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Portfolio review events are often paid functions, where photographers meet with multiple reviewers in succession. At these events, photographers can receive portfolio feedback and career advice and they can build relationships that can lead to future assignments or stock sales. They differ from one-on-one portfolio reviews, where the photographer meets with an individual client in pursuit of an assignment and the photographer does not pay for that meeting.
Wonderful Machine Marketing Consultant Marianne Lee, who also produces ASMP online portfolio review events, emphasized the importance of receiving input as a commercial photographer.
If you’re coming out of art school, you’re not going to have those weekly critiques anymore — they’re gone. You need to get your work out in the world and you need to get some feedback on it. For established photographers, it’s an opportunity to get a new perspective on your work. It’s also a chance to meet potential clients.
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Whether online or in-person, portfolio review events can benefit a photographer at any stage in their career.
Kat Dalager, a Minneapolis-based reviewer with ASMP, addressed the pros and cons of online and in-person review events, noting that one may compensate for what the other may lack. For instance, in-person portfolio review events provide opportunities for genuine face-to-face interaction and networking, while online portfolio review events offer more accessibility.
Online events are less of a time commitment for photographers. There is no travel time, and there is no need to stay overnight before or after the event.
Marianne shared her perspective,
Online review events eliminate a lot of the time and expense of in-person events, including transportation, accommodations, and meals. By nature, in-person events are location-specific, and depending on when and where they are being held can be restrictive for photographers who need to travel. Online reviews spread the reach and benefits of the event further, since geography is not a barrier. It provides more opportunities to more people, especially since you don’t have to commit to a whole day.
However, some photographers welcome the opportunity to travel. Plus, being at an event in person, with other reviewers and participants in the same room, creates an opportunity for random accidental interactions that you won’t get online.
Atlanta-based photographer Lynsey Weatherspoon acknowledged the convenience of online portfolio review events, especially while traveling or on assignment. Her preference, though, is for in-person events.
It gives a better sense of someone understanding your work, as well as seeing it in living color. I usually take a box of prints to in-person meetings so people can have a tangible item to inspect and ask questions about. It makes for great conversations.
Attending in person can help strengthen the creative community within a local area, while helping photographers gain exposure and recognition.
The face time is great — not just with the reviewers, but with fellow photographers. You can get pointers on work and who to chat with at the event. You can also connect with reviewers you may not get a chance to have a meeting with otherwise. You can make connections and try to set up a follow-up outside of the portfolio review.
I feel as if every photographer and creative should have in-person meetings when possible, as verbal and nonverbal communication can be valuable to both the reviewer and photographer.
These cues can be harder to read when meeting virtually, especially if any technical glitches cause the audio or video to delay or freeze. Marianne agreed in part,
It’s not always easy in a video call to get those verbal cues as to when somebody’s actually done talking — sometimes it leads to interrupting the other person.
However, when compared with the opportunities of online reviews, she argued,
Those are all such little things when you can connect someone from New Jersey with someone in California.
For any photographer, there may be nerves around pitching your portfolio, whether online or in person, especially when first starting out. Lynsey relayed,
I’ve discovered that oftentimes it can be uncomfortable talking to someone about your work. But the more you present your portfolio, the more that sharing your work becomes part of your artistic process and business acumen.
Portfolio review events are often paid functions. Depending on the organization, there may be various review packages available, in addition to daily registration fees. Schedules are typically determined by who the photographer requests as their reviewer (if given the option), and when the reviewer can attend. Here are a few examples of organizations that host portfolio review events:
APA is a photographer association that hosts both online and in-person events. Their Washington, DC chapter (APA DC) is hosting a combination of the two formats for their 2024 portfolio review event. The first two days of the event will take place over Zoom, with the third held in person. Each review is 20 minutes. Non-member pricing ranges from $150 for a single review to $500 for six reviews.
Photographer association ASMP, hosts online portfolio events where photographers can sign up for individual reviews. Each meeting is 20 minutes and held over Zoom. Prices vary for each ASMP Chapter, but members often receive a discounted rate. There are also scholarships available for underrepresented creators.
Another popular event is NYCFotoWorks, which takes place in person, over the course of two days. Each meeting is 15 minutes. Photographers can purchase packages in groups of 5 meetings, which start at $825, with 40 meetings being the max at $3,775.
Online portfolio review event Palm Springs Photo Festival spans three days. There is a $55 registration fee per day, and packages are priced in blocks of six reviews. Prices start at $510 for six reviews, with a 5% discount rate applied to 12 or more reviews.
All reviewers are likely to be industry professionals of one kind or another. Some are clients who may be in a position to hire photographers. Others might include photography consultants who might not have assignments, but they may be able to provide valuable feedback (and who work for photographers). Still others might be photo agents keeping tabs on possible new talent to add to their roster.
Organizations usually share a list of reviewers you can expect at their event, along with a bio for each one. Minneapolis-based photographer Krizia Gaile took advantage of this for her first portfolio review event, which she attended virtually through ASMP’s MSP chapter. She was able to pick her reviewers ahead of time.
