An unsolicited portfolio review featuring photographer, Mikk Olli

by Tobias van Schneider
Published Jan 28, 2022

This is our second edition of Unsolicited Portfolio Reviews, a new series where we analyze the small decisions behind great portfolios.

This week we’re looking at photographer Mikk Olli’s website, built with Semplice.

You can think of a photography portfolio – or really, any portfolio – like an art gallery. Most of the time, a photo or piece of art is displayed on a blank wall, so nothing distracts from the work. Yet there are tiny details that make a difference: The style and color of the frame. The placement on the wall. The lighting. It’s these expert little touches you might not notice, but you’ll feel. And that’s what Mikk Olli is doing with his website.

Hover over any image on this site for some great hover effects, which instantly set the tone for Mikk’s street style. He uses GIFs as hover thumbnails in his portfolio grid, a small choice that brings his site to life.

Now click through to any of the projects and you’ll see my other favorite part: The custom page transitions. An interstitial screen appears featuring one of Mikk’s illustrations (he’s also an artist) before we jump to the next page. It shows personality and gives the site a nice, snappy feel.

His case studies are exactly what they need to be as a photographer. While designers need to provide more context, photographers simply need to set the scene and the tone. For anyone interested in hiring Mikk as a photographer, the work tends to speak for itself. You either fit the style and level of quality a person is looking for, inspire them when they don’t know what they’re looking for, or you’re not the right fit. So focus on making the images high quality, laying them out to tell the story and setting the scene with your case study.

And finally, we get to Mikk’s About page. It’s written casually and personally, with separate sections outlining his various skills and interests. His contact info is easy to find. His personality and style come through.

Visit mikkolli.com to see Mikk's work and portfolio for yourself. And watch next week for our next unsolicited portfolio review. If you haven't already, you can read last week's here:

All images in this article were taken from Mikk Olli's portfolio, built with Semplice. The article cover image appears in his "Street Photography" project.