Creating the perfect photography portfolio

For any emerging photographer, a fantastic portfolio is fundamental. It could mean the difference between landing that all-important first professional commission that accelerates your career or finding yourself stuck in a less creative job, still knocking on industry doors.

A portfolio is a photographer's greatest asset, showcasing their work and demonstrating what they can do. But with minimal time to impress busy editors, you need an immaculately crafted portfolio, presented with real passion, to stand out. So what should a photography portfolio look like?

Here, four experts share their advice on building a portfolio: Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist Daniel Etter, portrait and documentary photographer Travis Hodges and Huck Magazine's Editor-in-Chief Andrea Kurland, who have all been Canon Student Development Programme (CSDP) mentors, and Junior Art Director and former CSDP participant Sarah Köster.

• Select the work that best represents you
• Find the essence of a story to build a narrative
• What makes a strong photography portfolio?
• How many photos should be in a photography portfolio?
• Go digital and be creative
• But don't overlook the value of print
• Showcase your creative abilities through video
• Don't be afraid to ask for help
• Make connections and follow up

Whether you'll be emailing your photography portfolio or showing it directly to a reviewer, choose only images that make you feel proud – no fillers. "It's really important that you show your unique style – what it is you want to be known for, and what you want to continue doing," advises Sarah.

After you make an initial selection, Sarah recommends getting a second opinion from fellow students or mentors. "As the photographer, you can be too emotional when it comes to making decisions. You may choose based on memory rather than what is the best photograph," she explains.

At the same time, when you're preparing a portfolio for a particular purpose, tailor it so that it is relevant. "If you're presenting your work for a grant or competition, where editors see many thousands of photos, it's important that the first photo is very strong to hook them," advises Andrea. "But if you're presenting a portfolio to an editor for a specific publication, you have to adapt it to be relevant. You can have a base with your strongest images, but change it slightly depending on who you are addressing your work to and for what purpose."

"Good stories normally take a lot of time and patience to put together, and you need to make people forget you're there – the more they forget you, the better the picture," says Daniel. He gives the example of photographing loneliness: "Loneliness can be sadness, boredom and desperation, but it can also be something lonely people try to fight by joining a dancing class. So just try to find these moments that distil the essence of a person's character and of their story."

Travis's clients include Time Out, The Big Issue and Cancer Research, so he has both reviewed and presented many portfolios over the years. "The strongest portfolios I have seen are ones with intent. The photographer knows what they are trying to say and both their images and verbal storytelling are clear and concise," he says.

Daniel has advised many students as a CSDP mentor, and he believes that powerful stories can emerge from the simplest of narratives. "I had a student from Galicia, Spain, and I was mentoring his story on this little village," he recalls. "Not much happening there but that's what makes it interesting. It's a small village and you have a close connection and intimacy there. It's just a few houses on top of a hill but as soon as you have the intimacy and if you have the access, you can make pretty much every place interesting. You must have a story but if you spend time in a place and you keep your eyes open, you can turn pretty much anything into a good story."

The image industry has become increasingly specialised, so don't feel like you need to tick every genre box. When he's doing portfolio reviews, Daniel expects to see one or two strong stories or projects in detail. More than this is too much to take in. "Don't overwhelm people with too many images. Keep it concise and really understand what you're trying to say," he advises.

For a big story, you're probably looking at 15 images; something shorter might be seven to 12 images, he suggests. "Of course, if you spend years and years working on something, you can go broader and bigger, but I wouldn't. Even if you aim for more and if you have more variety that could, in theory, make an edit longer, it helps to keep it short and precise and just use your best images."

You could also have multiple renditions of your portfolio, as Sarah does. "I have a shorter version which shows only my best work, and I have a longer version – which I developed during CSDP – where I focus on two to three projects in the beginning and then have another selection afterwards, which showcases my best work," she explains. "It should be balanced so that people want to see more of your work but can still see who you are and what you're about."