The Portfolio Project is a nine month project starting in September 2010 and running through May 2011. All club members of all skill levels are encouraged to participate in this project. The goal of the portfolio project is to conceive a theme, craft an artist statement, capture the images and the present them as a portfolio. This article is devoted to clarifying the details of the project and explaining what is contained in an artist statement. 

Your goal is to create a portfolio of your best images, primarily collected from June 2010 to May 2011, that exemplify the objectives of your theme and Artist's Statement. These should be images you would be proud to share with others for years to come. 

The beginning stages of the project entail picking a theme or concept and writing an Artist's Statement. In the "Artist's Statement" the photographer explains what he or she is trying to accomplish with the project. (See http://nvps.org/main/meetings/portfolio/nvps_portfolio_project_artists/ for more details about what should and should not be in an Artist's Statement.) The photographer makes images over the program year consistent with the statement and edits the body of work down to draft portfolio of approximately 20-25 images. (The draft portfolio may include some of the artist's earlier images consistent with the theme. Although the final portfolio may include older images, the bulk of it should be recent work.)

In the beginning stages of determining a theme, some members have worked on several themes at the same time. As time passed and their images piled up, they began to become more comfortable with one subject over others. You too may follow this model in your project. It is helpful to write an Artist Statement for all potential portfolio themes.

Draft Portfolios will be critiqued in March. The final printed portfolios (plus a digital Portfolio file) will be submitted in mid-April for the final critique. A May Portfolio meeting will be held when all portfolios will be displayed and discussed. The critic will comment on each final portfolio submitted. 

If there is sufficient interest we will try to schedule an informal review of potential portfolio images in December or January.

A final portfolio should contain about 12 to20 images. (Exact parameters may be specified later.) It may be bound as in an album or each image may be matted contained loose in a traditional portfolio box.  Printed portfolios may be obtained from such companies as www.mpix.com and www.MyPublisher.com.  Portfolio boxes and albums are available from B & H Photo, (www.bhphotovideo.com), Light Impressions (www.lightimpressionsdirect.com), and at Michaels and Penn Camera.) 

Each artist will be able to display a draft Portfolio for comment online using the club's website, www.nvps.org. The online version is the working, draft version, and intended to facilitate sharing images and comments throughout the portfolio's development. It also allows participants and other members to see and comment on all draft portfolios as they progress throughout the year. These comments will not only help participants improve their images, but in choosing their best work to be included in the final printed portfolio.

The online version of the portfolio is limited to about 30 images. This experience is an excellent opportunity to create a high quality portfolio to showcase your best work. There is a wealth of information on the web on creating a portfolio. A good starting place is the following link: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/portfolio-8.shtml.

To sign up for the Portfolio Project 2010 - 2011, please visit http://nvps.org/main/meetings/portfolio/

Portfolio Project Coordinators at portfolio@nospam!#*&^#)type address - don't copy spam protection(*@.@nospamnvps.org: Bill Prosser [703-821-2670], Scott Musson [703-278-2828], and Paul Simmons [703-912 4862].