Keep images in marketing material fresh

One of the most difficult things for a photographer to do is to say “goodbye” to a favorite picture. Often photographers have a sentimental attachment to particular images. Perhaps these pictures have won awards, been featured in high-profile ad campaigns or magazine covers, or are simply great images that were creatively satisfying to make. If the photographer’s been in the business for a while, the odds are that at least some of these pictures have been around for years.

While it’s difficult to let go of an old friend, it’s critically important for most photographers to keep the images in their portfolio, on their Web site and in their other marketing pieces as fresh as possible. A good rule of thumb is to put no images in your portfolio or other marketing material that are over 2 years old. Considering that the life of a marketing piece can easily be 6 months to a year, prospective clients could be exposed to work that is up to 3 years old by the time they see it.

Keeping the images fresh isn’t always easy since a large part of a photographer’s brand is their pictures. In the marketplace photographers are sometimes known for specific images that are emblematic of their work. But there are many reasons, both business and creative, why you should be willing to let go of older images in favor of new ones. They include the following:

Assignments clients should see the type of work they can expect to get if they hire you today.
Whether you’re aware of it or not, chances are the look of your pictures has changed over time. It might be the result of conscious decision to evolve your style or tackle new subjects. It could be because you’ve made the transition from film to digital, 35mm to medium format film, or have gone from using lots of post-production to a lighter touch. Or it could just be the natural evolution of how you’re growing as an artist and a person.

If your portfolio and Web site features a lot of work that your did using a 4 x 5 view camera and now you primarily use a 35mm format digital camera, the work you’re showing will be substantially different from what you are currently producing for your clients. They will hire you based on the style of the images in your portfolio or on your site and could be justifiably disappointed when the get the images from the shoot you do for them if they have a different look.

Stock images can look dated relatively quickly.
Some areas of stock photography, such as landscapes and travel, are evergreen. But virtually all images with people in them run the risk of looking dated, probably before you realize it. Sophisticated art buyers and photo editors are keenly aware what’s current in both subject matter and photographic style. While the life of a typical stock image can be 5 years or even much longer, leading your marketing with fresh work will increase the chance that the first (or second or third) impression you give to a potential customer is that your work is contemporary, not dated.


Potential clients should always see something fresh to keep them interested.
Even if the look of your images hasn’t changed and your stock images hold up well over time, fresh images will help keep the attention of potential and repeat clients. If you’re marketing properly and getting your marketing material seen on a consistent basis by the same audience, then you need to keep pushing your freshest work forward. If people in your target market see the same images repeatedly, even if they’re mixed in with newer images, they’ll get the impression that they’ve already seen what you can do and will tune out. In order to keep them interested you need to pleasantly surprise them on a consistent basis.


Knowing you need to be creating your best work now is good discipline that will help you reach new creative heights.
Ultimately, the most important reason to let go of your older images is that it will push you to constantly seek a fresh approach to your work. If you have 20 pictures in your portfolio and resolve that it will not contain images that are more than 2 years old, that means you should be producing 10 portfolio-worthy images a year. With this approach, you should be motivated to expand your creative limits. If you knew you couldn’t use your older work to market yourself, what would you shoot?

Of course this doesn’t mean that these older images have no place in your business. It’s fine to include them on your Web site, just be sure that they are segregated from your most current work and not pushed forward to be some of the first images a visitor sees when they come to your site. Consider adding a “Classic Images” or “Greatest Hits” area to your site to show off these older gems.

And like any rule, this one has its exceptions. If you’re a travel or landscape photographer and you have great images that haven’t been seen before, then it’s okay to put those pictures front and center. Likewise, if you shoot celebrity portraits and have older pictures of some extremely famous faces, it can be helpful to include those in your current portfolio to reinforce your reputation for working with top stars. And of course long-time industry veterans who derive most of their income from selling prints and licensing “vintage” images from their past need only show that work. There are other exceptions as well.

But for the vast majority of photographers, the surest way to keep your career dynamic is to continually feature your most recent work in all your marketing pieces. It’s almost impossible for photographers to look at their images objectively. If the images you use for marketing are stale or over-exposed, you’re likely be the last to know.

The need to produce new portfolio-worthy work can also act an important signpost for your career. If a pictures you created 4-5 years ago are substantially better than anything you’ve shot recently, then it’s time to seriously reevaluate your creative process. Ideally, your best work should be your most recent work.

Quick Tip
Think Globally, Market Locally

While most photographers aspire to shoot that major national ad campaign, prestigious annual report or have their work featured in a high-profile magazine, the truth is that, in total, a lot of money is spent on photography at the local level. Doing local work shouldn’t prevent you from striving to accomplish (or sustain) more lofty professional goals, but it can provide much welcomed income and some interesting creative opportunities.

Local marketing can take many forms. If you’re a commercial photographer, don’t shy away from contacting suburban ad agencies in your area. While they likely receive all the usual email blasts and mailers from other photographers that is sent to people on bought lists, they probably don’t get a lot of photographers asking to come in and show their book. The local chamber of commerce can also be a good source for leads. See if there’s a way for you to be included in their directory or newsletter at no cost. Perhaps you can offer a discount to their members, or you can do some work for the chamber itself at very low cost in order to have them help promote you. If you do this just be sure the get the specific terms of the agreement in writing (what you will do and what they will do in exchange) to prevent misunderstandings.

Consider donating one of your prints to your local school for auction. Just make sure that all your contact information is listed in the auction guide and is mentioned at the time of the auction. And show up in person if you can. As an added bonus, you should be able to deduct the fair market value of the print, not just the cost of making the print. (As with all tax matters, consult an accountant.)

Depending on where you live, the math of going after local clients can work in your favor. Instead of competing with thousands of photographers for several dozen of the most prestigious jobs, you might only be competing against the few photographers who are marketing to local clients in your area. The payoff may not be as big but the odds are considerably better that you’ll get the work.

Local work may not have the glamour of big national accounts, major publications or shooting for large corporate clients, but it can provide interesting and profitable work. And in the hyper-competitive world of professional photography, that’s something you don’t want to ignore.

Jon Hornstein is Principal of Creative Touchpoint, a marketing services firm for photographers, reps and stock agencies. You can learn about Creative Touchpoint here. You can send Jon email at jon@creativetouchpoint.com.

Copyright © 2007 Creative Touchpoint, LLC. All rights reserved.