Both Sides Now

By Suzanne Révy

A few thoughts on portfolio reviews from both sides of the table.

One of the first portfolio review events I attended was back in 2008 when I was making a series of black and white pictures of my young children. It was an ongoing body of work at the time, that would eventually be massaged into a cohesive portfolio of gelatin silver prints titled “Time Let Me Play.” For the most part, I received encouraging comments and a few critiques, but one reviewer offered deeper more challenging observations that, honestly, had me scratching my head. Initially, I was dismissive, surmising that this reviewer did not really “get” the work. A month or so later, as I was making more pictures, a few of the things he said to me started to resonate. As I exposed film, I realized that he was right about several aspects of the work. His observations were astute and my work became stronger for it. 

Dennis Roth creates still life in his studies of texture as seen at the New England Portfolio Review event held on October 1st. (Photograph by Suzanne Révy)

Jamie Hankin from the series Celestial where he employs fruit and eggs to create celestial still life in warm Rembrandt light as seen at the New England Portfolio Review on October 1st, 2022.

The art of giving and receiving critique can be difficult to master, but practice helps. That said, portfolio review events are often criticized for their expense, and, in fact, they can be prohibitive for many. Of course, making appointments to meet with editors or curators in various locations can be more costly than traveling for a single weekend at an organized event. It is important to be strategic about which events to attend and which to skip. In this age of pandemic, of course, there are several events that have moved online, which can open the door for those with no travel budget, but they lack the camaraderie of an in-person event, and it can be hard to assess print quality.

Carla Shapiro appropriates found or family photographs and re-photographs them in early morning light for her series There Is No Place Like Home as seen at the New England Portfolio Review on October 1st, 2022. (Photograph by Suzanne Révy)

Over the past few weeks I sat on both sides of the table as a reviewer and a reviewee, and am sharing some of the work I have seen recently. The first was as a reviewee with a curator at a local museum. I set up the review by making an appointment with her. Bear in mind, setting up a time to meet with a curator or gallerist is easier to do if you are known to them. Attend openings and gallery or museum talks which support the arts organizations where you would like to see your work, support other artists and your local non-profits. It can take time, but showing an interest in the work that others are doing will make them more amenable to learning about your work. The curator asked that I limit what I brought to twenty prints, and in a size that can be easily transported. During our meeting, we had the luxury of a large table to spread the work out, and an hour for a good conversation. 

Jessica Somers from her series My Trinity is a Fortress, a dramatic series of self-portraits with her partner and their dog as seen at the New England Portfolio Review on October 1st, 2022. (Photograph by Suzanne Révy)

Howard Lewis from the series Wait for It which imagines the apocalyptic challenges of climate change as seen at the New England Portfolio Review on October 1st, 2022. (Photograph by Suzanne Révy)

David Sokosh shares a large cyanotype from his series The Moon as seen at the New England Portfolio Review on October 1st, 2022. (Photograph by Suzanne Révy)

The second was as a reviewer on behalf of What Will You Remember? and the Photographic Resource Center (PRC) who co-hosted the New England Portfolio Reviews (NEPR) with the Griffin Museum of Photography.  It was the first such event in person in New England since the pandemic started. And it was a joy to see prints! I saw a variety of pictures from a photographer who was just starting to seasoned professionals looking to make more personal work. And in future, we look forward to featuring work seen at NEPR on this site and for possible exhibition and programming for the PRC.

Tosca Radigonda has been scanning the Polaroids saved after commercial jobs or personal projects and printing them as enlargements as seen at the third session of FotoFest in Houston, Oct. 5th through 8th, 2022. (Photo by Suzanne Révy)

Rashed Haq uses artificial intelligence and algorithms in his series Human Trials that seeks to expand definitions of photography shown in the third session of FotoFest, October 5th through 8th, 2022. (Photograph by Suzanne Révy)

Jon Michael Castillo from his series Car Culture shared at the third session of FotoFest from October 5th though 8th in Houston.

Zelda Zinn shares her series Altered Arctic with participating photographers in the third session of the Meeting Place at FotoFest, October 5th through 8th 2022. (Photograph by Suzanne Révy)

Lastly, I participated as a reviewee in the third session of the Meeting Place hosted by FotoFest, a biennial celebration of  photography in Houston. FotoFest was established in the early 90’s and they invite a host of national and international reviewers in both the art and editorial arena for their portfolio reviews. This is not a review event for beginners, but anyone with a well established career or complete body of work will benefit from the programming and networking that happens over the three sessions. I brought a portfolio of twenty prints from my current ongoing body of work called “A Murmur in the Trees” and a box of business cards and met with sixteen reviewers over four days. And of course, I shared work with participating photographers between appointments. It was instructive and the conversations and differing points of view have deepened my own understanding of the work. Though I am not sure yet what, if any concrete results might happen, whether I am invited to exhibit or sell the work someplace, it is a solid beginning to build a network of interest around this project. 

Dineke Versluis shares her series Barriers at the FotoFest Portfolio walk on October 7th, 2022 in Houston, TX. (Featured image, photograph by Suzanne Révy)

Neil Buckland shares his massive Cosmic Microscapes at the FotoFest portfolio walk on October 7th, 2022. (Photograph by Suzanne Révy)

James F.C. Hyde IV displays montages made while doing research in the arctic at the FotoFest Portfolio Walk on October 7th, 2022. (Photo by Suzanne Révy)

Tsar Fedorsky‘s evocative black and white landscapes on view at the FotoFest Portfolio Walk on October 7th, 2022. (Photograh by Suzanne Révy)

I would caution, however, that the third session was less well attended than the first two, which was both good and bad. It meant that I was able to see most of the reviewers, and I had plenty of elbow room at the portfolio walk, but by the third session, however, it seems there were fewer members of the public to visit it. FotoFest used to organize a month of reviews over four weeks, but they have condensed it to three sessions over two weeks. In the past, it had a reputation for being competitive with aggressive photographers scheming to meet with more reviewers than they were assigned. With the proliferation of photography festivals and review events, and the shrinking market in commercial and editorial photography, this “grand daddy” of these events has become smaller and perhaps more collegial. And it may not yield as many results for photographers as it once did, though it still attracts a high caliber of reviewers. Going forward, I will be judicious and strategic, targeting those reviewers and occasional events that fit my goals and budget. 

Marni Shindelman from the series Restore the Night Sky on view in the Portfolio Walk at FotoFest on October 7th, 2022. (Photograph by Suzanne Révy)

Sandra Chen Weinstein explores identity in her work on view during the Portfolio Walk at FotoFest on October 7th, 2022. (Photograph by Suzanne Révy)

All that said, I saw one reviewer whose organization was not a particularly good fit for my work, but she made some comments that have allowed me to generate new ideas around possible installations for my work which had not occurred to me before. You never know where you will find the spark of an idea! 

Suzanne Révy selections from my series “A Murmur in the Trees” at the Fotofest Portfolio Walk on October 7th, 2022. (Photograph by Suzanne Révy)