As a commercial product photographer, your portfolio serves as a window into your creative vision and technical expertise. It’s more than just a collection of images; it’s a narrative, a story that speaks about your ability to elevate products from mere objects into aspirational pieces. A portfolio review is an essential tool for growth and reflection.

I recently had the opportunity to attend a portfolio review that left a significant impact on my creative journey. Showcasing my work to two industry professionals who left a lasting impact on my approach to photography: Sam Brown and Sophie Traynor. Both brought unique perspectives that helped me refine my portfolio and push my creative boundaries.

The first review I had was with Sam Brown, https://www.sambrownphotographer.com/ an established commercial photographer with an expertise in bold, high-contrast imagery. With his knowledge, I thought he would be perfect to talk to about the technical skill and craftsmanship of my current portfolio. Overall, the chat was really helpful and he highlighted a number of points that I hadn’t considered before. He considered that I collaborate with an art director, stylist and retoucher to elevate my imagery further. Their expertise would help to produce imagery that would further refine and elevate my original ideas. Another point that Sam highlighted was that my lighting was strong, but encouraged me to be more intentional and subjective with my placement of light. This was specifically mentioned for both my bag and spezials shoot, he emphasised being more deliberate with the lighting, using it to enhance shape and texture for a more striking result. Resulting in me reshooting such shots.

Sam’s feedback was centered on the success of my imagery and how to use the time that is left in my degree to refine and hone in on the skills I already have, to produce even more successful, aspirational work. From showing him my current portfolio, we spoke about the potential for my work to be showcased commercially, he suggested that I enter a number of local and nationwide competitions to gain more experience. He suggested that I look at entering both the student and professional sections of the named competitions:

- Shot up north 

- Siena

- World Sony 

- Shoot the frame 

 - Life framer 

- D & AD

- AOP 

I next went to talk to Sophie Traynor, https://www.sophietraynor.com/, who’s commercial work lies in storytelling through photography, ensuring that products not only look beautiful but also resonate with consumers on an emotional level. The review was structured similarly to Sam’s, but Sophie honed in on specific aspects of my work. Encouraging me to refine and enhance specific aspects of my work while staying true to my creative direction, I felt as though Sophie understood and was impressed with my work quickly. Without me having to explain the meaning behind it, Sophie urged me to continue shooting even if I was only to edit them months later. This would allow me to continue developing my style. From looking through my portfolio, what she was saying was what I intended, with short suggestions for a number of shoots on how to elevate the imagery. Such suggestions included retouching some of the sensor marks and fine dust that I only spotted when I physically printed. Also, the recommendation is to experiment with generative fill to perfect the box of the Collection Mascara, linking it better to the brand identity. Sophie suggested that I use the same colour as the product to ensure consistency within the frame. The edited version can be seen below.

Her advice, combined with Sam Brown’s feedback provided me with a clear direction for refining my portfolio and elevating my commercial product photography. With these insights, I’m excited to push my work further and refine my portfolio to meet the highest standards.