Perguntas Frequentes
LensCulture / World Press Photo Portfolio Reviews
How do the LensCulture / World Press Photo Portfolio Reviews work?
LensCulture / World Press Photo Portfolio Reviews are two days of intense, scheduled 20-minute one-to-one meetings between serious photographers and international photography experts. The reviews are designed to allow personal connections, professional networking and career opportunities — bringing together in a formal setting today's talented photographers and some of the most influential experts in the field of photography. The format of the reviews is based on the successful international portfolio review events managed by LensCulture in Paris and Stockholm.
What is the location for the LensCulture / World Press Photo Portfolio Reviews?
The reviews are held at the internationally acclaimed Volkshotel in Amsterdam, an eclectic mixed-use space that includes conference rooms, creative work spaces, a hotel, café/bar, restaurant, and a nightclub. There is free, high-speed wifi throughout the building and ample space for photographers to meet each other and network in between formal scheduled meetings. The building is conveniently located on the east side of the Amstel River, just 9 minutes by Metro to and from Amsterdam Centraal Station.
Volkshotel
Wibautstraat 150
1091GR Amsterdam
Netherlands
Who can participate in the portfolio reviews?
The portfolio reviews are open to all photographers, but they will be most beneficial to serious professional photographers who have already achieved local, regional or national success, and are now ready for international opportunities.
How can I register for the LensCulture / World Press Photo Portfolio Reviews?
Registration is open now, online. We encourage serious photographers to register as soon as possible, because space is limited, and photographers will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Full payment is due at the time of registration. You can pay online with credit card or PayPal.
How much is the registration fee? What does the fee include?
The fee to participate in the full program is 495 euros for 2 days of reviews, or 295 euros for one day of reviews. The registration fee includes the following:
What are the next steps after I pay for registration?
If you don't already have a Photographer's Profile page on LensCulture, we will send you an invitation to create one. You will find more details about the best ways to set up your Profile page in the text below. The profile is a great way for the reviewers and photographers to learn about each other in advance of the event. After that, we suggest you arrange your travel and accommodation as soon as possible — April is a very popular time for visitors and tourists in Amsterdam, so hotels get filled quickly. We will contact you again about one week before the reviews to ask for your preferences of the reviewers you would like to meet. Then we will generate all meeting schedules in advance and send those to you so you can prepare for each scheduled meeting.
How do I schedule appointments with the reviewers I most want to meet?
LensCulture will send you a preference form with a list of all reviewers in mid-April. You will be able to rank reviewers according to your preference for which reviewers you most want to meet. A custom software program will schedule meetings and attempt to match you with most of the reviewers you want to meet. LensCulture can NOT guarantee that you will meet with all of your top choices of reviewers.
Can I exchange an appointment with a reviewer if I prefer to meet with someone else?
You can try to trade appointments with other photographers. There will be a reviewer exchange board at the location of the portfolio reviews where you will be able to trade appointments with other photographers. You can also arrange to trade meetings via our special Facebook group for participating photographers. All exchanges and trades are the responsibilities of the photographers — LensCulture cannot help to make changes to the schedules.
What happens at "Meet the Artists Night"?
"Meet the Artists Night" is a 2-hour event that is open to the public. It will happen in the same location as the portfolio reviews (Volkshotel) on Wednesday evening, 20 April, from 19:00 to 21:00. It's a great way for all participants — reviewers and photographers — to see the work of all participating photographers. It’s also a great way for photographers to present their work to the public and to experts and other photographers who are not part of the formal review event. Each photographer will be given a (small) table space to present their photographs, books, business cards and more. We expect a big, enthusiastic crowd of photography lovers to attend, as the event will be well publicized by LensCulture, World Press Photo and Volkshotel. Photographers are not required to participate in "Meet the Artists Night," but from experience, we've discovered that these informal meetings can often lead to good results for photographers.
What's the best way to prepare for the reviews?
We suggest that you limit your presentations to only one or two bodies of work, and that you select the images and sequence of images carefully to make an excellent first impression. It’s also a good idea to practice your verbal presentation with trusted friends, so you can make the most out of each of these important meetings. And do a little bit of research about each of the reviewers you are scheduled to meet — that kind of preparation and knowledge can make the meetings much more friendly and useful.
