In order to win business from prospective clients, you will, at some point, have to show them images you have taken from past events. Even if you have never been the designated photographer at a wedding, you will still need to be able to show your skills and creativity in order to for you to be hired. Go to a friends wedding and take some photos, or ask the bride if you can take some shots of her in return for a free print.

But in this day and age of technology, there is another way to show your images. One that will allow you to have you album with you at all times. The color and clarity of the images on these devices is outstanding. One that allows your potential client to see your work in glorious detail. I am referring to portable devices with high resolution color LCD screens.

Apple's iPhone or iPod touch are just two examples that provide the ideal platform for this purpose. In this article, I will use the term iPhone to refer to both devices. The beauty of this device, is that in most cases, you need to have a cell phone with you so you can make and receive calls, especially from clients or prospective clients. But at any time, you can show images to people you meet. With the iPhone, you can create any number of digital albums to suit your needs. You can have an album of wedding images, or you can split wedding photos into multiple albums, and create albums of themes. For instance, a series of brides in outdoor locations. Or sunsets, at the church etc. The iPhone is very flexible, and you can set it up in so many different ways.

You can also have a number of albums that show off images that you take for your own enjoyment. Such as landscapes, or portraits of family groups. Again, having all these albums on one device, means that you can tailor a presentation to just about anyone you meet, for almost any occasion.

And do not forget, you can use it to promote yourself as a product or advertising photographer. Whenever you meet people, if they are in business for themselves, you may have an opportunity to promote your services for their business. They may need some shots of their building for a promotion, or the products they sell for advertising, or for marketing materials, such as flyers or postcards.

With a device such as the iPhone, you will always be ready to promote yourself and your services. Even if you have a website with your images, you may not always be near a computer with an internet connection. And sometimes, you may not be able to access your website from some computers, especially in corporate settings, where many sites are blocked if it is not within the corporate web intranet. And although you can always access the web with your iPhone wherever you are, it is always easier to use the iPhone to display your images, quickly and easily.

These devices are extremely versatile and will allow you to take advantage of many of the other features they provide. You will always have access to email, so if anyone is trying to reply to you about a booking, you can do so while on the road at all times. Whenever you need to send a quote, it is very easy with this device. If you need to check your calendar for upcoming appointments or events, you can easily check these items. You may even come across an interesting location for photography, and so you can take a photo and place it into your database, always able to refer back to the location at any time. As well, as being able to show the location to a prospective client as a potential place for photos on the important day. You will also have your contact database, so you can make a call to your prospective clients and follow up on any questions they may have. In short, you will always be ready for any situation.

And lastly, but not always, least, you can play a game or two when you are waiting or perhaps enjoying a coffee at your favorite caf?. And if you have not looked at some of the games and other applications available for the iPhone and iPod touch, you will be amazed at the variety of applications available, starting from free to ten dollars. But, I digress. Never let it be said that I would encourage your use of these devices for anything other than serious business (yeah, right)!

Copyright (c) 2008 Tom Jackson