A strong portfolio is more “edited” than “full”. 8 great works beat 20 average ones.
1) Selection: tell one story
- What connects these works?
- If I remove 2 pieces, does it improve?
- Are the first and last works truly strong?
2) Suggested sequencing
- 1) strongest opener
- 2–6) coherent variations
- 7) a breathing piece (only if needed)
- 8) memorable closer
3) Image quality (practical rules)
- sharp images, no watermark
- consistent color
- clean crop
- avoid heavy compression
4) File naming
Suggested format:
Last_First_Title_Year_01.jpg
5) Portfolio PDF (if required)
- 8–12 pages unless requested otherwise
- one work per page
- caption: title / year / medium
6) Before you click “Submit”
- did you read rights and fees?
- did you follow file format/size requirements?
- did you verify the deadline (and timezone)?
Tip: use this as a pre-flight checklist every time.
