More Than Kids

What is SOPA

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JEA Digital Media Post - Vans Warped

This Summer I attended a couple of concerts with a student journalist for the JEA Digital Concert Project. The student, Cathy Rong, wrote about her first concert as a journalist. You can read her post by going to the JEA Digital Media site.

Photos from the concert are available at www.bryanfarleyphotography.com.

Portfolios and Social Media - Tanya Rosen-Jones

I thought I had stopped my portfolio and social media photographer interviews until Tanya Rosen-Jones responded. Once I heard from her, I knew that I would continue with the project, at least for one more post. 

June 11th is the anniversary of my high school and college graduation. Tanya and I did not go to school together, but coincidentally we know each other because of a common college bond. She met her husband, Ben Jones, when they were both undergraduates at Oberlin. I met Ben when I was involved in college admissions and he was changing how colleges used social media to recruit students. 

Ben was my hero. When Ben worked for MIT Admissions, he designed and implemented social media recruiting strategies that many colleges and universities imagine still. Ben left MIT in 2008 for Oberlin where he and Tanya live with their two children. 

On Tanya's website, Tanya easily mentions her love for her family, Oberlin and her husband. Even though Ben writes music and Tanya creates images, they seem to have a common Oberlin language.  Tanya's images, which are genuine and loving, reflect the path her family took to Ohio. She moved from San Francisco; Ben moved from Baltimore for college. They met in the middle and found something special. 

I will always remember her images and her last recommendation about portfolios. Tanya responded, "No matter what, your online portfolio as well as your portfolio in person, should look like you." I have not met Tanya yet, but her photos seem to look like her. 

Please enjoy Tanya's answers and review her links below. 

1. How do you organize your photography portfolio?

I haven't had a traditional portfolio for 10 years now. I don't do commercial work and I have a studio space where clients can come and view my work in person. Other than that I utilize my online portfolio to ensure that potential clients see the type of work I enjoy creating and can make for them. This is the best way to match up with my ideal clients and get them in my door. My online portfolio is separated into categories of weddings, engagements (soon to be couples in love), seniors, headshots, maternity + babies, kids and families/life.

Since I am a small-town photographer, I have to be ready to do any type of work that comes my way. I enjoy the variety, and we'll see if my portfolio evolves to focus more on one type of portraiture/work in the future. I am in the process or redoing my web site to make my images a bit bigger and I am considering reducing the number of total images so that each and every image is powerful and an example of my best work.

2. Has social media changed how you organize your portfolio? Are your galleries similar to portfolios?

Social media hasn't changed how I organize my portfolio on my main web site, but it has created OTHER portfolios for me. I now use facebook to create galleries for weddings and seniors in high school. I can tag my clients and then their friends see the watermarked images I have created for them. I have also started a blog which is another small portfolio representing a whole job. I really enjoy how this can highlight my work. All of this is extremely time-consuming, but ultimately worth it. Although I am looking for ways to streamline this process.

3. Do social media applications provide better opportunities to represent your unique style and vision than a tradition portfolio?

Yes and no. There is a lot of flexibility with social media, but I really love getting an album in my clients hands or having them see my work large on the wall. You can definitely have major impact with an online portfolio if it is done right, but that takes time/money/knowledge.

No matter what, your online portfolio as well as your portfolio in person, should look like you.

 

Rosen-Jones Photography Blog: http://www.rosenjones.com/blog/index.shtml

Rosen-Jones Photography Website: http://www.rosenjones.com/

Rosen-Jones Photography on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rosenjonesphoto