Learn: How to Prepare for a Photography Portfolio Review

Portfolio reviews are essential industry events that help photographers engage directly with leading figures in the global photography scene. These leading figures, typically referred to as “reviewers,” are adept at evaluating individual photographs as well as comprehensive portfolios and are known for their deep expertise and significant influence in contemporary photography. They are well-respected curators, gallery owners, book publishers, photo editors, festival directors and other key decision-makers, all equipped to provide insightful feedback and open doors to new opportunities. Now, you can learn everything you need to know in this article written by the person best suited to speak on the subject: Sarah Ansell, the Director of Meeting Place Portfolio Reviews at FotoFest.

The role of portfolio reviews extends beyond mere critique; they have the potential to significantly impact your career. To make the most of a portfolio review, it is crucial to be well-prepared. You’ll need to know what your goals are, who your audience might be, why you make the work you do and how to talk about it. With careful preparation and a clear vision, you can leverage these reviews to improve your work, advance your career and forge lifelong connections.

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Below are 22 tips to help you prepare for a portfolio review:

22 Tips to Prepare for a Photography Portfolio Review

1. Develop a Unified Theme and Artistic Vision for Your Portfolio

Reviewers want to see that you have a conceptual and artistic vision, and the best way to prove that is through a harmonious, well-organised portfolio with a clear, unified theme and cohesive style.

This doesn’t mean that all images should look the same — again, the keyword is “harmony” — images should be independently moving and interesting, singularly effective, each with its own distinct note but all working in tandem within a common conceptual framework.


2. Craft an Effective Elevator Pitch and Artist Statement

I know, you’re a visual artist, why write about the work you make instead of just making it? If you want people to see, care about and engage with your work, it’s going to require the ability to talk about it. If you don’t have an artist statement yet, this is your sign to bite the bullet and start drafting one. Try to answer these questions: What type of work do you make, aesthetically and conceptually? What subjects does your work address? How does your work fit within the wider frameworks of art and photography? If the process is important, mention that. Have someone you trust read it, ask you questions and talk it through. Edit it based on that feedback. Learn it backward and forward and let it be your jumping-off point to crafting your elevator pitch.

The next step to crafting your pitch is to distill, distill, distill to get this information across in two–three sentences, or 30–60 seconds. Most individual review appointments are 20 minutes long. That may sound like a long time, but it can go by very quickly. Keep it natural, concise and accurate and practice until you are confident delivering it.

3. Update and Maintain Your Online Presence

Some people say, “You can just use Instagram these days,” but I don’t think that’s true. As a platform for viewing singular images, or even collections of images, Instagram is not ideal. (Though you can make it as a photographer on Instagram by sharing individual images.) There are words and other images directly below and above the primary photo you’re trying to look at, and the platform is designed to make you bounce from one account to another after seeing just a few posts. It’s a useful and effective marketing tool that supplements your online presence, but it is not a replacement for a website. That being said, if you have a professional Instagram account, do some updating ahead of attending a review because people you meet will likely look you up afterwards.

Your website is still your most important, and probably most searched-for, online asset. It shows your images in (ideally) the best possible visual context, with (ideally) all the details a prospective collaborator would need to know. It allows the work to be seen on a larger screen and provides instructions on contacting you. Upload a CV and viewers can find out who else you’ve worked with and look up past exhibitions or publications to gain even more context and understanding.

4. Get Preliminary Feedback from Trusted Sources

Soliciting educated opinions about your work from someone who is detached from the making of it can improve your portfolio and how you talk about it. It can help you with selecting final images, making tough cuts and testing new sequencing options. Open-ended, in-depth conversations are essential, but I also recommend doing a few trial runs of a portfolio review, mimicking review conditions by setting a timer, limiting your portfolio size to 15-25 images and practicing your introduction and pitch. This practice will make you feel how fast (or slow) those 20 minutes can go.

If you want to go the extra mile, some well-respected photographers and photography professionals offer one-off online review services. These are typically sold as individual review sessions, so they come at lower price points with shorter time commitments. This can be a good way to get early guidance on your portfolio and to practice a review in a lower-stakes environment.

5. Choose the Right Review Opportunity

To narrow down your review options, there are a few primary considerations: 1) the type of photography this review caters to; 2) Your total budget; 3) How much time you can devote; and 4) Whether you want the convenience of an online portfolio review or the more robust experience of an in-person review.

Many reviews are best suited for fine art or documentary photography, and some are geared toward commercial work. Some are large international events and others are run by smaller niche organisations. Always verify the scope of the review by reading the event information, and go even further by looking at the roster of reviewers and what types of photography they work with.

6. Invest in a Quality Review

Portfolio reviews almost always require a financial investment. Review organisers refer to it as an “investment” because the benefits to your professional development and artistic growth can be transformative and long-lasting. Selecting a quality review and having clear goals and objectives will set you up to receive the type of specific feedback you need to elevate your practice.

There are few (typically small, often juried) reviews that are offered free of charge, and some scholarship opportunities offered by certain reviews, but in general you should expect to make a sizable investment toward whichever portfolio review you choose. On average, you can expect to pay between £42–77+ per review appointment. Most programs sell reviews in packages of three–16 appointments, resulting in price tags of £230 to £770+ depending on how many appointments that program guarantees.

