Notes On Portfolio Reviews – General and Specific!

As Photolucida gears up for registration (October 2) for our seventh biennial Portfolio Reviews event in April, I would like to offer these thoughts to those interested in registering for Photolucida or any Portfolio Reviews event:

 

Everyone brings up the cost to attend a Portfolio Reviews event.  It is expensive to attend, and it is expensive to produce. The organizer, the participating photographers, and the reviewers all put a lot of time and energy into creating a successful event and a worthwhile experience, both professionally and personally - it is a huge commitment for all those involved. The “value” of attending a Reviews event is highly subjective and only you can decide whether participating in one makes sense for you.  In essence, it is a fee-for-service situation and like any good consumer, you should do research before committing!

How to calculate the true cost of a Reviews event?  Take the registration fee and divide it by the number of Reviews appointments one receives to come up with a cost-per-appointment. This formula is a good key to tabulating the true expense of a Reviews event. You can do some comparative shopping this way.

But, keep in mind that there are many factors that contribute to a productive and enjoyable Reviews event that have nothing to do with money, but makes for a great investment.  Other considerations:

How strong is the Reviewer list – what industry professionals are choosing to give their time and expertise to the event?  What is the location of the Reviews – both city and venue? Is there a Portfolio Walk produced for the general public? Is there a space outside the actual Reviewing room for photographers to spend time informally with each other? Does the organization have effective programming developed to provide an accurate selection process for choosing Reviewers? Is there additional programming produced for participants – lectures, panel discussions?  Does the Reviews event take place during a Photography Festival with exhibits, talks, social events, etc.?

Many Reviews events exist and they continue to proliferate yearly on a national and international basis. Some are juried, some run lotteries, some are first-come-first-serve. Some offer scholarships, most don’t. Reviews events are are run by non-profits, for-profits, and professional membership organizations. Some focus on fine-art imagery, some on the editorial realm, some have a documentary or photojournalistic bent. 

Photolucida is pleased to be in the ranks of many renowned Reviews events nationally such as FotoFest, Center’s Review Santa Fe, and PhotoNOLA.  Other reputable suggestions include Atlanta Celebrates Photography’s version, and those of the Society for Photographic Education.

There are many discussions and thoughts on attending Portfolio Reviews from industry professionals online, including Mary Virginia Swanson and Jörg Colberg (type in key word “portfolio reviews” in the search field), and numerous discussions pop up in forums such as the Flak Photo Network. The ‘Curator Ship’ blog shows a comprehensive listing of international Reviews events.

For Photolucida, a hugely important factor to the success of our Portfolio Reviews event has always been our Reviewers. We historically have had such a wonderful, strong roster of people willing to give their professional time and knowledge base to our event. On that note, I would like to list the group of reviewers for Photolucida 2013 – names will be listed over the next few months (for a total of 60) as our event continues to evolve:

Anna Alexander, Dwell Magazine

Elizabeth Avedon, Le Journal de la Photographie

Jacqueline Bates, W Magazine
Lisa Berry & Mia Dalgish, Pictura Gallery

Elisabeth Biondi, Independent Curator
David Bram, Fraction Magazine
Rodrigo Corral, Rodrigo Corral Design
Crista Dix, wall space gallery
Bevin Bering Dubrowski, Houston Center for Photography

JJ Estrada & Clara de Tezanos, La Fototeca/GuatePhoto
Roy Flukinger, Harry Ransom Center

Harris Fogel, Mednick Gallery and Gallery 1401
Taj Forer, Daylight Magazine
Hannah Frieser, Light Work
Christopher Gianunzio, Philadelphia Photo Arts Center
Gail Gibson, Gail Gibson Gallery

Hamidah Glasgow, Center for Fine Art Photography
Michael Granger, LightBox Photographic
Charles Guice, Charles Guice Contemporary

Myles Hasselhorst, Ampersand Gallery
Tricia Hoffman & Chris Bennett, Newspace Center for Photography
WM Hunt, Collection Dancing Bear
John Jenkins, Decode Books

Ann Jastrab, Rayko Photo Center

Brooks Jenson, Lenswork Publishing

Patricia Lanza & Lesley Meyer, Annenberg Space for Photography
Carrie Levy, Wired Magazine
Dewi Lewis, Dewi Lewis Publishing
Brian McMullen, McSweeney's

Melanie McWhorter, Photoeye Books
Diana Millar, Luz Gallery

Kevin Miller, Southeast Museum of Photography

Blue Mitchell, Diffusion Magazine
Allison Nordstrom, George Eastman House
Claire O'Neill, National Public Radio

Ann Pallesen, Photographic Center Northwest

Chantel Paul, Museum of Photographic Arts
Kira Pollack, Time Magazine

Yan Li and Hou Wei, High Noon Culture & People's Photography

Blue Sky Gallery Exhibition Gallery

Kirsten Rian, Independent Curator
Jennifer Schwartz, Jennifer Schwartz Gallery

Aline Smithson, Lenscratch
Gordon Stettinius, Candela Books + Gallery
Mary Virginia Swanson, M.V. Swanson & Associates

Claire Sykes & Susana Reisman, Circuit Gallery

Barbara Tannenbaum, Cleveland Art Museum

Paula Tognarelli, Griffin Museum of Photography
Phil Toledano, Photographer
Pieter Wisse, 500 Photographers

Check back periodically for additional reviewer names!

Portland (and slightly beyond) Happenings!

 

Some great programming happenings in our neck of the woods here in Oregon!

First, we are happy that Priya Kambli will be having a solo exhibition at Newspace Center for Photography this month. Priya's series "Color Falls Down" is has a strong genealogical aspect, as Kambli gathers and recontextualizes the records of her family history, but her own photographs introduce staged, fictional elements as well, examining issues of identity, displacement and cultural history. Kambli was a Critical Mass 2008 Book Award Winner.

Opening reception is Friday, September 7th, 6-9pm.

Priya Kambli - from Color Falls Down series

Mr. WM Hunt will be taking Portland by storm this month! Blue Sky will host WM Hunt's installation The Unseen Eye, including approximately one hundred of his personal images from his collection, featuring photographs in which eyes are closed, covered, or hidden. The exhibition opens at Blue Sky on Thursday evening, Sept. 6.

The Portland Art Museum's Photography Council is pleased to host Mr. Hunt for his lecture about this collection on Saturday, September 8 at 2pm in the Miller Room of the Mark Building. It is free and open to the public.

WM Hunt is also the curator for this year's Critical Mass Top 50 traveling exhibition.

Oregon boasts some beautiful coast communities, and Cannon Beach is at the top of the list! It is the home to the inaugural debut of the Cannon Beach Photo Review, hosting some great regional and national reviewers. Dates for this weekend of photographic reviewing, mingling, networking and excursion-ing are October 12 - 14th, 2012.

Lastly, we are excited here at Photolucida to be submitting files for print this week for CM11 Book Award winner Jennifer B Hudson's monograph, MEDIC.  It will be a gorgeous book, with some interesting and surprising design details, printed and bound at Oddi Printing in Iceland. It is due off the presses in December!

Jennifer B Hudson's forthcoming MEDIC

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