Building an online presence is very important when creating a commercial portfolio to present and be able to look back on everything that you have achieved and make you approachable to brands that may want to work with you in the future.
I opened a photography Instagram when I joined the university. This final year, my Instagram has been a great platform to engage with people, gain inspiration and scout models which have been character building to set me up for the future and also to aid me in finding models that may be more professional to the fashion community.
After I have edited all the best images from a shoot, I will usually choose the best three to post. This is to get my work out there to a wider audience and keeping on top of it is a good way to show consistency and that you are constantly creating work which would be an advantage for anyone that is wanting to hire you.
This social media platform is a bit more formal compared to Instagram. It engages more with the business side of your practice where you can ‘connect’ with people who may be in the same boat as you. For example, other photography students or a brand that you particularly like. It is another advertising space that you can show past experiences and what you can offer. You also have a feed that you can post about work on to the people that you are connected with. On my LinkedIn profile I currently have 39 connections and by frequently connecting with people aids you to network and find yourself opportunities, especially post-graduate when looking for a job.