7. Consider Financial Aspects When Planning

Beyond the registration fee, in-person portfolio reviews involve other financial considerations, such as printing your portfolio(s), travel, accommodations and the potential for lost income due to taking time off work. Other smaller but significant costs include producing “leave-behinds,” meals and transportation while in another city. Aside from the potential loss of income for taking time off, those additional costs likely won’t apply to online reviews.


Treat portfolio reviews as a business expense. Plan for them ahead of time and include them in your annual budget. Strategies for cost mitigation of in-person reviews include tapping into any reward points you may have through your credit card, reaching out to friends or family who live in that city, or bunking up with another photographer. Some portfolio reviews have message boards to communicate with other participants ahead of time, and you can always ask the review organiser if they know of anyone looking to share a room.

8. Pick Between Printed or Online Portfolio Presentation

If you’re planning to attend an in-person review, you’ll need to decide whether to print your portfolio or show it on a screen. Each has pros and cons, and it’s not uncommon to rely on both to showcase the wider scope of your work (e.g., physical prints of individual images and a collection of digital images showing how it was last installed in an exhibition). 

Printing costs money, and you’ll need to make peace with the reality that your prints will not leave the review in the pristine condition they arrived in. In my experience, if your work consists primarily of still images, most in-person reviewers prefer to see and handle physical prints. This is especially important if your work is exposed in the darkroom, uses an alternative process, or if the paper choice is specific to your work. Prints allow you to look at multiple full-scale images together — on a screen, you’d need to make each image increasingly small to show multiple. Plus, there’s always the possibility to sell a print or two at the review table or during a portfolio walk.

For showing your work digitally, whether online or at an in-person review, use whichever viewing platform you are most comfortable with. That may be Lightroom, Bridge, or the basic image viewer that comes pre-installed on your computer. Get confident navigating back and forth through the images and between different portfolios if you plan on showing more than one. If your work has any audio elements, over-ear headphones are essential for an in-person review. Keep notifications off to limit distractions and make sure your device is charged.

9. Edit and Sequence Your Portfolio

Most reviews advise that a strong and cohesive portfolio should include anywhere from 15–25 images. Over 25 can be long-winded, difficult to get through within the available time and might include some subpar images that could bring down the overall effectiveness of your portfolio. Less than 15, and you run the risk of it seeming (or simply being) unfinished. Initial feedback from a trusted peer is especially helpful in this phase of preparation.

If there are any images you’re unsure about, you can always bring them and get feedback from reviewers. If you do this, I advise bringing several printed copies of a contact sheet with all possible images to make notes on each reviewer’s suggestions.

10. Set Realistic Expectations for the Review Outcome

It’s tempting to imagine your review experience as a rom-com. You sit down, open your portfolio, and wide-eyed and agasp the reviewer realises you are the photographer they’ve been waiting for, whisking you away to plan your solo exhibition in a major museum. That scenario isn’t completely out of the realm of possibility (though it would likely be less dramatic), but it isn’t the norm.

Portfolio reviews are, however, often described as speed dating for photographers. It may sound silly, but it isn’t wrong — these events are designed for photographers and reviewers to meet as many people as possible to make preliminary connections that may flourish into symbiotic, fruitful relationships. Sometimes those fruits bear right at the review table, but often they grow over time through additional emails and conversations, with final projects launching months, if not years, after the initial meeting. Just because you aren’t immediately offered an opportunity doesn’t mean it won’t happen, or that your investment was a waste. Be prepared to continue nurturing those connections well after the portfolio review ends.

11. Research Potential Reviewers Thoroughly

Most reviews have a relatively wide range of photography professionals on the roster, including photo editors, museum curators, gallery owners, art advisors, magazine and book publishers, freelance writers, private collectors and more. All of these individuals have different types of projects they work on, at institutions with specific focuses of interest and varying levels of bureaucracy, and their own personal and visual interests, professional accomplishments and approaches to photography. 

To decide which potential reviewers are best suited for your work, look beyond their title and institution and do some research. Most reviews give you a jumpstart by publishing reviewer biographies and websites, but it's worth diving deeper. Many curators have personal websites that mention specific areas of interest along with CVs listing the exhibitions they’ve curated, talks they’ve given and essays they’ve written for other artists. Look up what titles the book publishers have produced lately, how they distribute their books and whether they attend any fairs. Find out who the galleries represent, what types of work the collectors buy and whether they are donating to any major museums. Once you’re at the review table, don’t be afraid to mention any commonalities between your work and their interests.

12. Share Your Goals and Expectations with the Reviewer

There are many reasons to attend a portfolio review. Maybe your portfolio is not quite resolved and you need some specific feedback, guidance and perspective to get it ready for exposure. Maybe you're hoping for a book. Maybe you’ve just published your first book and want to see how you can translate a larger portfolio of work into a gallery exhibition, and need help editing 50 images down to your strongest 20. 

