Making the most of a professional portfolio review
Participating in a portfolio review is a great way to have your work seen by industry professionals who can provide valuable feedback and give guidance on how to progress your visual storytelling skills. Photography commentator, Alison Stieven-Taylor is one of the reviewers for this year’s Ballarat International Foto Biennale. She shares her tips to getting the most out of portfolio reviews.
“My areas of specialisation are photojournalism and social documentary photography, so the narrative is extremely important. When I review portfolios, I am looking for work that demonstrates the photographer’s storytelling capacity, as well as their passion and knowledge of the subject. I want to see the photographer’s best work, to feel like I’m being taken on a journey and learning something new,” says Stieven-Taylor.
“I also like to see captions, especially for photojournalistic work – the who, what, where, when and why are basic tenets of reportage and are essential to placing the work in a specific place and time in history. The photographer should be able to sum up the picture in a few words; captions are not artistic statements. If you need volumes of text to explain your photograph, you’ve missed the point of visual storytelling.”
Top five tips for portfolio reviews
One: Put your best work forward – only show the work you think is a standout.
Two: Arrange your portfolio so the narrative unfolds logically. Don’t include too many images for each photo essay.
Three: Set your objectives – know what you want to achieve from the review.
Four: Ask questions that will help you advance your photography.
Five: Don’t take criticism personally – the photography market is tough. Take criticism constructively and think about how to apply the reviewers’ comments to further your work.
About the Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2015 Portfolio Reviews
Connect with publishers, gallery owners, festival personnel and other respected industry professionals and meet with experts who have an intimate knowledge the industry. Schedule five (5) twenty-minute, face-to-face presentations of your folio with reviewers on 23 August, who will provide you with valuable feedback about the strengths or weaknesses of your work, and gain valuable insights on how to advance your career as a photographer.
For more information, click here.
To book portfolio reviews at BIFB, click here.
Stephen Dupont is one of the reviewers as well as a BIFB exhibiting artists from the core program.
The Guy Vinciguerra Fellowship
All participants in the BIFB’15 Portfolio Reviews will be considered for the Guy Vinciguerra Fellowship. The strongest portfolio, as adjudged by the reviewing panel, will be awarded a return airfare, accommodation and meals allowance, and registration for a four-day review session at the world’s oldest and biggest portfolio review, The Meeting Place, at FotoFest Houston, in March 2016.
