You have a 20-minute slot with a photo editor and you brought forty images, because you could not choose. She looks at the first six and asks what the series is about. You start explaining. At minute twelve she checks the time. You leave with two compliments and nothing you can act on.
You went in without a question and with too many images. Both can be fixed before the day.
IMAGE 1. ILLUSTRATION, AI ALLOWED. Ratio 3:2. Alt text: A reviewer looking at a row of prints laid out on a table while a photographer stands beside her with a notebook. Caption: Illustration. Prompt for ChatGPT: Photograph, not an illustration. Over-the-shoulder view of two people at a plain wooden table in a bright room. A reviewer in her fifties leans over a row of nine unframed prints laid out in sequence, black and white and colour, showing indistinct landscapes and portraits without recognisable faces. A photographer in his thirties stands beside her holding a notebook. Shot as a documentary photograph on a full-frame camera with a 35mm lens at f/4, available light only, window light from the left, slight natural grain, true-to-life colour with a muted grade, mild lens vignetting. Handheld framing, subject off-centre, background partly cluttered with ordinary objects. People are adults of mixed ages in everyday clothes, with natural skin texture and small imperfections, relaxed unposed expressions and anatomically correct hands. Any camera gear is generic, with no visible brand names or logos. No text, no logos, no watermarks, no HDR look, no oversharpening, no beauty-filter skin, no symmetrical staging, no glossy stock-photo look. Aspect ratio 3:2, landscape.
The short version
Write down one question you want answered. Bring a short set of images that belong together, in order and in one format. Introduce yourself in two sentences, then let the reviewer look.
Write down what you heard the same day, change what you agree with, and send the reviewer an updated selection a few weeks later.
Time needed: a few evenings to select and sequence the work. You need: a set of images, prints or a screen, and a notebook.
What a review gives you
A review shows you how your work reads to someone who sees a lot of portfolios. The reviewer might be a photo editor, an art buyer, a curator or an experienced photographer. They can tell you what is clear, what is unclear and what they would do next. Some reviews lead to contacts or commissions. Plan for feedback and treat anything else as extra.
Before the review
Start with one question. Write one sentence about what you want to know, for example whether the series reads as one body of work or which of two directions is stronger. The question decides which images you bring.
Then cut. Slots are usually short, so ask the organiser how long yours is. Many reviewers prefer a focused selection, often 10 to 20 images. Choose images that belong to one idea, start with a strong one, keep similar frames apart and remove anything you would have to apologise for.
Choose prints or a screen. Prints let the reviewer take their time. A tablet or laptop is easier to carry and suits motion work. On a screen, set full brightness, turn off notifications and have the images ready without scrolling. Bring a backup of whichever you choose, your written question, a notebook and a one-page sheet with your contact details and website.
In the room
Introduce yourself in two sentences, state your question, then let the reviewer look. Do not explain each image. If something is unclear to the reviewer, it is probably unclear to others, and that is useful to know.
Take notes. Watch where the reviewer looks first and which image they come back to. That often tells you more than the first comment.
Afterwards
Write down the main points the same day. Sort them into what you agree with, what you do not and what you are unsure about, then make the changes you believe in and give yourself a deadline. Send the reviewer a short thank-you, and a few weeks later the updated selection if it fits.
Read on for more context
Where portfolio reviews go wrong
- Your slot is 20 minutes and you brought 40 images. The reviewer sees half of them. Bring a short, coherent set.
- The reviewer says 'nice pictures' and moves on. You did not ask a question. Write one before you go.
- You start explaining every image. The reviewer stops looking. Introduce yourself in two sentences and let them look.
- The screen is dim and a notification pops up in the middle of a frame. Set full brightness and turn notifications off, or bring prints.
- You leave with a head full of comments and remember three a week later. Write the points down the same day.
Write one question
Before you pick images, write one sentence about what you want to know. Examples: does this series read as one body of work, which of these two directions is stronger, is this ready for editorial clients. A reviewer can answer a question like that in two minutes. A request for general thoughts gets general comments.
Keep the question where you can see it during the review. If the conversation drifts, bring it back.
Select and sequence
Ask the organiser how long your slot is and work back from that. With 20 minutes, a set of 10 to 20 images leaves time to talk. If you shoot several genres, bring the genre you want more work in.
Start with a strong image. Do not place similar images next to each other. End on a frame that stays with the viewer. Read the set once as a stranger would and remove anything you would have to explain.
IMAGE 2. REAL PHOTO NEEDED. Ratio 3:2. Alt text: A photographer's selection before and after cutting, shown as two rows of prints. Caption: A selection before and after editing. [Add whose work and what was cut.] Photo brief: Use a real before and after of an actual selection, with permission from the photographer. Two rows of prints on a table. Not an AI image.
Prints or screen
Prints let the reviewer take their time and show how you handle print quality. Use one size and one paper and keep them in order in a box or folder.
A tablet or laptop is easier to carry and works for motion work. Set it to full brightness, turn off notifications and have the images ready without scrolling. Bring a backup of whichever you choose.
Also bring a short introduction of two or three sentences, a one-page sheet with your contact details and website, a notebook and a pen, and your written question. Skip long artist statements.
IMAGE 3. ILLUSTRATION, AI ALLOWED. Ratio 3:2. Alt text: A box with a stack of prints, a notebook and a pen on a wooden desk. Caption: Illustration. Prompt for ChatGPT: Photograph, not an illustration. Top-down view of a grey archive box with a stack of matte prints in it, a small notebook with blank pages, a pen and a folded one-page sheet on a worn wooden desk. Shot as a documentary photograph on a full-frame camera with a 35mm lens at f/5.6, available light only, soft morning light from a window at the top of the frame, slight natural grain, muted true-to-life colour. The box has scuffs and the desk has small marks. No readable text on any paper, no logos, no watermarks, no HDR look, no oversharpening, no glossy stock-photo look. Aspect ratio 3:2, landscape.
Questions to ask the reviewer
After your own question, ask: which three images would you remove, what would you want to see more of, who do you think this work is for. If you disagree with an answer, ask another question and keep your defence for later.
FROM THE SET: a moment from a portfolio review. What did the reviewer say about sequence or selection? Name the reviewer and the photographer, with permission. Only real material.
Using the feedback
Sort the points into three groups the same day: agree, disagree, unsure. Act on the first group first. Put the unsure points aside for a week and look at them again with fresh eyes.
Send the reviewer a short thank-you. A few weeks later, send the updated selection if it fits, with one line on what you changed and why.
About Behind the Shoot
On the Behind the Shoot platform, masterclass givers can add exclusive content for members, such as extra sessions that go further than the event day. Our events also include a second day with a portfolio review for a small group, so you can take what you learned here straight into a review.
Keep me posted if you want to hear about masterclass days and new articles first.
Next step
Read how to edit a portfolio: choosing, sequencing and cutting.
Sources and testing
[Interview with REVIEWER NAME, role, on DATE.] Last updated [DATE].