I made a photography portfolio book from scratch, and despite my lack of knowledge when it comes to using tools and building things, I think it turned out good. I was aiming for something that would offer flexibility in the number of prints I could feature, and I wanted to be able to easily swap the pages out for new ones in the future.
The cover is made out of wood, which was selected purely for the grain. I had cut down to size at my local home improvement store, then I stained it with two coats of Minwax. The first coat of stain took about 10 minutes to dry, while the second coat of stain took 3 days to dry.
I used 12″ long continuous hinges on the inside, along with 1/4″ screw posts. Both were purchased at my local Lowe’s Home Improvement store. The prints inside are actual photos, printed at 11″ x 17″. The hinges I used will make it easy for me to swap the pages out for new ones in the future.
There are currently 14 pages in the book, mostly showcasing my work as a portrait photographer, but there is flexibility to grow in the future.
Overall, I’m really happy with how it turned out. It was significantly more affordable than the store-bought options I had found. And, it was a really fun project to work on.
If you’ve made a portfolio book from scratch, I’d love to see the results, especially if you used this book as inspiration.
