As a reviewer for the 3rd year in a row I remembered how fast-paced the reviews can be. How stressful it is for the person getting reviewed. It reminds me of what speed-dating must be like. You have to be prepared for your "elevator speech" -describing in less than a minute what your work is about and for the lasting 9 minutes you are engaged with your chosen reviewer. Now the pressure is on from the reviewer and it's up to us to give them what they are there for, an honest, unbiased and clear response to what we are looking at. For the most part the work I saw was pretty good. There were 2 stand outs in my case but most of the reviewers were surprisingly happy to have seen much better work this year. Thank you ASMP NY members for stepping it up! I overheard one woman say she stood in line to see Elizabeth Avedon for an hour! Of course, the wait was worth it because she got her undivided attention for a good 10 minutes.

From observing, it seems the best tactic is to case out your top 3 reviewers to get the most out of the reviews. Maybe see a photo critic, a curator and a collector. All 3 types of industry people will have different things to say about your work. Take note and listen, let go, experiment, try some of these suggestions, you'll see some interesting new things.

See you next year!



ASMP New York has Relaunched SHARPEN, the online magazine of ASMP New York. We have daily news, features, advice and over 20 columnists. The New Site Can Be Found At http://www.sharpen-ny.org/