12′s & 11×14′s means that either the photographer or the lab is going to have to crop and size images for printing.

Coming from the unique perspective of a lab owner I would say that at least 60% of the images submitted for print have not been properly sized for output.

This diagram is to show just how much of an image can be lost to cropping:

As you can see a large proportion of important information (heads, feet, arms, legs, etc.) is subject to cropping if a little room isn’t left around the main subject in while shooting. [...]

In the event that you simply cannot crop an image because you will lose a key feature or part of the image it can be sized down and floated onto a 9×12 or 11×14 canvas.

My best suggestions:

Photographers, ask you client what size book they use and size your images for them. Also, supply them with a list of places you suggest for having them printed. Better yet, have them printed (or print them yourself) and supply them with a professionally produced finished and properly color corrected final product.

Models and MUA’s, let your photographers know what size you are going to print and ask them to set up your files accordingly. [end quote - Blue Cube Imaging]

There are possible fixes.  As stated in the above quote, you can size down & float on a canvas.  You can print with a border.  Also, it is possible to extend the top & bottom of the image in post-production with software.  As a matter of fact, the new release of Photoshop, CS5 (which is available with a 30 day free trial), has a new feature that can be vary helpful for just such a task.  Here is a video that demonstrates content-aware fill.

I hope this helps with understanding how to crop for your book.  I will be happy to answer any questions.  Happy cropping!!!

~John

The fear I’m referring to is the fear of self-emploment.  The time has come once again for me to take the plunge into entrepreneurship.  My new job has made it clear during the first weeks that they do not intend to allow me enough time to run my photography business while working for their company.

How do you know when it’s time to quit your day job and pursue your dream full-time?  The best answer I can offer is that it will never be easy, you just feel that it’s time.  You can spend countless time & energy preparing, weighing risk, planning marketing strategies, trying to save some extra money for cushion, etc.  I am starting to realize that the most important thing is to want you dream so badly that the risks no longer matter.  You simply must succeed.

I am no longer a wide-eyed, 18 year old artist with no fear and nothing to lose.  When you have a family, the risks are quite different.  My success or failure affects them as well.  This added dimension of responsibility can be daunting.  I am grateful that I have the full support of my other half.

I would like to quote a story I read in Napoleon Hill’s, Think and Grow Rich:

“A long while ago, a great warrior faced a situation which made it necessary for him to make a decision which insured his success on the battlefield. He was about to send his armies against a powerful foe, whose men outnumbered his own. He loaded his soldiers into boats, sailed to the enemy’s country, unloaded soldiers and equipment, then gave the order to burn the ships that had carried them. Addressing his men before the first battle, he said, “You see the boats going up in smoke. That means that we cannot leave these shores alive unless we win! We now have no choice–we win–or we perish! They won.

Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to burn his ships and cut all sources of retreat. Only by so doing can one be sure of maintaning that state of mind known as a BURNING DESIRE TO WIN, essential to success.”

That helped me prepare for the unknown journey ahead.  Hopefully, it will help some of you…

~John