Testing and your Portfolio, for Freelance Stylists, Hair/Makeup Artists etc.

[softgrey]

In conclusion, I would like to know of a real good place to get a book in NY and in LA. I'll be going there soon. Thanks all!

House of Portfolio in NYC

 

[Reetaree]

House of Portfolio in NYC

I am in LA and found that there is a House of Portfoilios office here. As a young stylist-would just a wax skin book with name embossed be okay?

The leather books are out of my price range...

Oh and would anyone know where to get photos printed in LA? Good quality prints for good rates.

 

[Reetaree]

I've called around to a few places about digital prints.

It appears that the industry going rate for a print is 20 dollars. One place even quoted 28 dollars. This seems a bit on the high end.

I will need digital prints for my book-I'd like to know if you would know a place that's affordable in the Los Angeles area. And also in the NY area since many of us in this forum are from there as well. Thanks B)

 

[BetteT]

Lots of people use the wax skin and, as I understand it, it looks a good as leather and stands up well to wear and tear. So, I think that is a good alternative.

Believe it or not, Kinkos usually does a good job. And Costco, I've heard is also good, at least some of their stores. But, neither of them have 9X12 paper which is considered a custom size. So what some of us do is put 2 9x12 images side by side ... making an 18x12 print (which they do have) and then cut the image in half, with a good paper cutter.

Now for a photographer's book, these are sometimes not good enough ... if the photographer is super fussy about quality ... so they go to pro photo shops like Samys, A1, Bel-Air, etc. but that can cost around $25 a print or more. I think that quality of the printing is not quite as important in our books and then once you place them behind the sleeve, you really can't tell that one print is better than the other ... they'd have to take them out of your book and compare them side by side ... which won't happen with a stylists book.

One snag ... you might be asked for a release from the photographer, since he owns the copyrights. So I cheat a little, if the photographer really is allowing me to copy for my book, but didn't give me a written release ... I just say I'm the photographer if asked but I don't volunteer anything unless asked. Sometimes they just have you sign a waiver that says you have permission to copy ... and as long as you do, that's not a problem. But, always make sure that the photographer understands that you intend to copy the images for your book and is OK with that.

 

[Reetaree]

Believe it or not, Kinkos usually does a good job. And Costco, I've heard is also good, at least some of their stores. But, neither of them have 9X12 paper which is considered a custom size. So what some of us do is put 2 9x12 images side by side ... making an 18x12 print (which they do have) and then cut the image in half, with a good paper cutter.

Thanks BetteT for all your valuable info.

I plan on getting a 11x14 book. Now-should the prints be blown up to fit this size? I've read earlier in this thread, that you posted, that it should fit the entire sleeve. However, I've seen other people's books where it wasn't all the time. Is there one rule? Or could I print out 9x12 and arrange it evenly and nicely in each sleeve?

 

[BetteT]

You will also see really sloppy looking books with funky scrapbook covers and three ring binders ... but that doesn't mean that they look OK to the high end clients and agents. If you want to present yourself as a professional, it helps to have a professional looking portfolio. It represents you, when you are not there to speak for yourself so it makes sense to make sure it looks as professional as the high end stylists' books look.

So ...yes, in my opinon, all your prints should be the size of your book. If you want 9x12 prints, then you should have a 9x12 book.

 

[softgrey]

sorry- but i disagree completely on that bette..
industry standard for stylist books is 11x14...
and usually you will have tear sheets in there...so they are the size of a magazine page which is considerably smaller...

so you usually have a black border around your images...
9x12 books are what models have...

though you can do whatever you like...that's true....
however i agree that it is best to be as professional as possible...

it's not a design portfolio...
i think designers have a lot more leeway in terms of creativity and originality...


*and i would def choose wax skin...leather is really a waste of $$ if you ask me...

 

[LESider]

wax skin is fine if your going black, some of the other colors look a little cheap and I would recommend going leather in that case.

