Building an online portfolio of your best visual artwork - be it photographs, drawings, designs or paintings - isn't as hard as you may think. For starters, there are many ready-made solutions out there that allow you to create websites with a professional look even if you do not happen to be a web design genius.
Not just holiday snaps
First, decide what the purpose of your online portfolio should be. If you are looking to share your favourite work with friends and family without forcing them to join the social network of your choice, a simple hosting site like Flickr, Picasa or DeviantART will do. These providers require you to register as a user but uploading and sharing images is free. The storage space may be restricted but you are unlikely to reach the upper limit unless you upload hundreds of high resolution images every week. The privacy settings of these sites can be adjusted, too. You can decide to show everything unrestricted to anyone on the Web, or you can hide your albums from public view and send family and friends direct 'secret' links so only they can see your work.
The professional look
If you are interested in a professional online portfolio to showcase your images to potential clients, you may want to invest in a subscription hosting service like Viewbook or Carbonmade. This does not have to cost a fortune -- prices vary but can start from as little as $20 per year. The advantage is a site that does not distract the viewer from your work through lots of advertising or a cluttered navigation. Most portfolio providers offer a selection of out-of-the-box templates that you can then customize further. You can choose the tags to be used in your menu, add a short biography or a personal logo, and play around with color schemes until you find one that best complements your pictures.
How to hook your audience
Try and keep the feel of the site as simple as you can. Each page should serve as a frame to show off your imagery, not as the main event the viewer focuses on.
Edit your images carefully before you upload them -- you only want your audience to see the best of your work, as they would in a traditional print portfolio.
Make sure to add your contact details to every page of your album so clients can get in touch with you instantly.
Try and fit your portfolio site to the content you are planning to showcase there. If you are into illustration for children's books, go for a playful theme with bright colors. A neutral background combined with a plain font for image subtitles works well for color photography.
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