iPad for Digital Photographers

Presenting Your Mobile Portfolio

Do you remember the first time you saw a photograph on an iPad? I do. I was captivated. My mind instantly started weighing all the possibilities of this magical device. The fact of the matter is, the iPad is one of the best tools ever for sharing your work. I feel I'm a better photographer when I look at my images on that beautiful backlit screen.

Now here's how to dampen that magical moment: Make someone stand there for a few minutes while you fish around on your iPad looking for a few good photos to show them. There's a lot to be said for deciding ahead of time which pictures deserve the spotlight.

Here lies the value of curation. In the digital age, we tend to amass hundreds, even thousands of images. By taking the time to select a few dozen favorites allows us, and others, to celebrate our abilities as artists rather than be remembered as disorganized snap shooters. Creating a portfolio says that you have reached a certain point in your photography. It makes the statement “Not only do I know how to take a photograph, I know how to present it as well.”

I recommend that you build a basic portfolio right away, live with it for a while, and then decide how to proceed from there. And don't be shy! Share your work with others and listen to their comments. For example, as shown in Figure 6-1, “Do you like twilight shots? What do you think of my Las ...