I know, who cares about portfolios? I just tweet links to my Dropbox pdfs or whatever. Whatever!
I'm still using my red portfolio, but I recently added a black leather book, because there are a few people who react badly to the red one, I thought I'd make something just for them.
After asking around a bit, I went with a black leather 14 by 11 book from Iris Portfolios, with a silvery buckram box. Iris was recommended by the ever-helpful David Zaitz, and they were helpful and professional throughout.
I took both to NYC Fotoworks, where the corners and edges got all dinged up. As I suspected, some reviewers loved the red one, some loved the new black one, and some were indifferent to either, preferring to focus on the photos.
There's not too much to say about it. It's super nice - everything feels luxurious and looks cohesive. It's more elegant than the red one, and it's more...standard.
Which, of course, is fine. There's really no need to use the covers to try to stand out. Most people are after the work, anyway, and if it's something they want, it doesn't matter if it came loose in a FedEx box covered in donut crumbs. Conversely, if they don't want it, it...well.
At the moment, the black book has a really tight edit of 40 images, and the red one has 76.
I saw a few people at NYC Fotoworks showing work on iPads, but I'm pretty sure it was motion. Much like the black leather portfolio has a strong history in the arts in general, so does the printed, bound portfolio have a strong history in face-to-face meetings. Both my books are rich, detailed, and tactile, each has a scent, and a unique feel. An iPad is useful, but not as good.