Following up from my ArtStart post I thought I’d share my experience at the Lens Culture FotoFest Paris portfolio review particularly as it was one of the most rewarding parts of my grant year. What it is is three days of intense review sessions with gallerists, publishers, editors and other industry professionals offering you advice, feedback and, if it’s a good fit, opportunities. There were 163 photographers in attendance and 52 international experts. Photographers were allocated approximately 12 review sessions that last 20 minutes each (I ended up with 14). These reviews are for mid-career photographers ready to exhibit and show work internationally. I was one of only a very small handful of photographers under 30 in attendance.
My biggest goals for this event were to meet the reviewers, make a good impression and get feedback and advice on my work and career. As I still considered myself on the level of ’emerging’ I saw it as a way to make initial connections with people that can then grow over time.
Having fourteen people give you advice on two projects can give you an incredibly broad perspective on your artistic practice. I took note where reviewers were repeating the same things about where my work was working or not working. I presented two completely different bodies of work and the advice I received helped me clarify the direction I need to take my work, how to deepen it and where I need to be taking more risks. It was reassuring that the work I loved most of the two received the most positive feedback (and some touching emotional responses) so I feel confident continuing in that direction knowing it’s going to make a connection with people.
I found most of the reviewers to be sensitive, creative and engaged but also very honest with their criticism. Considering they meet with 14 different people every day I was impressed at their attentiveness. One pair were so enthusiastic that I caught them red-handed on a break seeking out more photographs to look at. Their enthusiasm was quite inspiring. Of course, as in everything, there are going to be reviewers you don’t click with, everyone has their own agendas and loves.
Here is my advice for anyone considering participation in a portfolio review:
- Have a clear goal for what you want to get out of it. Do you want an exhibition? A book? Representation? Or simply advice and feedback? A clear goal will strengthen your presentation and help your reviewers to give direct guidance and advice. Even if they can’t help you directly with your show/ book/ whatever, they may know someone who can.
- Bring one or two cohesive bodies of work – a series or book dummy that is ready to be exhibited or published. You may also want to bring work in progress to show what you are working on next.
- Research your reviewers – know who they are, what they like and how they might be able to help you and vice-versa. Tailor your presentation and any questions you might have accordingly.
- Presentation is everything. Have your work presented immaculately. Make it easy for them to look at. You sit at a small table facing each other so you don’t want anything too clumsy. I had one body of work presented as 30x40cm prints in mylar sleeves in a black portfolio box. The second project was a series of Polaroids presented in a small hand-made journal with text written in pencil. Other photographers had larger works and would stand to present them or used a laptop, though most reviewers prefer to see something printed rather than digitally.
- Be able to speak clearly and concisely about your work. This is essential. You have twenty minutes to make your pitch so you want to make every word count. Speaking about my work was never my strong point, I can get quite nervous, so for the first few meetings I had an introduction memorized that I could start with. By the end of the three days my introduction was refined even further as I learnt what parts of my talk clicked and what didn’t.
- Be prepared for criticism, not everyone is going to love what you do. Put your ego aside and listen to what they say. You don’t have to agree with them but an outsiders view on your work is always going to give you something to learn from even if it is negative or you disagree.
- Have something to leave behind – business cards or postcards seemed to be the main currency. I chose to leave reviewers with a small personalized envelope with their name printed on it that contained a business card, my bio and information about the two projects I was presenting.
There are a lot of portfolio reviews around the globe but LensCulture is one of the biggest. You can find more information about it here. Special mention must go to Joachim Froese for his help and guidance in preparing for the Paris review.