You may have several objectives, and you should do your best to identify which reviewers are best suited to help you with each. When you get to the review table, be transparent in your communication about where you are with your work and what exactly you are looking for. Let them know if your portfolio is complete and ready for exposure or if it’s a work in progress and what your specific goals are.

13. Listen Actively During the Review

Twenty minutes can go by very quickly, and you don’t want to spend the whole time talking without hearing from the reviewer you wanted to meet so badly! 

After the initial introductions and pitch about your work, begin showing each image while practising active listening. Receive and absorb the reviewer’s feedback, answer questions as they come and provide context if needed without being too long-winded. Allowing the reviewer time to provide thoughtful feedback and trying to see the work from their perspective will result in a more honest conversation that can help you push the work further.

14. Remain Receptive to Constructive Criticism

This is a hard one, but it’s essential. Avoid personalising criticism. Keep an open mind and a receptive attitude about the constructive feedback and suggestions each reviewer provides, and try to stay neutral in the moment. Sometimes the feedback may be off, and fundamental misunderstandings should be corrected, but often it just takes a while to absorb and understand their perspective. 

Listen, digest, reflect, take what makes sense for you and leave the rest. These conversations are meant to help you improve your portfolio and your overall growth as a photographer, not to change everything you’re doing based on the opinions of others. Just because one person thinks you should crop your images a different way doesn’t mean it’s the only possible truth, but maybe it’s worth considering.

15. Ask Thoughtful Follow-up Questions

If you’re given feedback that you don’t understand or just disagree with, don’t be afraid to ask for deeper clarification to get to the “why” behind the feedback. Asking thoughtful follow-up questions when suggestions seem too vague or general will help you to better understand any alternative perspectives on your work and it keeps you from leaving the table confused.

16. Request Specific Examples and Additional Learning Resources

Many reviewers will not be a perfect match for you and your work, and that’s okay! It doesn’t mean there’s nothing to glean or gain from the appointment. Oftentimes reviewers will make suggestions of other photographers to study, exhibitions or texts to look at, opportunities to apply for, or institutions to acquaint yourself with. Ask for specifics and bring a notepad and pencil to write them down.

17. Consider How People Can Contact You After the Event

Many reviews create contact lists of photographers that attend the review, but it’s always wise to take matters into your own hands by bringing business cards or “leave-behinds” to give to reviewers and photographers you connect with. Leave-behinds are printed cards, typically postcard size, with an image of your work and your contact information. They are especially useful for portfolio walks, evening events for the general public to meet and look at the work of participating photographers. Bring at least 50 and make sure your name, email address and website URL are included.


18. Prioritise Relationship Building

You’ll have many personal interactions at portfolio reviews, and the ones that make a positive impression on you are especially worth nurturing long-term. Because relationship building can result in positive impacts on your career over time, it should be considered a strategic goal, but don’t forget that it takes consistent, genuine connection to do this. Don’t be fake or calculated about it. Reviewers are people too, and it never feels good when someone only pays attention to you because they think you can give them something.

19. Carefully Assess Your Photos with Feedback in Mind

After the reviews are over and your mind is flooded with feedback, ideas, suggestions and perspectives, take time to decompress and reflect on what you heard and how you want to move forward. Assess the feedback in relation to your practie and decide on what you think might improve your work.

20. Act on Feedback to Improve Your Work

After reflection comes implementation. Read those essays, look up those photographers and exhibitions, consider the suggestions on how to adjust your work and see what might apply to and enhance your practice. Take action and edit your portfolio while the feedback is fresh in your mind, or at least write about your experience, what you heard, what you learned and what you think it means at the moment. Sometimes these adjustments take time to mellow and absorb into your work in a way that is natural and authentic. Don’t rush it, but don’t lose it before the flame flickers out either.

21. Build Connections Within the Photography Community

Seize the opportunity to meet as many people as you can. Make connections, share contact information and keep in touch after the event. This is where the cross-pollination of portfolio reviews really takes off. 

I often hear from photographers who received important opportunities from fellow photographers they connected with at a review. Beyond career motivations, I’ve witnessed dozens of lifelong friendships flourish and grow out of these events, and that’s a beautiful thing.

22. Follow Up to Maintain Connections

Keep notes on who you met at which reviews and make a point to keep in contact. It’s a great idea, and appreciated, to send a thank-you note to the reviewers you met with, either via email or snail-mail if you have their physical mailing address. Connections are sparked at portfolio reviews, but you should plan (and want!) to tend to them long after.

Conclusion

Portfolio reviews are invaluable opportunities to advance your career, refine your craft and build lasting relationships within the industry. To maximise the benefits of these events, you can carefully prepare and present a cohesive portfolio, craft a compelling pitch and do deep research on the reviewers you hope to meet with.

Remember the true value of a portfolio review extends beyond the immediate feedback received. It lies in the potential for future opportunities and connections that can significantly impact your professional journey. Embrace the review as a platform for growth, stay receptive to feedback and nurture the relationships you build. With thoughtful preparation and a strategic approach, portfolio reviews can become a pivotal step in elevating your work and expanding your presence in the photography world.

Brushing up on similar skills? Learn to plan and shoot for a photography commission. Or, see how to get your sports photography published.

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