As for size 11x14 is the industry standard and prints can be either 11x14 or 9x12. If you only have prints keep it all 11x14 but if you have mostly tearsheets you can mix in some 9x12 prints to keep it standard.

Now for printing. If you have digital files consider www.mpix.com or www.whcc.com for prints. Being a photographer I do all my printing at home on a high end epson printer which is calibrated to my monitor but you will find that when getting prints they will probably not match your monitor.
www.whcc.com will do 5 8x10 test prints for free to see how their printing looks against your monitors color and brightness. If you can adjust to match you will have very high quality printing at a very reasonable price, I think its $4.00 for an 11x14. These sites take some work on your part setting up files and uploading but if you have many prints it can save you alot.

If I do tests (personal not paid) I always give prints to everyone involved as I want my work to be seen as it should even in other books and letting others have control of the printing almost always results in sub par prints.
hope this is of some help.

 

[BetteT]

Thanks for the input, Softie.

Well, maybe it's changed ... when I started (6 years ago) in L.A. only photographers were using 11X14. Or maybe it's different in L.A. ... I don't know. Then, I've been told by a few agents that they always want the image to fit the book, except tears, of course. So obviously there's some differing opinions in the industry and I do know that thingsalways change ... makes it more interesting.

 

[Reetaree]

HI everyone. I wish I found out earlier about what the up-to-date industry standards are.

Yesterday I went ahead and made prints of some of my images which totaled up to a hundred bucks!!! I made them all 9x12 and to top it off most have white borders because they are European standard 8x12 images. I either had to crop a lot from top and bottom OR to save the image I had to put borders around them.

I really really want my book to look as pro as possible. I have some really awesome photos that showcase my talent and I would like to present them effectively.

I feel a tad bit annoyed having spent a good chunk of my budget into the photos so far. Any suggestions? I haven't bought the actual book yet. I was planning on getting the 9x12 to save on cost. What should I do?! Do I go ahead and print all the rest of my photos 9x12 or 11x14? HELP.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT Q.:

I am based mostly in Europe and their standard size as I've been told is 8x12. Can anyone confirm this.

And with this in mind would I have to eventually make another book conform to these dimensions? I mean...I figure I can't use a US standard book when interviewing with European clients or vce versa. Sorta like having two suits instead of one.

I want to be prepared if I have to make another entire book for the European market.

 

[BetteT]

First ... I'd like to say that I'm very sorry if I had a hand in that because my information might not be currentor not applicable for your market (your profile doesn't say where your location is). I know that it is very frustrating ... we all seem to have to deal with trying to do the best thing for our markets and it's costly.


However, if you find out that the EU standard is 8X12, you can easily cut the white border off the images and you will have your 8x12's and that will be an easy and free fix. Hope you are right about that.

 

[Reetaree]

However, if you find out that the EU standard is 8X12, you can easily cut the white border off the images and you will have your 8x12's and that will be an easy and free fix. Hope you are right about that.

I'm not quite sure about anything anymore...I just want some answers. Although I'm based in Europe, the reason for all this urgency is because I will be interviewing in the US with a big magazine and this is why I'm kind of stressed about getting everything perfect.

Even if I cut the borders of the photos I just got printed it would look kinda ridiculous in a 11x14 page. *sigh* Because it's not a tear-it would look bad, wouldn't it?

Please feel free to give any valuable and current information to the questions in my previous post.

 

[softgrey]

it doesn't look ridiculous...
it's fine....relax...
as long as it is uniform and neat- but you DO have to cut off the white borders...but we ALL have to do that...that's normal...

what position are you interviewing for?
are you sure you even need a portfolio?...
most entry level positions do not require one at all for an interview...

 

[LESider]

it doesn't look ridiculous...
it's fine....relax...
as long as it is uniform and neat- but you DO have to cut off the white orders...but we ALL have to do that...that's normal...

what position are you interviewing for?
are you sure you even need a portfolio?...
most entry level positions do not require one at all for an interview...

she is right! it will look fine.
I've been seeing alot of european stylists books as fashion week is coming up and most seem to be standardised on the 11x14 book, I've seen one 12x15 book but that was only because the publication they were contributing editor to was larger than 11x14.

