Fixing up my portfolio site

Hello everyone! I’m fairly new to Reddit so please let me know if I am posting this question in the appropriate community.

I consider myself a junior to social media marketing. I’m a 33 year old woman in the US, I went to school for advertising photography and furthered my education in Art Direction in advertising as well. A little after graduating, I got a job as a social media strategist and loved it.

The agency I worked for had me do a multitude of things, which I was ok with, being new. So I did strategy, content creation, graphic design, copy for the websites, videography and editing as well. I only had 3 clients so I could balance this fairly well.

I worked with them for a year a 3 months and few months I was unfortunately laid off, the agency was having to downsize like everyone else has had to lately and I’m not gonna fault them for how bad the economy is right now.

I’m grateful for what I’ve learned and I’m in the beginning steps of sprucing up my resume and portfolio site to get back out there.

My question is this, I was suggested from a friend that I display my photography work on my site as well. Like a page dedicated to just that of “people”, “product” and “places”. But I’m not sure how well that translates to social media related roles, I feel like they can see your photography/content making capabilities in social posts which I plan to display in mocks and such.

Is having a photography page that vital for a portfolio site if I’m going after social media manager/strategist roles?

Any advice or tips would be super helpful!

Comments

wesdacar•30 days ago•2

I wouldn’t make a standalone photography page the centerpiece if you’re applying for social media strategist/manager roles. It can help, but only if it supports the story that you can create content for a brand, not just take nice photos.

A better structure might be:

  • Case studies first: client goal, your role, content/strategy, examples, result or learning.
  • A content creation section: social posts, short-form video, graphics, copy, photography, editing.
  • A smaller photography gallery if it shows range that would matter for social work, like product shots, people/lifestyle, events, or brand moments.

Hiring managers usually want to know: can this person think strategically, make assets, write for a brand, and keep content moving? Your photography background is a plus because it shows visual judgment, but I’d frame it as part of your content toolkit rather than a separate art portfolio.

If you include the photo page, add short notes under a few images explaining the use case: product launch, social campaign, website hero, behind-the-scenes, etc. That makes it feel relevant to social roles instead of random extra work.

Akiko_Tsuka•29 days ago•2

I definitely think you should display your photography, as it’s a huge strength for you.

To land your next great job, I highly recommend showcasing your skills as much as possible on your portfolio.

Getting laid off was unfortunate, but you’ve got this.

Good luck with your job hunt!

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