The Friends of the House of Photography, along with FUTURES, are offering 40 aspiring photographers and young professionals the chance to participate at the "Friends of Photography" portfolio review live in Hamburg as part of the 8th Triennial of Photography 2022. On June 4, 2022, the Young Professionals will present their work to over 15 photo experts and receive valuable feedback. The "Best Portfolios" will be distinguished at the subsequent screening at the >>follow up/FUTURES Day at PHOXXI, Deichtorhallen Hamburg's temporary House of Photography. FUTURES is a platform for photography with a growing network of executive photography institutions throughout Europe.

Until April 14, 40 aspiring photographers can apply to participate in order to get advice and form networks with experts from the fields of art, media, science, advertising and consulting, as well as international actors from the 8th Triennial. The international reviewers and the Young Professionals will come together for an intensive exchange on an equal footing. The photographers and reviewers will become acquainted in a get-together. After this, they will take part in in-depth individual interviews on the topics of portfolio presentation, work positioning and individual questions. Every participant will have one-on-one meetings with two experts of their choosing. In the application process the photographers may choose four of their favorite experts for these talks. We will try to accommodate this to everyone's wishes. When choosing your reviewers, keep in consideration who will be beneficial to you and help with your work.

What winners receive

The striving photographers receive valuable feedback from international and diverse experts and can build up their network. Next to the active exchange the Young Professionals gain a platform and visibility through the Friends of the House of Photography society. Furthermore, the reviewers will form the "Best Portfolio" jury and choose their favorite portfolios of the day. The event will culminate with the distinction and screening of the prize-winning "Best Portfolio" winners along with this year's >>follow up talents. Everyone is invited to the following better together party.

How to Enter

All emerging and aspiring photographers can apply with their portfolios and submit a collection with up to 20 images of their best work samples. There are no genre specifications. The participating photographers can pick four experts as their preferred reviewers during the application process. The specialist jury will select suitable participants according to the quality and date of receipt of the submitted projects. The participation fee for the Portfolio Review will be 70 € regular / 50 € for Friends of the House of Photography members. The fee is to be transferred after receiving the confirmation of participation.

Prof. Christoph Bangert works as a photographer, author and educator. He studied photojournalism and documentary photography at the International Center of Photography in New York. On assignment for the New York Times, he documented the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2005 to 2013. He is the author of several books, including War Porn (Kehrer 2014), hello camel (Kehrer 2016) and Rumors of War (Kehrer 2021). Bangert is the founder of the Fotobus Society, one of the largest non-profit photography student projects worldwide. Currently, Bangert is a professor of photography at the Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Alexa Becker  has a master's degree in Art History from the University of Heidelberg and works as a contributing editor for photography and art books, for the German-based publisher Kehrer Verlag. Becker provides artistic and marketing advice for photographers concerning the content and style of their work at several international portfolio reviews. She appreciates the special qualities present in a work, in particular discovering genuine visions of the world. Becker is also a freelance consultant, advising and coaching photographers independently. 

Prof. Dr. Karen Fromm is a Professor at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hanover, where she teaches visual culture, pictorial languages, and the documentary. In the past she managed the Galerie Pfefferberg in Berlin and was a member of the management at FOCUS photography and press agency. She has founded the platform IMAGE MATTERS and edited volumes like Images in Conflict (2018). Fromm is Head of the International Class for Photojournalism and Documentary Photography in Hanover and director of the LUMIX Festival for Young Visual Journalism. 

Anna Gripp is based in Hamburg, and editor in chief of the magazine PHOTONEWS. She is the main author of the book "Fotografie-Studium in Deutschland" and founding member of the association Netzwerk Fotoarchive. Since 2017 she is a member of the Executive Board of the German Society for Photography, DGPh. Gripp participated in numerous competition juries, e. g., the BFF-Förderpreis, Peter Keetman Prize and more. She also juries portfolio sightings, like the Houston FotoFest or the Freundeskreis Photographie Hamburg. Gripp also worked as a freelance photographer. 

Denis Brudna is based in Hamburg Germany and founder and editor of the magazine PHOTONEWS in 1989. He studied painting, graphics, and photography in Prague. In 1971 Brudna was a founding member of the cultural and communication center FABRIK in Hamburg and responsible for graphics, advertising, and CI until early 2019. 1972 he founded the FABRIK FOTOFORUM and organized over 370 exhibitions. In 1989 he was founding member of the Arbeitskreis für Fotografie in Hamburg and founding member of the association Netzwerk Fotoarchive in 2011. 

