Understanding the Role of the Free Online Photography Portfolio

All thing said and done, most free online portfolio websites offer freelance photographers a nice readymade solution. So instead of having to pay for a domain name, hosting, and then setting up a website by yourself, with such readymade sites you'll find that all you really need to do is fill in the blanks for your profile and then upload whatever photographs you wish to upload.

Photography portfolios such as these have an added advantage as well -- internal traffic. Because many clients flock to such websites to look for freelance photographers, you're going to benefit by having your listing there in case someone is interested. This could be a nice source of additional clients, but it does have its downsides as well.

For starters, free online photography portfolios are generally regarded as being less 'professional' than having your own website and domain name. Also, you'll have less control over the overall look of your online portfolio since you're only really allowed to upload photographs and will have absolutely no control over the design.

Furthermore, while you may gain a few additional clients, the competition within such websites is often pretty heated. As such, it might take you longer to establish yourself on some of the more popular photography portfolios than it would if you were to create your own online portfolio from scratch and market it yourself.

All said and done, the choice is yours -- but just be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of going down this route.