tom_werbie_jr.

I'm doing a little spring cleaning, have a bunch of empty boxes from

random camera / photo equipment... They just seem to be taking up

space. So what do you do? Do you keep your empties or toss them?

To add to Maria's question, has anyone tried a website? I've been giving it serious thought. I'm thinking of doing something basic... A couple of portfolios, contact info, etc. If you've got a website, in addition to using it as promotion, have any of you made any print sales directly from ther website? Just an avenue I've been considering, looking for some personal experiences.

Hey Black Plague. I was in your position not too long ago. I just finished my first serious portfolio a while back. I'd say shoot everyone you know that's willing to pose for you. Friends, family. After you've got the images you want, there are a bunch of different philosophies on portfolios... From what I've read and from who I've talked to, most agree that it should be 10-20 photos. When I'm bringing my stuff to galleries I use 8x10 photos, matted to 11x14 in the plastic baggies, then I stick those in a Light Impressions box. For other scenarios I bought a Prat book. Basically just a neat looking, thin, multi-ring binder with clear sleeves to slide the unmounted photos into. Much lighter and easier than matted prints. There are custom books available too. Also, I don't remember the title, but I've seen a book in a few places that's all about putting together a portfolio. Browse around on amazon, you'll probably find it. Check out the other forums too. You'll probably find much better advice than mine. Good luck with everything!

I bought a copy of "Photographing People: Portraits Fashion Glamour", by David Wilson. I was completely clueless about studio lighting and found this to be really helpful. The first chapter has photos of different types of lighting equipment and briefly describes what they do. The rest of the book consisted of a portrait on one page, with a lighting diagram, comments by the photographer, and other info on the opposing page. It's current, and you should be able to check out a copy at your local B&N or Borders.

I'm new to Hasselblad and actually found the Hasselblad website to be a big help and inspiration. They've got an awesome gallery section hilighting lots of different photographers, and it's free.