As Art Buyers with more than a decade of portfolio reviews under our belts 😮‍💨 off the back of a successful few days meeting photographers at Photobook Cafe, Shoreditch we decided to reach out to the team at MPrint. THE photographers printing professional portfolios for photographers in London.

MPrint is a partnership between Marc Schlossman and Matt Wreford, two professional photographers who offer a bespoke, highly personalised inkjet printing service from their studio in South-West.

As creatives themselves, Matt and Marc understand the requirements of fellow image-makers, and work closely with their clients to ensure the highest quality prints for portfolio, sales and exhibition. We spoke with them about what makes a great portfolio, the books they’ve most loved making and their insights into costs, paper types and all things printing.

Speaking to new clients and at events, we are frequently asked about all aspects of production, including portfolio makers and bookbinders, editing, sequencing and page layout. Here are a few of the tips we offer to address some of these burning questions:

🔥 A portfolio expands the presentation of your work. It is an essential part of being a pro photographer, not just an add-on to your digital presentations. A portfolio gets you work and it should pay for itself quickly.

🧮 The page count we see most: 40 images which allows 20 double sided sheets. Less than 20 sheets in a portfolio starts to look a little thin.

👀 A3 landscape is the size and orientation we see most; A3+ is the next most-popular size.

👯‍♀️ Sister images are repeated images. Try not to make your book repetitive, as it can look like you’re not good at deciding what looks best.

🥁 Give your sequence pace and rhythm.

📖 Double-sided portfolios can have more of a flowing, editorial or photo book feel, offering opportunities for double page spreads.

✅ If you’re going to refresh and add pages often, single-sided might be easier. But in general, people refresh less often than they probably expect to.

💨 Run your edit and sequence by people who you trust. [👋🏻 Darklight]

🏁 Know how you want to start and end the folio sequence; the middle will fill itself in once you decide how to open strong and finish strong.

✨ Try not to mix your messages; show them specifically what kind of photographer you want to be, what kind of work you want to produce.

😈 Be a bit daring, be individual. A printed portfolio sets you apart from a lot of photographers. If you can do something a little different or interesting to stick in people’s minds, that is a win.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Don’t try to be all things to all people, show yourself, how you see things. Show: you.

[Side-note from us at Darklight: a book that always sticks out in our minds is Josh Shinner’s. His hand-drawn annotations offer a really playful and personal touch which mirrors his work beautifully.] 👇🏻

We see a lot of portfolios from all parts of the industry. We see what images work in a sequence, what might not work so well, when a portfolio could be better with fewer images [all in our humble opinion!]. In any case, it is inevitable that we have some personal favourites:

Scott Grummett 

His opening page is all text: Scott Grummett is a food photographer and director who likes to make you hungry. Funny and memorable out of the gate; a standout food photographer in a crowded and very busy area of photography. His use of colour and saturation is eye-catching but never over the top.

Emli Bendixen

Lifestyle and location work that always has a relaxed, real feel and never looks staged or set-up. Interesting use of montages in some of her page layouts that breaks up the one-image-per-page format that many portfolios have.

Phil Fisk

Portraiture that is consistently creative and innovative in so many ways, with a particular sense of visual humour – funny is always memorable. Many great ideas in his shoot concepts, beautifully achieved in studio and on location.

Margaret Stepien

Great sense of humour here too, woven into her lifestyle, food and still life work. There is a slightly surreal quality to much of her work that is striking and fun 🍌

OK, SO HOW MUCH 💸 ARE WE TALKING?

The initial cost outlay looks high by the time you’ve got our quote alongside the quote from your portfolio-maker, but this is an investment in you and your work, like any new piece of camera gear, and when it lands you your first job, it has [hopefully] paid for itself.

The average cost of prints: £750 [usually range from £500-£1200]

The average cost of a screwpost portfolio: £350

At MPrint, 30 single-sided pages of A3 is £510 [which, of course, is 15 double-sided pages].

At the beginning of the process, it is easy to underestimate the huge number of decisions that go into producing a new portfolio or a box of loose prints. Decisions on images and sequence [perhaps with your agent – or Mimi and Sarah at Darklight], materials for the portfolio cover, page size, paper type, page layout design, single or double-sided – we simplify these decisions with you to help you win new work.

So there you have it. If you’re in the UK and looking for exceptional printers to create with, consider giving MPrint a call. If you’re a pro photographer based anywhere in the world and need help with picture editing, advice on your portfolio or website, or reaching out to new clients, head over to Darklight Pro 🔗 and book in some time with a member of our team.