The iPad Portfolio
This is an iPad portfolio (or “iFolio” as I like to call it) I created using images from my print portfolio. I give a tour of an abridged version of my iFolio and point out the benefits of using this to share imagery.
Zack Seckler’s iPad Portfolio from Zack Seckler on Vimeo.
When I first got my hands on an iPad (yes, the day it came out) I instantly thought ‘could this replace the print portfolio?’Ideas raced through my head: countless hours spent creating perfect prints…gone! Expensive custom made portfolios…no more! Back problems from lugging around heavy books…never again!
AND
The iPad has everything: it’s beautiful! Light! Affordable! Displays motion! Customizable! Fun to use!
I was feverish with excitement.
That was two weeks ago. I’ve since come to my senses (somewhat).
I got in touch with four art buyers at top ad agencies and they all seem to agree that print still offers a superior viewing experience. A glowing screen just doesn’t compare to big beautifully printed images on luxurious paper. If a client is looking through books, deciding to whom to grant a big budget project, a 9″ screen won’t hold up well against rich detailed prints nearly twice it’s size.
That being said, the art buyers and I agree that the iPad does have potential to be a very useful tool for photographers. First off, if you have a lot of motion or multimedia work to show then this is clearly a good bet. Second, for those times when you want to show new or personal work that wouldn’t fit in your normal books it can be a valuable supplement. Lastly, for those situations where you want to show your work but just didn’t happen to bring your 20 lbs. book along (industry event, party, you happen to be sitting next to Don Draper on a plane — or his 21st century equivalent).
Ultimately, we’re talking about a new device that hasn’t had time to branch out into the marketplace yet. So in a sense it’s too early to tell what will happen. Will iPad portfolios become all the rage? Will print portfolios start to fall by the wayside? Anything could happen.
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13 Responses to “The iPad Portfolio”
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The price is about the same or less than a good book, if you account for the time and cost of the printing, so you might consider several of these, but what happens when you send them out?
April 19th, 2010 at 7:46 amI am visiting art buyers and photo editors in NYC (from the west coast) with my print book and supplemental iPad portfolio. as it is so new the iPad gets a good wow factor and some images do really pop on the bright screen. But I could not see the video of Zack’s portfolio as it needs Flash!
Kevin Steele : : http://www.kevsteele.com
April 19th, 2010 at 7:48 amI should mention that. on this 1 week trip I committed to leaving the laptop home and just using the iPad for my email, calendar, web etc as well as the supplemental portfolio…
April 19th, 2010 at 7:50 amYes Kevin, the lack of Flash support is one major problem with the iPad…especially considering most photographers’ sites are all Flash!! Good news is you probably won’t be browsing the web during a client meeting.
Good luck in your NY meetings.
April 19th, 2010 at 10:30 amLove it. Love mine. What photo friendly apps have you come across so far?
April 20th, 2010 at 1:23 pmWe have optimized our web site for the Ipad. Please check it out. We are finding CD’s and AD’s love to look at these on there own Ipads.
http://deandigitalmobile.com/
April 20th, 2010 at 3:29 pmDoug, everything in the video was doing what came standard on the iPad. I customized the background and disabled certain features (itunes, email, etc.) to make a very simple presentation. Don’t know of any apps out there yet but if you find any good ones feel free to post them here!
April 20th, 2010 at 4:04 pmExcellent video and great work Zack!
April 20th, 2010 at 4:17 pmJust checked out your site Zack, had no idea you were a photographer as well. Wonderfully humorous work. Bravo.
April 21st, 2010 at 11:35 pmhi Zack,
April 23rd, 2010 at 2:21 pmminor ‘technical’ question – do you use iPhoto for this or is there any way I overlooked to customize the order of images when importing to the iPad by using images in folders?
Hi Brec, this was all done simply using iPhoto.
April 26th, 2010 at 11:22 amthanks. bummer though that you’ll have to go through iPhoto. I got one myself now and start exploring
April 27th, 2010 at 8:52 amReally nice peak at the iPad. I’m using at as a portfolio now and getting much good feedback!
May 19th, 2010 at 3:40 pm