NVPS 2009-10 Portfolio Project Update

Looks like there's starting to be lots of action in the NVPS portfolio gallery. Lots of people are updating their portfolios, making changes and adding new shots.  Things are starting to look pretty good as people are iterating through their portfolio and trying to improve what they have by shooting new images to replace the weaker images and images that don't support their artist statement.

Don't forget about the key dates to keep in mind for the portfolio project:

• April 15th - Let Bill or Scott know you will participate (please send an email to smusson@nospam!#*&^#)type address - don't copy spam protection(*@.@nospammindspring.com &/or prosserwm@nospam!#*&^#)type address - don't copy spam protection(*@.@nospamaol.com 
• April 27th - Last day to turn in your digital portfolio (please see the section called "Turn in your Slide Show Portfolio" for directions)
• May 11th - Portfolio Critique and Celebration
  • Bring your printed portfolio to this meeting

The May 11th critiques will emphasize the portfolio as a whole - more so than critiques of the  individual images (although there may be comments on images as appropriate to illustrate their impact on the portfolio). There will be a display of all the participants' printed Portfolios, an opportunity for attendees to discuss the portfolios with their makers, and a slide show, discussed below, accompanied by comments by this year's critquer, Sherwin Kaplan. (Sherwin, a member of the club, is one of the club's best judges. He has reviewed and discussed the portfolios the last two years.)

Email your Slide Show Portfolio to Scott Musson (nospam!#*&^#)type address - don't copy spam protection(*@.@nospamscottmusson.com">scottmusson@nospam!#*&^#)type address - don't copy spam protection(*@.@nospamscottmusson.com) no later than April 27. You will get a confirmation email that I've recieved your portfolio.  If you do not get a confirmation, please follow up to be sure I have reiceved it.

• The Slide Show Portfolio is a not-to-exceed 12 images. If you have more than 12 printed images, you should include your 12 best.
• Follow NVPS competition guidelines for preparing your slides
  • File Type: All images will be submitted as jpeg files. (not jpeg2000)
  • Image Size Limitations: no larger than 1024 pixels horizontal and 768 pixels vertical. If your image is smaller than 1024 x 768, fill the background with black for optimal presentation
  • Color Space: for optimal viewing, the file workspace should be sRGB. (In Adobe Photoshop, use the "Convert to Profile" command under the Edit menu).
  • Naming Convention: number you images in the order you want them to appear (Ex: MUSSON01, MUSSON02, MUSSON03) and please include the zero!
  • Your artist statement: include this as your first image
    • If you need help with creating a slide for your artist statement, just send the text for your artist statement and Scott Musson will create one for you.

The final printed portfolios will not be collected, but each participant will be required to bring their printed Portfolio the May 11th meeting.

In summary, the May 11th workshop will be devoted entirely to the Portfolio Project. At this meeting each portfolio will be available in printed form for NVPS members to view and discuss with the artist. Also, each portfolio will be presented in slideshow form and Sherwin Kaplan will make observations during the slideshow about each and all portfolios.

Please feel free to contact the project coordinators at any time with questions and suggestions.
Scott Musson and Bill Prosser, Coordinators

The following were items that Sherwin Kaplin, our esteemed critique for the portfolio project discussed at the NVPS meeting on March 30th, 2010.

1. What I look for in any photograph
   a. Technical Proficiency
   b. Vision
   c. Composition
   d. Lighting
   e. Background Control
2.  What I Look for in a Portfolio
   a. Theme
   b. Variety within the Theme's Concept
   c. A demonstration of everything mentioned in # 1, above
3.  Portfolio Problems
   a. Repetitiousness
   b. Variations in quality (a Portfolio is no stronger than its weakest image)
   c. Failure to fully demonstrate the maker's artistic skills and craftsmanship
   d. A theme that is not strong enough to provide a platform for the individual images
4. Artistic Statements
   a. Should not be pretentious
   b. Should explain why you, as an "artist or "craftsman" chose the theme
   c. Should explain how you developed the theme
   d. Should not try to do more than provide a rationale for this specific portfolio
   e. Should Provide a basis or benchmark for me to evaluate your images
   

To get access to the NVPS Portfolio Gallery send your NVPS Gallery user id  to Scott Musson nospam!#*&^#)type address - don't copy spam protection(*@.@nospamscottmusson.com">scottmusson@nospam!#*&^#)type address - don't copy spam protection(*@.@nospamscottmusson.com (I don't need your password).  When you do, I'll give you access to see the other portfolios and create a place for your portfolio to be uploaded. I'll also provide you rights to comment on others portfolios and  send you instructions on how to upload images to your new folder.
If you don't have a user id, it's very simple to register, just go to http://nvps.org/gallery and click "Register".

If you need help in any way, just let me know. I would also be happy to upload your images for you, just email them to me and name them including a number so I know what order you would like them to appear.

Your first image in your gallery should be your artist statement, just paste the text of your artist statement into an empty image. This is very important since people will be critiquing your portfolio based on your artist statement. This is one of the reasons why it's important to develop your artist statement first.

Remember you can send your artist statement to Bill or Scott for feed back if you like.