Building your best portfolio

The presentation of your images is one of the most important things you can spend time getting absolutely perfect. 

When a prospective client comes across your website, one of the first things they will do is look at your portfolio. They will have a rough idea in their head of what kind of style of images they want. 

One thing that many photographers do is overcrowd their online portfolio. This is the WORST thing you could possibly do. The client will look through the first 20 images, and get bored if they really haven’t been wowed.


Less is more

Remember, your weakest images will bring your set down. It is more wise to pick 25 of your best images, rather than including an extra 25 average images that don’t effectively showcase your best work. 

Be consistent in your style- find it, and stick to it. This way, the client knows exactly what kind of images to expect from their own shoot.


“Don’t make the mistake of trying to bulk up your portfolio!”

We can’t reiterate this enough- these images have to be absolutely spot on. Any images where the horse’s or owner’s eyes are slightly closed, any mouths slightly open or horse’s ears in random, uninterested place- take them out! Any images that are slightly soft- the focus not quite there- even if the actual pose is perfect- take them out!

It sound really, really obvious- but we see this time and time again.  focus, owner and horse looking lovely. 

The same rules apply when you are picking your final edit for presenting to the client. If you’ve taken 10 really similar images in the same place- just put 2 in- theres nothing worse than an owner trying to pick between 3 images that are basically the same shot 3 seconds apart. 

We normally suggest picking around 120 images to show to your client, and aim to sell roughly half including album and framed prints.

For those of you who are still not sure about how to create the best portfolio, join us on Monday 26th June at 10am for Unveiling the secrets to the perfect portfolio, session 1 of our online training series The Business Clinics. Secure your place for only £35 here.

A Message from the Judges

This year’s entries showed exceptional creativity and a strong sense of storytelling. We judged each image on both emotional impact and technical strength, looking at composition, light, atmosphere, connection, colour, sharpness and thoughtful editing.

We were truly moved by the work submitted and are so proud of every photographer who took part. Thank you for trusting us with your art.


Thank You

A heartfelt thank you to our judging panel:
Emily Hancock
Hannah Freeland
Tilly Berendt
Elisabeth Vieten

And to our partners:
Kaleidoscope Framing
SWPM

Your support makes this celebration of creativity possible.


Looking Ahead

We are already excited for next year’s competition and cannot wait to see what you create in 2026.

Until then, keep photographing what inspires you and telling the stories that matter to you.

Emily and Hannah
The Training Barn