PSPN Student Ambassadors for the Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division: increasing your portfolio

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Sunday Spotlight On: Shooting For Your Portfolio

What greater time to fill up your portfolio then now? As a student we are constantly shooting and reshooting, but fail to shoot a lot of those images for our portfolio. Here is where the lines of technicality overshadow creativity. We want to know that we can do the assignment and in the end we forget that we had a chance to use the image for our portfolio.

Art school is a different entity from your more traditional schools. Here creativity is what sets us apart from your traditional colleges. Creativity is limitless and there are many things in this world to photograph as well as many different ways to capture it. Having the knowledge and the skills to create memorable pieces where you can break out of your shell is something that no one can take away.

Many have seen this image in some class that I have posted in the first week of class. I always mention that this is one of my favorite photos that I have done because it is very different from what I usually shoot. I teamed up with some amazing students and we had a massive production with this shoot. It enabled me to test my skills in other areas and I found that I do like to shoot something other than documentary or photojournalism.

Day of the Dead, 2013. Quiana P jackson

Let each assignment become motivation to apply the techniques that we learn in class. After all, tuition is something that some people would dream of having but cannot afford. Here at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, the instructors are always willing to help and I am sure they are willing to provide feedback on how they got to where they are now. This upcoming week is your chance to create an image for your portfolio from a classroom assignment. What are you waiting for? Get started!

I am your Sunday Funday Ambassador. Happy Shooting!

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Increasing your portfolio without breaking the bank or paying out of pocket.

Good Morning and Happy Sunday Everyone! Today I wanted to talk about a great experience that I had last weekend. I recently joined a group called the Philadelphia Glamour Photography Group on Meetup.com. I joined at a time when they were just about to have their huge meet up that they have every year at Riddley Creek State Park, in Media, PA. The meet up was on a Sunday, close to 160 Models, Photographer's and MUA's showed up. This whole thing was new to me, I was a bit overwhelmed as I didn't know any of the member's yet, but I did go with a friend, her boyfriend and her kids. That made it a bit easier when they arrived. Other than being overwhelmed, I was really taken back, by how inviting, accepting and friendly everyone was. They had a small ceremony for one of the members that had recently passed and had planted a tree in his honor. This was very moving, being able to be a part of this was truly amazing.

Now on to my point... Many of us want to increase our portfolio, but you don't want to have to pay a model or you may not have the money. This meet up was free to everyone involved. The MUA's were paid for their work, understandable as they need to replace their makeup. Models brought many different outfits and then it was like a feeding frenzy. Models changing outfits, changing locations several times during the day. All with over a 60 or so different photographers asking them to do different things. Every model will get copies of their photographs, usually in digital form. (I'm assuming), but this was an opportunity to really expand your portfolio with several different models with different looks and not breaking your bank or paying out of pocket. There are many other groups that do similar meetups, some charge depending on the event, but I suggest that you take a look at this option and find a group in your area or even start one of your own. So get out of your comfort zone and start taking a chance! I did and I will never regret it.

Below are some of the photos I took during this meet up.