criteria for admission to the directory
Here’s the lowdown on what it takes to get into the Directory.
Basically…
The photographer must demonstrate evidence of photographic talent. This will be determined by the photographer’s online portfolio. This includes but is not limited to:
Technical proficiency
The photographer’s portfolio must exhibit images that are technically satisfactory. This refers to image contrast, exposure and color composition.
Creativity, Originality, Emotion, Art
Obviously, this is a can of worms. What’s creative or original to one person might be cliché to another. Nevertheless, portfolios will be evaluated with this criterion in mind. The portfolio should contain images that exhibit something interesting, humorous, emotional, vulnerable, edgy, beautiful, sexy, intimate, unique, memorable…
Not every image needs to express such qualities (after all, formal pictures may not evoke such feelings) but the portfolio should possess evidence of true artistry and photographic talent (in this case, creative talent).
Photographers are artists above all. If some form of artistry is not present in your work, then your chances of being accepted to the Directory will be slim.
Online presentation
This is another tricky requirement but one that needs to be mentioned. Photographer websites are more important these days than ever before. Your website is a virtual representation of you on the Internet. It is paramount that your site be attractive, informative, load relatively quickly and be easy to navigate.
While I rarely deny someone membership based solely on the quality of their website, it does play a factor in the decision-making process. If an applicant’s website looks like it was built in 1995, I assume the worst. I’ve noticed over the years that, often, the better the website, the better the quality of work. Of course, this isn’t true in all cases but it’s a general rule of thumb.
So if your website is mediocre or downright ugly, I would encourage you to have a new one built. You’ll be happy you did. You only have one shot at a first impression.
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dos and donts
Not feeling it:
 Not a big fan of hand colored images. However, some photographers do it well and sparingly and you’ll find photographers on the Directory that use such techniques. Just don’t do too much of it.
An abundance of boring, predictable images. (I know everyone has to photograph formals but it shouldn’t be the bulk of your portfolio).
Poorly processed or unprocessed images. Post-production is essential these days. Even if you’ve captured a wonderful, emotional moment, make sure that it’s technically correct. We don’t like blown out images or images with too much noise.
No CHEESE, please! No purple vignettes or bouquets on the train of the dress. And for you portrait photographers, no Glamour Shots or cheesy studio props (i.e Feather boas and psychedelic backdrops)!
Lovin’ it:
Images that evoke emotion
Originality!
Vibrant colors
Black and white images with great tonal quality
Unexpected images that work
Images with a sense of humor
Images with great composition
Great looking websites that are easy, fun and compliment the photographer’s work |
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