Regardless of the size 9x12 or larger, no one is going to hold it against you as long as its a nice simple tasteful presentation.

good luck on the job interview.

 

[Reetaree]

Hi everyone.

Thanks for all the tips and tricks. I appreciate it a whole lot.
So- I'm interviewing in NY later this month-for the accessories dept. Although my dream is to do fashion editing, I figure that this is a good way to step in and work up.

So this is what the whole fuss is about (with the book, etc.) because it's with a very reputable and respected mag.

Entry level it is-but I want to really make an impact and show that I can be a team player.


I want to clear up then a few points:
-get a 11x14 book
-cut off my borders on my 9x12 photos
-mount it nicely in the pages

IS this how I should go about it finally? What about the rest of the photos I've got to print? I should keep them the same size as the first batch, right?

It'd be great to get answers quick! Time is ticking...
Thanks everyone!

 

[softgrey]

that all sounds good-
but seriously..i don't think you need a book for such an interview

 

[KMiller3718]

Hi all-

I've been working in retail for a couple years now, but really want to make a career change and work towards becoming a fashion stylist. You all seem to be very knowledgable and I'm hoping can offer me some advice on how to break into this industry. I've done some research online and noticed that there are stylist agencies- do they hire entry level assistants?? I do not have any formal experience or a portfolio...and do not know anyone that works as a stylist, so no connections : (

Thanks for your help!

 

[BetteT]

Reetaree,

I think it's OK to have 2 unrelated images facing each other if they look good together ... and if they don't belong to a story. For stories, I try to use an even number ... so they can all face each other and if there's an extra, I just take out the weakest image (we should edit ruthlessly, anyway). For the singles (I have a few that I love and I get great feedback on so I will use some single images) ... these are the ones that I will put face to face. It takes some doing to find the right ones to go with each other. I try not to have blank pages .... but that's just me and my preference.

As far as showing your book at, you should be getting it out there, at least for constructive feedback, because we all get emotional about our pictures and don't always know how other people see them.

However .....

You haven't said what your duties would be in this entry level position, but I'm guessing that they are not going to need your styling eye in the beginning ... that is more likely to be clerical, answering phones or assisting someone with grunt work, is it not?

So, I would not say to seriously consider whether or not you should show your book on this job interview and here is why:

I've hired people both as assistants to me and in the business world and I know that I'm always looking for someone who is interested in doing the work at hand, first and foremost. I do like when an applicant has long term goals, but if I were hiring for a 9 to 5 job and I thought that the applicant was building their portfolio to become a freelance stylist, I'd be worried that they'd be taking time off when a paid gig came up or to test for their portfolio ... giving the styling a higher priority over working for me. I'd be more inclined to hire someone who says they have the goals but need to learn more about the business first. A portfolio tells me that the person is actively working towards not working for me. Not sure if your interviewer would feel the same way or not ... I guess it might depend on the job you are interviewing for and how flexible they are about absences.

 

[Reetaree]

Thanks BetteT and thank you also Softgrey and LESider for all your feedback and comments.

I will definitely consider everything you've mentioned Bette. As far as my book is concerned-the actual building process of it is really motivating for me and it just goes to show what progress I've made so far.

What then does one actually do once they've got a book? Do we call up agencies and magazines and ask to be represented and/or to work with them?

 

[softgrey]

You're probably right but it's time finally I show people my work regardless.

I noticed that I have one set of photos but not in even numbers. Is it cool to have two photos side by side (in the book) that aren't related to eachother-just so as long as it "flows"?

I've seen some books where they'll totally leave one page blank (to designate that the serie stops) and then to have it continue when you turn the page with another story. Is that funky?

I'd love to have everyone's input.

of course it is fine to have two pics on a spread which are not related...as long as they compliment one another...

i wouldn't leave any blank pages...
funky is a good word for that - yes...
looks like there is something missing...