How Many Photos? How Many Albums?

37, 3

42, 0

I'm temporarily back to a free membership, so you can't see my albums, but I have them on themes rather than by model (someone once described having per-model albums as a bit like having a "shrine" to them), so Fashion, Portrait, Glamour, Guys, Two, Erotic, Landscape, Water Babies, Music, and so on. 

Then I only have either a few recent images in the main portfolio, or a few favourites.

I would suggest that yours would benefit from a similar approach.  Too many images out on display and no-one will even see the albums.

You won't get a sensible answer to the first two questions on here I'm afraid, as you've already seen.

Your port is visually engaging, great use of colour and thought used about where images go on the grid, well done

Joseph Mead said

How many photos would you consider to be too many on a profile?
The same goes for albums. What's your opinion?

As many as you can before you have to scroll.
If i have to scroll down to keep seeing more of the photo's and/or albums on your profile? 
Then that's too much. 

The photo's should all be viewable in one take, without having to scroll down. 
Using albums is good, then i can drill down to a specific if i watn to; but don't make too many, otherwise that takes up vertical space again. 

Edited by Gwenny

I'd argue that, flippant as it may have seemed, 37 and 3 is a sensible answer, though of course not the only one. 36 images is 4 rows of 9 on a PC, which I think is enough (not overwhelming, not demanding a lot of scrolling). It's also a number that divides nicely by other factors if viewing on other devices. I have 2 albums - SFW and NSFW - using PP definitions. It avoids the albums-by-model approach that some decry, and also any other ambiguous classification that has overlaps and demands further genre interpretation. It may also be helpful to those who only want to look at SFW (or indeed NSFW) images. You might like a further 'all' album, which is often suggested :)

Arguably, a portfolio really only needs a very small number of images (eg, 15) to demonstrate skill in different styles and the ability to make good choices, but if the harvesting of likes is important to the individual and the community is resistant to clicking in albums (why?) then you want zero albums and a thousand images on your main page. There is an aesthetic tension here. I've chosen my way. I don't expect others to follow. I don't think, in the grand scheme of things, it will make much difference.

Per model isn't ideal.

In an album called Words I have an article about albums one might have and find useful so I'll avoid retyping it here.  A discussion followed it.

15 is too few, since it doesn't demonstrate your account is not free, similarly, an album makes you look serious, and you may as well have ...

765 images seems about right to me.

Might be more soon   ;)

MidgePhoto said

15 is too few, since it doesn't demonstrate your account is not free, similarly, an album makes you look serious, and you may as well have ...

But i'd have to disagree with the fact that just having 15 indicates you're account is free.
It clearly says "VIP" on the top next to your chosen banner image. That banner image better be picked to be an eye-catcher so it's even more a no brainer that a person's eye's notice the
"THIS USER IS VIP" logo there.

Personally I don't think it matters how many and some might like having lots others fewer, it's individual choice. Having albums is good method to keep repetition together, and avoids a scrappy mess like mine. However, there's more to a port than numbers.

The actual content and body of work that an individual has created using their skills, that's the real measure. A port with just 20-25 images all taken at events/model days etc which were set up styled and lit by someone else, I don't think that is a true representation of what a port should be, and there are plenty of those.

With a physical commercial portfolio book, around 40 images is considered normal. Caveat being the images are all quite distinct and non-similar.

I have my most popular pics and latest uploads on my portfolio, which I regularly trim.

Album wise, I broke it down to:

Colour nude/topless/implied/concealed

Colour fashion/lingerie

Black and white nude/topless/implied/concealed

Black and white fashion/lingerie

Portraits

Special Projects

And a couple of others.that pretty much will cover all my work. Putting photos into albums by model name would result in a stupid number of albums so I went with style instead.

Gwenny is perfectly correct of course.

(At least for readers)

Tabitha Boydell said

You won't get a sensible answer to the first two questions on here I'm afraid, as you've already seen.

Your port is visually engaging, great use of colour and thought used about where images go on the grid, well done

I agree with Tabitha, I think you have it right.

Funnily enough I was debating this myself and I need to have a sort out. I use model named albums like you, I get a surprising number of visits to each album and I like to dip into them myself sometimes. The whole genre thing for me personally is pointless, unless I start shooting more genres!!

Ooops don't check out mine then... I has over 10,000 images!!!

I keep each model I work with in their own folder as I like to look back at the work I've done since joining PP and see how far I've come too. 

Plus with being a VIP member I likes to get me monies worth too :P