How many pictures should a photographer have in their portfolio?

Question

How big should the pictures be and is there any such thing as to many pictures in a portfolio?

Answer 1

8 x10 is standard.  Too many is overwhelming.  25-30 is plenty.  

Answer 2

anywhere from 10-30...... but less is better - only stick in your best work. Dont add 'ok' photos just to make up the numbers. I would rather have 17 top notch images than 17 top notch + 3 good just to make it up to 20 images.

Answer 3

medium to large size is fine. and as many as you want in there. everytime you take a picture and  it is good you should put it in there. there is no such thing as to many i have about 80 and growing in mine.

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Answer 4

In the photojournalism industry, 20 single images was the standard. In addition to the single images, a photostory/essay of 5-10 images was also helpful, to showcase both your abilities to take stand-alone shots and work through a story visually.

That's photojournalism.

Other types of photography may have different rules. From the art photographers I know, 16 images seems to be a pretty good number.

There is absolutely such a thing as too many pictures. Always leave them wanting to see more. Every single image needs to be perfect. Do not show any images that are simply "good enough." They need to be great. They need to be technically and artistically perfect, or as close to perfect as is reasonable to expect. If you have the slightest doubt about any image, don't put it in your portfolio. They should also be varied and showcase your range as a photographer.

As for portfolio size, in photojournalism, the standard was 20 mounted slides back in the film days. Now, it's quite often just done on the computer, but if you want to do prints, I strongly encourage you to go for at least 11x14s or 11x17s. Most images have a lot more impact at larger sizes. And, depending on the type of work you do, I don't think you can necessarily go too big. One successful exhibited art photographer friend of mine's portfolio consists of 20"x30" canvas prints. That can be a little excessive, but it makes a big impression, especially when the prints are absolutely flawless.

Answer 5

8x12 or 8x10 or 8x8 depends on the format they were shot in - aps-c. full frame 35mm, 6x7, 4x5, 6x6 or whatever

8 images is standard, unless you have alot of strong work, generally more than 8 images tends to dilute the impact of a portfolio

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Answer 6

A photographer should have at least 12, and probably no more than 25.

Quality far exceeds quality. Pick your strongest images for your portfolio, don't use images just as filler.

Here's my portfolio as an example:

http://www.brentpennington.com