Prep for '24: Prune the portfolio
Recently, I chatted with a client who needed help selecting photos for some social content he wanted to put out.
We did a session a couple months prior, and he was, overall, very happy with the work we created together after reviewing the 200+ images that were sent his way.
But, as we looked for the 10 images he needed to visually punctuate the posts he wrote, he kept getting caught up on the images that didn’t resonate with him.
By that, I mean the photos where the facial expression and body language missed the mark for him.
Instead of spending our time together finding the RIGHT photos, we were reviewing why these photos felt WRONG.
He’s reviewed them all several times and came to the same conclusion each time he’s seen them.
After we stopped for the 10th time, I told him that the next time we land on any that doesn’t sit well, delete them from the folder so you never see it again.
And he did.
Now, when I send the final portfolio to clients, the goal is not to love EVERY photo in those folders and find uses for each.
Based on the volume of photos, that would be insane.
The goal is to give the client wiggle room to select photos that feel good to them to share throughout their online presence. As a result, I often include on the fence shots where the client could either love or hate the emotional sentiment they’re conveying through their body language and facial expression.
Either way, I want them to have the choice of using or pruning them out, and I instruct them to do this.
When they get rid of the no-go’s, it prevents them from wasting time looking at photos they’d never publicly use.
When you eliminate the distractions by pruning them out completely, this creates a more streamlined process when selecting photos for marketing and promotional projects. This way, you’re only looking at photos that have potential.
Before 2024 becomes official, revisit your portfolio and delete the photos that you know you will never use in order to create a more streamlined album.
It’ll go a long way to helping your marketing efforts moving forward.