CHAPTER 7
Developing a Vision-
Based Portfolio
Welcome to a new world! Your clients’ buying habits have
shifted dramatically and you need to respond. Preexisting relation-
ships are no longer the initial factor for many buyers when hiring
a photographer. Vision is the focus and the topic on buyers’ minds.
Each project that lands on a buyer’s desk has a specific look, and
that project demands that the buyer seek a photographer who has
previously exhibited the ability to create the type of visual needed.
Your portfolio of images (both print and Web) is your oppor-
tunity to show prospects your topic of choice and your visual
approach. These are the tools that give buyers a first, deep look
at your distinct vision, and they are the channels that deliver your
message to prospects when assignments are pending.
Many photographers still fear showing a distinct visual
approach, but professionals like Nancy Grant, who are out in
the field selling photography daily, know the importance of
showing each talent’s area of visual expertise.
A veteran agent located in Vancouver, British Columbia,
Grant sells photography worldwide and believes in handling
only photographers who have a singular vision.
“Having a consistent style that runs through a whole portfolio
leaves a clear impression,” she states. “Buyers are swamped. You
need to break through to them. You need to give them the reason
to match you with an assignment. Your vision is the reason.”
Grant continues, “Many photographers are afraid of
marketing a single vision. They don’t want it to appear as if theyChapter 07.qxd 6/25/07 7:15 AM Page 43