After Google, Youtube is the second largest search engine, and thus having a video-portfolio of one's photography can be a great addition in so far as getting one's work seen. Any time we get to offer our work in a different format, it allows us to both see and showcase different angles which otherwise may remain hidden or less apparent. Give a client the option to watch your video or scroll through your portfolio, and they might well take you up on the video, which, in being rarer, can also be more memorable. Rodney Lough Jr., the renown large-format landscape photographer, author, and owner of several galleries, uses videos to showcase his fine art photography:
Another facet which video takes advantage of is that one can add music to the portfolio to help set the tone and mood of one's voice and vision. A quick, engaging video may have a better chance of introducing a broader spectrum of one's work, while focusing on (and lingering on) the "best of the best" of one's portfolio. A well-done video can transport a viewer through the work in a most enjoyable way, as shown in this video portfolio by fashion photographer Tina Picard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dOylSU_qtQ
Even a simple song and video with minimal editing can be effective, as shown in the work of the legendary fashion photographer Helmut Newton set to a "A House Is Not A Home" by Sarah Vaughan and The Jimmy Rowles Quartet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMytuf6jqvY
Another cool idea is first of all creating a book, and then showcasing the book in a video, as fashion photographer Trevor Brady has done to great effect.
Joe McNally also created a wonderful book and video portfolio:
As did Laura Stevens:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYQxCwr-oDI
Trevor repeated this idea in a different format:
Matt Hawthorne Photography presents his fashion and lifestyle work in a straight-forward Vimeo video portfolio:
https://vimeo.com/8953337
Returning to landscape photography, the famous Peter Lik offers a tightly-edited video of his most remarkable work:
Not so long ago, I had a photography show in West Hollywood. After I decided to use a 4K OLED TV to showcase some of my work, I needed to create a video for it, and the video became my "video portfolio:"
I'll share another article soon on using 4K OLEDs for displaying photography in homes and galleries, but long story short, because the OLED screen can create a perfect "black" alongside vibrant colors, it looks like a print. More than one attendee thought the OLED TV was a print, until the screen changed to the next photograph, often startling them. I used Adobe Premiere to create my video portfolio, but from iMovie to Youtube's online editor, there are dozens of apps and solutions.
Here's a wonderful Henri Cartier-Bresson video-portfolio appropriately set to the Jazz hit "Paris" by Jacopo Jacopetti:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az3kgG-Z46s
Finally, I'll leave you with a most epic Ansel Adams video portfolio set to the bold, adventurous music of Aaron Copland:
So have you created a photography portfolio video? Do you know of a cool one?
If you are thinking of creating a portfolio video, would you create a book first? What music might you use? Be sure to search though Youtube's vast and growing libraries of legally-usable music!
Another advantage to creating a book first is that in addition to showcasing one's portfolio in a video, one can sell the book too! Regardless of your approach, creating books and video portfolios will focus you on culling through your work, whence the best naturally drifts to the top, raising your own personal bar and challenging all newcomers to your portfolio.
If you have a video showcasing your stills photography, or if you know of a cool video portfolio, please share it in the comments below!