The Basics of the Portfolio and the Photographic Project

Both the photographic project and the portfolio speak about you—who you are, what you want, and how you see life. A project does this through the theme you choose and the way you approach it, while the portfolio is the photographer’s CV. Andrei Păcuraru will introduce you to the photographic project, and Toma Hurduc will help you understand how to structure a portfolio according to its purpose and how to present your artistic or commercial work. By the end of the course, you will have a clearer idea of which project(s) to start and a draft of your portfolio.

What you will learn / do:

• what a photographic project is;

• how to plan the execution of a photographic project;

• what a portfolio is and how to create one;

• basic notions of layout and design for a portfolio.

Course schedule:

• Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 18:00–21:00 – Introductory notions: project and portfolio

• Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 18:00–21:00 – About the portfolio: from DTP to how I write about myself

• Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 18:00–21:00 – Tips & tricks and portfolio refinement

• Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 18:00–21:00 – Photographic project: ideas and execution plan

Course details:

This is a module within the course “Fundamentals of Photography.” It is specifically designed so it can also be taken independently by those interested only in portfolio development and photographic projects.

You will need a camera—ideally with interchangeable lenses—to try out some initial images for the project, a laptop/tablet for creating the portfolio, and an archive of images from which you can make your portfolio selection.

About the lecturers (briefly):

Andrei Păcuraru is one of the best educators you will encounter. A photographer since the age of 16 and a photography instructor since his early twenties, he is currently one of the pillars of CdRF. Throughout his career, Andrei has successfully navigated multiple types of commercial photography and, in recent years, has chosen to focus on artistic work. He thinks almost exclusively in terms of projects and is deeply interested in exploring photographic technique as a means of artistic expression. In recent years, Andrei has collaborated with writers on book illustrations, created photographic artist books, exhibited in collaboration with international curators, completed older photo projects, and begun new ones.

Toma Hurduc studied image-making at UNATC. He works on long-term projects and edits the zine ‘Past Few Days.’ Toma is interested in how light shapes images, often working with analog techniques and various forms of printing and presentation. Through his photography, Toma seeks to question human perception of reality, fear, anxiety, ephemerality, and the construction of memory. He has had solo and group exhibitions at CdRF, the Cluj-Napoca Art Museum, and in France, the UK, and Norway. He was selected for a mentorship program with Annie Leibovitz.