Personality matters much more than you think. In her latest despatch, Kat Kluge argues why a portfolio that reveals something about the artist as a person will ultimately be more engaging to potential clients.
I’ve just read an interview with photography agent Mirjam Böhm, which confirmed a nugget of wisdom that I keep hearing from photo agents both in Germany and elsewhere: your personality matters.
Not only do you need to have a ‘signature’ style – one that will make your work recognisably yours. You also need to lift the veil of professionalism and show the world what lies beneath; when agents look at your portfolio, it’s not just the commercial shots they are interested in.
Once they are convinced of your professional abilities, many of them turn straight to your personal portfolio to get an idea of how you are wired creatively – what kind of ideas you pursue, how you express yourself when you’ve got free reign.
I don’t think this is the case in all professions; perhaps that is a way of defining an artist. In photography you can only get so far with your professional knowledge and technical ability, then your creative persona becomes paramount.
It’s what the agents dig for underneath your professional surface, because they know that’s where true brilliance comes from.
So make sure that your personal portfolio is not an afterthought; it is as central to your success as the work you’ve done for your biggest clients.
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