Reviewers will typically list what type of photographers they’re interested in seeing, which helped me figure out which ones were right for me and my photo specialties.
New York-based photographer Luke Copping has attended his fair share of portfolio review events, both in-person and online. They range from the Fotoworks review series to smaller local ones hosted by agencies, and the Ad Club in his hometown of Buffalo. He warned against taking a “hope-it-sticks” approach to picking reviewers.
Do your research! Explore each reviewer’s background, areas of expertise and recent projects. Understand their visual interests and curate your portfolio accordingly. A portrait photographer wouldn’t show up with landscape shots to meet a fashion editor. This targeted approach demonstrates initiative and increases your chances of resonating with the right reviewer.
Jeff Dunas, Director of Palm Springs Photo Festival, furthered this point,
Why see that reviewer? Look at their companies and look at their recent campaigns or stories so you have a sense your work would be of interest.
Organizations, like APA DC for example, allow photographers to request their reviewer(s) while offering transparency on the scheduling process:
We will do our best to match you with your selections, but ultimately reviews will be assigned in the order they are received.
Photographers may express their preferences for a reviewer but will have to be ready for whoever is assigned to them. So what happens if they can’t match you up with your ideal reviewer?
According to Marianne, you have to anticipate unexpected pairings at review events and make the most of them. There may be lateness or no-shows that cause last minute changes. In one instance, adjusting the schedule led to the pairing of a fine art gallery owner with a commercial food photographer.
You never know what’s going to happen. That said, they had a wonderful conversation and the reviewer offered great feedback. A fine art gallerist with a commercial food photographer — it just wouldn’t have normally clicked. But they did. Any chance to connect with someone is valuable.
Preparing for a portfolio review event may mean preparing materials for more than one reviewer. It may warrant a tailored portfolio edit for each person or a more general edit that could appeal to multiple reviewers. There are also a few things to take into consideration, depending on whether the event you’re attending is online or in person.
Before going into a portfolio review event, you need to ask yourself: What do I want to get out of each review? Wonderful Machine Senior Photo Editor Honore Brown, who is also a reviewer for ASMP, suggested that for each review, a photographer should always “Have one question in mind that you’d like answered.” This will help you prepare your materials as well as your elevator pitch. Consider what sort of information, advice, or feedback would be most beneficial for you at this stage in your career.
Unlike at one-on-one portfolio reviews, at review events you can ask your reviewer to critique your portfolio and your presentation. Marianne suggested asking yourself,
Do you want someone to look at a new project you have done? Do you want to know if your work is ready to go to the next level?
Luke added,
Are you looking for general feedback? Tips on how to be more relevant to their needs? Are you interested in how they like to approach projects and collaborations?
In all cases, it’s important to understand ahead of time who it is you’re meeting with and what your objective is for that conversation. If you think you have a chance of getting an assignment from that client, then don’t ask for advice. Instead, focus on showing your best work that you think matches up with their needs and then learn more about what kinds of projects they hire photographers for. You want that client to remember you as a professional they might actually hire rather than a kid who is asking for advice.
If you are looking for advice on an aspect of your portfolio or website, be specific. Is it your image selection or style? Are you looking for an opportunity to work with them, and are wondering if your work appeals to their target market? Either way, the work you present should be reflective of your goals. This should be established early in your preparation. Kat emphasized,
Just as reviewers are often informed about the purpose of the review, photographers need to make their goals clear for the reviewers.
The work you present at a portfolio review event should resonate with multiple reviewers. In some cases, a photographer may create additional portfolio edits to cater to specific audiences. Another factor is the event. Online events call for digital portfolios, while both print and digital can be utilized at in-person events. For the latter, Joshua Herman, the Co-Founder of NYCFotoWorks, said it isn’t necessarily an either/or answer.
It’s quite subjective in terms of what reviewers prefer to look at. Many prefer a beautifully printed book, especially since we spend so much time in front of screens already. However, having a tablet to show alongside the portfolio also allows for photographers to show motion work, their website, or draw from an additional library of images depending on the direction of the conversation.
If you’re traveling to an in-person event with a print portfolio (and other marketing materials), consider using protective sleeves to avoid damage. While some photographers love showing loose prints in a box, most reviewers prefer the convenience of paging through a book.
Your website should be up-to-date, functional, and reflective of your best work. Updating your social media couldn’t hurt either. It’s common for organizations to request links in your registration for any content you intend to share.
Your portfolio link may be different than your website, if you have a separate portfolio of work you’d like to share. Sending these ahead of time leaves more time during the review for feedback from the reviewers, rather than just viewing.
It’s helpful for reviewers to see the work prior to the event, especially for online reviews that involve video. For online events, have all portfolio and website links readily available to copy and paste into the chat at the start of the meeting. The same goes for your contact information (name, email, phone, website, Instagram, for example).