Here are links to two articles, with tips and advice for getting the most out of formal portfolio reviews like these:
7 Myths About Portfolio Reviews Debunked (Photoshelter)
Advice for Portfolio Reviews (Mary Virginia Swanson)
Where can I stay in Amsterdam during the portfolio reviews?
We have reserved a very limited number of discounted hotel rooms at Volkshotel — in the same building where the portfolio reviews and "Meet the Artists Night" take place. While there are still rooms available, we will send you a discount code for the hotel after we have received your registration. Otherwise, there are plenty of other hotels and Airbnb places nearby.
What forms of payment do you accept? Do you accept PayPal?
You can pay for your registration with PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, American Express. Payment is registered in euros.
Can I get an invoice for my registration fees?
Once your registration is submitted and paid, we automatically email you a confirmation invoice indicating payment details.
What is the cancellation policy for LensCulture / World Press Photo Portfolio Reviews registrants?
Registration fees are not refundable.
What's the benefit of a LensCulture Photographer's Profile page?
All registered photographers will be invited to create a LensCulture Photographer's Profile page. Through your Profile page, ALL reviewers, other participating photographers, and general visitors to LensCulture can get a concise overview of you and your photography practice: They can find links to your website so they can contact you (or your galleries or agents) in order to directly buy your work or offer you an assignment. They can also discover a range of your photography projects — complete with high-resolution, full-screen slideshows, captions, and project text. The number of projects and photos you can upload to your profile page is unlimited, and you can change and update your page quickly and easily as often as you want to. It's a powerful way to get your work in front of photography-lovers all over the world.
How do I access my Photographer’s Profile page?
Please make sure you are using an updated version of Safari or Chrome. The majority of issues our users encounter are caused by using an old version of Safari. If you are using Chrome, it updates automatically. Firefox is OK, but we recommend Chrome or Safari.
First, you'll be prompted to join LensCulture for a free account to upload your files (or you can just sign in if you have an existing LensCulture account). Then follow the simple instructions to upload your images and to provide all the proper information for each.
What are the photo specifications for uploading?
For best results, upload the highest-quality JPEGs, sized a minimum of 1200 pixels on the longest side (2000 pixels is even better). Maximum size is 10Mb. The file name should be under 50 characters.
How do I add photo captions or titles?
Click the area designated "Short title/caption" and add your title there (400 characters maximum). It will be auto-saved when you finish typing. If you have a longer caption to add, for example in a photo-documentary project, you can type into the "Description" box below (1500 characters maximum).
What are some best practices for my Photographer's Profile?
a. Make sure to include a photo of yourself—people like to engage with people they can see. Make it friendly, not anonymous.
b. Include your website address and any other website where your work can be seen or where people can get in contact with you. It's important to make it easy for people to find you and connect with you, especially if they want to buy your work or commission an assignment.
c. Update your location for the same reasons—if someone wants to get in touch with you, it helps for others to know where in the world you are.
d. Include a biography that includes any special honors or recognition that you've received for your work. Be sure to list any galleries, agencies, schools, associations so that people have more ways of discovering your work.
e. Don't forget you can list your published photo books! Under the "Edit Profile" button, scroll down to the "Add Book" or "Add Book from Amazon." Follow the on-screen instructions.
f. The heart of your profile will, of course, be your photographs. These are organized in projects. On your profile, you will have one "featured" project and then many others below. Note that you can choose which project appears at the top of your photographer's profile page in LensCulture. Use this to highlight your strongest or most recent work.
Can I replace or re-arrange my photos after I've uploaded them?
Yes! You can edit your projects and details at any time. This means you can replace or remove images, rearrange images, edit the photo captions (titles), project description, and your artist's statement.
I can't login to my account—what should I do?
Go to https://www.lensculture.com/forgot_password and enter the email address you think you signed up with. We'll send you a password reset link.
If I have more questions, how do I contact you?
For technical questions related to uploading your photos, sizes, entry forms and credit card payments, use the support button at the upper right of the Registration page. If you can't find the answers to your other questions here or at the upload site, you can email us at support@lensculture.com.