Excerpt from the Article:
Producing a photographic folio (sometimes also referred to as a box set or print portfolio) involves endless artistic choices, each step a unique opportunity to imbue a series of images with something more. The creative process includes: image selection and sequencing; the overall number of photographs; thematic or time-based constraints; paper choices; presentation options; whether or not to include captions, text, and essays; practical concerns around print consistency, volume, and shipping. … The list goes on.
While this may seem daunting at first, a folio is a chance to present a collection of images, an idea, or the start of a bigger project, and to work through its concepts at a smaller, more manageable scale. There is the added benefit that folios tend to be made of original prints (silver gelatin, inkjet, or otherwise) rather than reproductions, meaning they present work at high level of quality — or at least as high as the artist desires. As is suggested by the etymology of the word folio, or leaf, from Latin, the prints included in a folio are a collection of loose sheets encased in some kind of box or folder; the photographer doesn’t have to face the practical hurdle of binding.
