Get your porfolio reviewed by Conscientious

Last fall, I got an e-mail from Jörg Colberg of Conscientious, asking if I’d be interested in having him review my portfolio, as part of sort of a pilot program he was running. If people got something out of the reviews, and if he enjoyed doing them, he was thinking he might make them available for the public for a small fee; in the meantime, mum was the word. Evidently, the test was a success, because he’s made his portfolio reviews available to the public.

So what can you expect from a review from Jörg? I came away with a two-page single-spaced PDF that analyzed my work in a way I’ve never had it analyzed before. He pointed out ways in which my project statement didn’t mesh with the photos themselves, inconsistencies in my shooting style, images that are strong and those that are weak (and explained why), and specific ways I could improve my project.

Here are just some examples of what he told me about my In Store project:

The statement focuses on what might be inside the different storage units—all the personal belongings of people. On the other side, the photos mostly show anonymous storage units, with only a few of them showing some contents. I think the approach laid out in the statement is the way to go. . . . First of all, while the storage units all look completely anonymous and similar, there is no reason why that shouldn’t be the case. . . . So that makes focusing too much on the look and feel of those storage units a bit tricky—the storage units don’t surprise in that way (compare this with the anonymous, crappy motels in Alec Soth’s NIAGARA—you wouldn’t be surprised to find them on a highway somewhere, but at a place that is supposed to be romantic, where people get married?). . . . Thus, it seems to me that the important aspect of the storage units is what might be behind the doors and locks—just as the statement says! That adds the human element, that is where things get interesting. So, yes, I think the project would benefit greatly from showing what is inside the units . . . and, possibly, from adding portraits of people who have stuff in storage. . . . [I had asked Jörg whether he thought the project would benefit from going in that direction.—Ed.] The exteriors of the units and their placement in the cities would then serve as the frame for the actual story.

As for the photos, there appears to be a mix of styles, and I have a bit of a problem with this. . . . I think that is very important for you at this stage of the process, namely to figure out the visual language you want to use for the project. The important aspects of figuring this out are that (1) focusing on one language will make things easier for you and (2) the series will look more homogeneous. Think of it as a book—you want people to look through the book smoothly. If you want to surprise them then it’s with what you show and not how you show it.

There’s one slight complication, which it is important to understand. Projects like In Store live from the series of photos. Each photo adds something to the whole. As a result, if taken alone many of the photos might not stand out that much. In other words, if you focus on individual images—instead of how they all work together—you might end up getting a bit frustrated. See how everything works together, and then, at the end, you can identify the images that represent the series the best, images that also work on [their] own easily and forcefully.

Especially as someone who’s not in an MFA program, I found this kind of critique invaluable. I didn’t agree with everything Jörg said in his two-page review, but in thinking about why I didn’t agree with him, I came to a greater understanding of what I’m trying to say with my photography. I’ve attended several 20-minute in-person portfolio reviews, and though I’ve gotten something out of each experience, the level of attention that Jörg is able to provide without that time constraint puts his reviews above the rest. Plus, I had it all in writing, and I’ve been able to refer repeatedly to his comments whenever I was really struggling with something.

Definitely worth the $75/€75 he’s charging for his time. Sign up before the waiting list gets long.