Before the event, seek a second opinion from a consultant or trusted colleague on your portfolio edit and any other materials. Ask them to also help you with a practice review to polish your presentation skills and identify any potential issues. Test runs are also helpful for online meetings, as you won’t have the chance to work out any technical issues (microphone, camera, etc.) during the review. Marianne relayed,
I am surprised at how much longer things seem to take online. When organizing an online event, I’ll usually do a test run with the reviewers beforehand to make sure they’re comfortable going in and out of rooms. Photographers should practice presenting their work beforehand as well. Software should be up to date, especially with Zoom.
Before her first portfolio review event, Krizia Gaile cleaned up her website, asked for peer advice, and implemented the main suggestions she received. When it came time for reviews, she felt she showcased a broad spectrum of work which communicated her range as a photographer. Her portfolio showed two different sides of her work: commercial photography she believed would sell, and her personal work. In retrospect, she realized she was holding back on some of her self-assigned projects she wanted to share, assuming they wouldn’t fit the commercial world.
I got this piece of advice from a reviewer, Christina Force, that really flipped the script for me. She was like, “Why not mix it all together? Your passion and your professional work don’t have to be worlds apart.” The idea was to stop diluting my style for the sake of fitting in. Instead, I should go all in with what I love, showcase it, and connect with clients who really dig that vibe. It was kind of a lightbulb moment — realizing I don’t have to split my identity to be commercially viable.
Luke echoed this point,
Authenticity is key. Don’t shy away from sharing personal work and ongoing projects that you are working on. They will set you apart far more than an unending parade of tear sheets. How can you expect them to get excited about you if you don’t show them what excites you?
Krizia shared another key takeaway from the event.
The weakest photo can define the overall perception of your work. It’s crucial to maintain a balanced portfolio, enough to demonstrate diversity without dissolving your distinct style.
However, it is possible to show too much work in a short session. Keep your goal in mind while considering the portfolio edit you choose to present at the review. Here’s a tip from Honore,
Sometimes a project-specific presentation might serve the process best given the time constraints. Keep the edit focused.
Each review should start with an elevator pitch. You can take a brief moment to mention your relevant background or experience before diving into your objectives, but as Luke put it, “Be concise and avoid rambling introductions.”
Jeff highlighted this point as well,
Quickly introduce yourself and preferably let the reviewer know in a few words what you hope to gain from the review.
Your elevator pitch should lead the review in the direction you want. For example, Luke likes to highlight his strongest most relevant work first.
I like to sit down and immediately announce that there are three to four images in my book that are extremely relevant to what that potential client has been working on, and then dive right into talking about them.
This is especially important if you are “driving” the review, as Marianne put it. This refers to the person who will be sharing their screen. Some photographers prefer to do this, as it allows them to control the navigation of their website. However, some reviewers prefer to drive especially if they’ve seen the work ahead of time, as the links and materials are often included in registration. Marianne said,
This is one of those things that can take more time in an online review. It’s important to just figure out who is going to share their screen and move through the photographer’s material.
Speaking of time, you may not be able to watch the clock during a review, nor will you want to, but it is crucial to be mindful of how quickly the 15-20 minute window can pass. Practicing, along with having a priority list, will aid you in keeping track.
If a reviewer prefers to drive the review, you can steer the conversation toward the content you want them to see, but remember to consider the reviewer’s style as well. This can be useful to keep in mind at in-person events, as Honore suggests,
You’ll find that some clients are expressive and chatty when looking through your book or presentation deck, while others like to flip or swipe through the pages quietly. You’ll have to gauge yourself whether or not they feel like talking while they look at your work.
If they linger on a particular image, you can share a little about your creative process or experience on that shoot. You can also engage with questions geared toward the reviewers. Luke shared,
Prepare inquiries that demonstrate your genuine interest in their work and industry knowledge. This proactive approach sets you apart as someone invested in building long-term connections, not just securing a quick ‘yes.’
Be sure to leave enough space in the conversation (and enough time in the review) to hear their feedback. Avoid interjecting, and remember, an honest opinion is far more valuable than sugar-coated praise. Honore emphasized,
Don’t expect to get an assignment on the spot and don’t be upset if you feel like you didn’t get the praise you were hoping for!
Keep a notepad, an iPad or a laptop with you to quickly write down any notes. If there is any time left over, you can use any questions you thought of during your research to strike up a friendly conversation with the reviewer. This can help the dialogue naturally move onto the topic of keeping in touch. At the end of the review, ask if it’s ok to stay in touch and by what method (i.e., email, text, social media, etc.). But If you sense hesitancy in the reviewer, don’t push it.
Portfolio review events, whether online or in-person, can benefit photographers at any stage in their career. Meeting with multiple reviewers in succession allows for more feedback, and network opportunities with clients, brands, and freelance photo professionals who may want to work with the photographer. To get the most out of these events, you have to know what you want, make sure it’s reflected in your work, and prepare. Do your research, practice your pitch, and test out your equipment and software. Keep track of time and don’t forget your follow-up thank you notes!
Further Reading
Expert Advice: Photographer Associations
Expert Advice: Print Portfolios
All About Photos: Portfolio Reviews
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