I created my website because I wanted a place to show the images that I like; me, myself and I. Art in all mediums is extremely subjective and because of this it's a very tough and competitive field. So how do you crack it without the ability to mind read? My personal answer is that you don't, stay sane, stay focused on why you make the art that sparks your plugs, and that makes you happy. This won't pay your bills but it will keep you working at your artistic vision.
What is a strong photography portfolio? Surprise! The answer hasn't changed at all; only the way that the answer is written has changed; know your brand. Some photographers will say that they are wedding photographers or portrait photographers. I am a Lomographer (insert definition here). I try to photograph something new every week with a different film or camera and I post it. I do this because the reality is that nothing is new, we've seen it all before. Still, I don't want the same image that 100,00 other photographers have.
I have had very few portfolio reviews outside of a university setting, by this I mean sitting in front of someone with my book. I created my website for this, (I do however, use business cards). I looked forward to the monthly presentations of our ten best photographs that was shot, developed and printed with a critique of every stage. Classmates, I found, were the best critics because working with them you discovered what drove their energy, and it was an up close and personal look at the competition within a "healthy" competitive environment.
My website is grouped into fluid portfolios, yes with an "s" which means that I have many, and that I'm changing them often. I think if the client is serious about you and your work that they will take the time to review your images and not only browse. The images that I'm posting this week, fresh out of the soup, makes this point clear, most are half frame that contain images within images. They're not browseable.
I'm sure that we can all name the same ten or so photographers who dominate or who have dominated the field and yet there are millions of us out here working and doing the same job with a different vision. This doesn't make us any less talented, or mediocre, because again it's subjective, whether that encompass nepotism or professional favoritism.
I recently posted the same image in two different photography groups not to prove a point but because I really liked the image. The bottom line is that it was received subjectively which I stored as another creative lesson. Embrace what you like and stand by what you creatively believe in. A gallery or patron will eventually hop on your train.
I've placed all of my half frame images in Lomo Love so that you can click through to see the entire image, (the slideshow is cropped) and preferably on a desktop. Cheers!