Portfolio Reviews - naked prints?

[Ed Richards]

I am thinking about participating in a portfolio review where you get seen by several different people over a couple of days. Should you show prints in sleeves, or naked? I am thinking about 13x19 prints, but wonder if 17x22 would be managable for this sort of review.

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

I am thinking about participating in a portfolio review where you get seen by several different people over a couple of days. Should you show prints in sleeves, or naked? I am thinking about 13x19 prints, but wonder if 17x22 would be managable for this sort of review.

It all depends, if you are going to a portfolio review like Fotofest then MOUNTED AND MATTED is the way to go. You gotta put your best foot forward, aside from the fact that taking the photograph out of the sleeve and/or having it handeled by many people will probably have the print end up looking like a dish rag by the end of the session. Let them focus on your print and presentation, not on how bad it look because it got creased.

[PViapiano]

Ed...try to find some of Mary Virginia Swanson's interviews on the web. There's one with Brooks Jensen and also another great one out there. Also, take a look at her website. Lots of great tips for portfolio reviews...

If you can't find any, email me and I'll try to find them in my collection...

[Darryl Baird]

If you're showing to professionals, a naked print allows a unique contact for the viewer and they already know what the matte does and more work will fit in a smaller box (less heavy too), they also know how to handle a print.... if the process is delicate and precious (platinum, etc.) a good print might need a sleeve, but I've seen folks show (FotoFest, PhotoLucida) inkjet sample prints, and then presenting an example of the actual printing. Allows you to show lots of work, with less risk.

... but if you are trying to get a book deal, work the prints into a bookish format -- a book mockup or a portfolio box with prints that have generous borders and mimic the book page. The idea here is to get your sequence working its narrative magic.

[Kerik Kouklis]

Darrly is right. I've done both Fotofest and Photolucida. Forget the mattes, especially for prints larger than about 8x10. Time and efficiency are essential. It is much easier for the reviewers to handle unmounted prints. They are pros and they know how to handle them. They may ask you how you plan to present them in a gallery, but they know what mattes look like. Also, avoid sleeves if at all possible. I've shown loose platinum and gumover platinum prints many times and they are still in fine shape. The reviewers care about 1) image content/concept and 2) print quality.

[jetcode]

I am thinking about participating in a portfolio review where you get seen by several different people over a couple of days. Should you show prints in sleeves, or naked? I am thinking about 13x19 prints, but wonder if 17x22 would be managable for this sort of review.

I saw a Steichen portfolio once, naked prints in a beautiful leather binder.

[paulr]

I think it really depends ... there isn't one set of expectations these days. My prints are fairly small and are well served by traditional presentation, so I often show them matted. Especially if they're likely to get handled in anything but a serene setting by someone you trust (i don't automatically trust someone just because they're a reviewer or work at a gallery ... i've seen some horror shows).

But I've also had people specifically ask that I not do this. John Szarkowski said matted prints annoyed him ... took up too much room on the table. "Just put them in a photo paper box and drop them off."

And some people have work that isn't well suited to mats and boxes. My friend Andreas went around to all the reviewers at fotofest with 6-foot tall mural prints rolled into a big tube. He had to spread them out on the floor and put weights on the corners!

In general it seems that plastic sleeves are the norm in the commercial world, but not in the fine art world. Slick, commercial looking portfolios can feel tacky in that setting.

[Ed Richards]

Found a link to Mary Virginia Swanson's portfolio review advice:

http://www.photoplusexpo.com/ppe/upl...out-186322.pdf

[Kirk Gittings]

Having done many portfolio reviews, depending on how much time you have, i prefer finished prints in mats, a professional presentation enhances work enormously. The best compromise is to make prints with a generous border, say 11x14 prints on 16 x 20 border. That gives you the best of both worlds.