Portfolio Reviews

[Julian Boulter]

Hi all,

I have never attended a portfolio review but I have read up quite a bit about them on this forum and other sources.

One thing I want to know which I have not really seen explained yet is (and I guess this depends on what the photographer wants out of the reveiw and on the particular review event) do photographers present their portfolio as one might present an exhibition or a book, i.e. a themed project of a particular subject matter containing a series of prints as opposed to random prints of the same subject (e.g. a portfolio of landscapes) or random prints of different subjects?

I guess the former approach is usually the case as a collection of prints presenting a cohesive theme / story may have more impact but exhibitions and books are usually accompanied by texts complementing the concept of the series which can add to the experience of viewing the work so in the case of a portfolio review how do people approach this? do they include text with the prints? do they present the portfolio in book form, or perhaps talk through the concept at the review?

Just interested to hear how others approach this.

Cheers

Julian

[Sean Galbraith]

I think it would depend on what you're looking to get out of it. Are you looking for to find out if you have skills as a photographer in general, and how you could improve? Or are you looking for an opinion on a specific project you're working on, and how it could be improved? Proceed accordingly.

[Ed Richards]

Your work is really nice, but very traditional. (Not a criticism on this forum.) My personal experience, bolstered by looking at the photographers selected as the best from various reviews, is that most portfolio reviewers are looking for new and trendy, not for traditional work, no matter how good - or maybe especially not if it is very good. So before you sign up for one, make sure there is some fit with your work.

[Richard M. Coda]

I agree with Ed. If you're not trying to make a political or social statement you will not be happy with the result. Save your money and put it into your photography (travel, supplies, maybe a workshop) instead. And, yes, your work is very nice.

[Tori Nelson]

Julian, your work is lovely. I really love the Hoar Frost.

[Frank Petronio]

Paid Portfolio Reviews are great -- for the reviewers!

But you would probably get more valuable advice if you asked the members of this forum for free feedback. You might not like all of it but looking at the diverse opinions will be good too.

[Merg Ross]

You have your way of seeing, very good results.

As to reviews, you simply have two questions to ask and answer:

1) Whom do I admire to the extent that I would seek their evaluation of my work?

2) What are my expectations from such a review.

It is your work. Show what you consider your best, in the manner you prefer. Do not anticipate what the reviewer may prefer. Good reviewers also have much to learn, and your work may open their eyes.

Unfortunately, I have witnessed good, young talent destroyed by portfolio reviews. Back to my first point, be very selective of the reviewer.

[David Karp]

You might find this helpful: http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ad.php?t=51256

[John Powers]

Julian,

Through workshops, APUG convention and college courses in my retirement I have had the pleasure of portfolio reviews from the following artists. My work for each portfolio was related to a theme. In each case the reviewer found it important to have a brief and concise Artist’s Statement. Their comments considered the value of the theme and how the work, usually twenty or more pieces, related to the objectives of the statement.

Lois Conner `04; Andrea Modica & Chip Forelli `05; Les McLean, Paula Chamlee, Michael Smith `06; Thomas Roma, William E. Williams `07; Martin Parr, Abelardo Morell `08; Toby Jurovics, Joel Sternfeld `09

Go for it. I felt I have learned much from each experience.

John

[Thom Bennett]

Check out what Mary Virginia Swanson has to say on the subject:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5JUIUGMnzA

Also, check out the latest New Orleans Photo Alliance blog entry:

http://neworleansphotoalliance.blogs...1_archive.html

There you will see this year's Reviewer's Choice Awards, the bodies of work that the reviewers chose as their top three out of about 60 photographers and scroll to the bottom of the blog entry for an interview with Mary Virginia Swanson that includes some tips on attending a portfolio review.

Personally, I found that each reviewer was a little different; some liked for you to talk about your work even before you showed it, some liked to look in silence and then ask you questions and some just liked to have a conversation as they looked through. Overall, I liked the experience although I would say that to get the most out of it you should have specific goals of what you want. Do you want gallery representation? Do you want to get into museums? Do you want to get published? Also, the experience really shows you where you do fit in (or not, in my case) with the current trends in photography. The best part of the experience was actually in the waiting room hanging out with all the other photographers and getting to see a vast range of work as well as get impromptu "reviews" from the other participants.