Photographer of the Year: Tips for a winning portfolio

With our annual photo competition Photographer of the Year presented by Ted's Cameras now open for entries, we're sharing a few tips to help you create the perfect series. 

This week, it's about planning, capturing and editing a winning portfolio. 

1) Refine your idea

Every great portfolio series starts with an idea. Think about what inspires you as a photographer and then consider how you can tell this story to your audience. Like how the best writing comes when you focus on what you know, it’s always easiest to photograph a subject you know well too. 

From there, it’s up to you to refine your story to get to the heart of what’s in front of your lens. A more focused series with a clear theme will always be stronger than one that’s broad and unfocussed. 

And remember that good things take time. In most cases you probably won’t be able to shoot a successful portfolio in just a few minutes. Allow time to shoot, go away and then shoot again. 

2) Think storytelling

The best portfolios have a natural ebb and flow, which is why your final image selection and order of images is so important. In most cases, you’ll be refining your work down to four images from a wider selection, so take your time and try to build a visual narrative that has a clear start and finish.

3) Be consistent

Consistency is key in your choice of subject matter, but it’s also important your editing is consistent too. Your images should have similar aspect ratios, colours and tones. A good way to judge cohesiveness is to look at your selection as small thumbnails together. Do the images all look like they ‘work’ together? If not, consider how your choice of edits can make them more consistent. 

4) Prepare your work with exacting detail

Study your work up close - it’ll also help you notice any distractions, editing errors or other faults that could make or break your series. Remember, this is the time to correct all those little things you may otherwise let slide – don’t let them be the reason your images didn’t make it.

5) Seek the right kind of feedback

Don’t be afraid to find someone who can give you an honest critique of your work. Social media is often an echo chamber of praise, and while this can be nice to hear it can only take you so far. Better is to seek advice from a photographer or creative you respect and ask them for an honest critique before you enter.

Photographer of the Year 2023 presented by Ted's Cameras is open now. You can find out all the details for entry here.