Showing off

Dominick Tyler - Skinny-dip

I had a portfolio appointment yesterday, the first in a long time, and in the end it went really well and I even enjoyed it, but it did bring back memories of previous bad experiences. Some of these experiences are part of the reason I've left it so long to look for new clients. I'm not alone in dreading portfolio viewings, someone recently described it as being like a blind date, and it has the same potential for rejection, but at least with a blind date you have a kind of equal relationship, you're starting from the same place. A portfolio viewing is more like a blind date where you know that you are one of hundreds of hopefuls, and you have to strip naked, and name as many foods that begin with the letter J as you can in a minute. I've had a couple that felt like that, mostly towards the beginning of my career I suppose but even now I feel very erm.. exposed when I show my books.

The dread of showing can easily become a classic photographers procrastination: you don't go and see people with your book because you're conscious that it needs updating. You spend months updating it then you don't go and see people because you're nervous about showing the new work. Any negative feedback convinces you that you should re-do it, which takes months and eventually the new work becomes old work and then you feel like it needs updating...

If you manage to actualy get more than a couple of people to see the work in-between stressing about it you're doing well.

Photo District News ran a feature last summer about Review Santa Fe, a big portfolio review organized by Centre in Santa Fe. It's particularly interesting because it uses the diaries of a photographer, Doug Menuez and a reviewer, Debra Klomp Ching of Klompching Gallery in Brooklyn, so you get a feel of the experience from both sides. It's long-ish, linked in full above, but has some good insights including this advice from Debra:

"A word to the wise, photographers need to be articulate about their work, believe in it and be prepared. The most shocking comments I had from photographers were: ‘I’m so disorganized for all this bollocks! (said in jest)”, “So ... what do you do?”, “I shouldn’t be showing you this” and “I’m not going to say anything about my folio and leave it up to you”. I’m astounded that people can go to such lengths to attend these events and not make the most of their time with me. These reviews are my first impression and the conversation is as important as the work I’m looking at."

So no pressure then...

Comments

[Mimi Mollica]

Hi,
I understand the frustration in showing our work around, but I believe this is part of the game, any game in business actually!

It's very much like pitching a product or service to any potential client. The relationship it is indeed unequal, as unequal is the nature of business. If we both have the same object, there isn't any chance for us to make an exchange, therefore we need a difference in potentiality. Ability to photograph on one side and money and exposure on the other.

What could be avoided is the behaviour of some editors who abuse their buying power to treat people without respect, but again life is full of role-playing.
If Salgado would go show his portfolio, and he actually doesn't even need to do so, he would be treated very differently. Sure this would be due to his fame, but also from the actual quality of his work. So I am thinking that the more we produce good work, the more we will be unlikely to be treated unfairly.

So let's get on with it and let's produce good stuff that won't make any room for snobbish non sense!!!

All the best
Mimi