Teona Gogichaishvili, born in Georgia studied German philology, history and philosophy in Georgia and Germany, graduating with a Master of Arts in Photography and Design. Since 2006, Gogichaishvili is an international freelance curator, photographer, and lecturer. She has been the co-organizer and curator of the international photography festival KOLGA TBILISI PHOTO in Georgia. Since 2017 she is the head of the art department at the Music and Art School of Remscheid. Together with Antonia Loick and Inga Schneider, she founded PURPUR COLLECTIVE in 2018, with a focus on women in photography. Since 2022, Gogichaishvili is a member of the Board of Directors of the DGPh. She is also a portfolio reviewer, in various international photo festivals, including the Houston FOTOFEST.

Ángel Luis González Fernández is a designer, artist, and curator. In 2010 he founded PhotoIreland, to stimulate a critical dialogue on Photography. He devises curatorial projects placing conversations in the public realm around visual culture and critical thinking. 2011 he was awarded the winner of the Business to Arts David Manley Emerging Entrepreneur Awards. 2020 he launched the critical publication OVER Journal, now distributed globally. 2022 he will deepen the research on the broad historical and specific artistic context of Photography in Ireland, to curate an ambitious survey exhibition in PhotoIreland Festival 2022.

Silke Güldner coaches' photographers and creative professionals, supporting them in developing, presenting, and selling potential and competence in business. Since 2011 she has a column for professional photographers in ProfiFoto, her first book "Erfolg im Foto-Business" has been released in 2019. The former art director has many years of experience in the creative industry and founded a successful agency for photographers' management. Today, she gives one-on-one consultations for professional and up-and-coming photographers, as well as workshops for companies and institutions in the creative industries. Among her international clients are Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, Schweizer Berufsfotografen Verband, Canon and more. 

Anja Kneller founded a rental photo studio in 2015 and works as a consultant and coach for photographers alongside her job as a photo editor and art buyer. She studied art in Karlsruhe and marketing in Hamburg. Kneller worked in Marketing and HR at the advertising agencies McCann and BBDO in Düsseldorf and Hamburg. She worked several years as director of photography for content marketing companies, publishing houses and agencies. Since 2010, she has been on the board of the Friends of House of Photography/Deichtorhallen Hamburg. Kneller is also a member of the DGPh.

Celina Lunsford is a curator and writer specialized on international tendencies in photography as well as the history of photography. Since 1992 she has been responsible for the exhibition and academy program of the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt. She is a founder and curator for RAY Triennale for International Photography and has juried numerous prizes for photographic arts. She curated for the Photography Festival Lodz 2011 in Poland and in 2007 she co-curated the Lianzhou International Photography Festival in China. She has mentored the Joop Swart Masterclass in Amsterdam as well as the Asia-Europe Foundation Forum for Photographers in Cork and Dublin. 

Oluremi C. Onabanjo is an associate curator in the department of Photography at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York and part of the curation team of the 8. triennial of Photography Hamburg 2022. She has organized exhibitions across Africa, Europe, and North America, and managed one of the most significant private collections of photography in the world. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Art History at Columbia University and lectures internationally on photography and curatorial practice. In 2017, she co-curated Recent Histories: Contemporary African Photography and Video Art, and edited its accompanying publication Steidl, which was shortlisted for an ICP Infinity Award in Critical Writing and Research. Onabanjo is the editor of the forthcoming photobook, Marilyn Nance: Last Day in Lagos (2022).

Giangavino Pazzola, born in Italy, works as a curator and has a Ph.D. in Urban and Cultural Studies at the Politecnico di Torino. Since 2018 he is associate curator at CAMERA - Italian Center for Photography where, in addition to curating the exhibitions and research programs, he oversees the European program FUTURES Photography. He has curated exhibitions and projects in collaboration with institutions such as Museomontagna in Turin and Elpis Foundation in Milan. He has written on contemporary arts and independent cultural production centers in international and national academic journals. He is also a member of the Board of Curators of The Phair.

Cecilia Reynoso, born in 1980 in Buenos Aires, studied cinema at the Universidad del Cine in Buenos Aires, where she recently started teaching. She is an independent documental photographer based in Argentina, interested in works that revolve around bonds and the intimate. For twelve years she has photographed the family of her companion, focusing on the relationship to the body of members of this community. Meals where everyone is gathered around the table, games of young people stacked on top of each other, moments of the end of life for old people. She is also interested in the creative photographic process that involves invisible references and influences from other forms of art.

Ingo Taubhorn is a curator, photographer, filmmaker and author. He studied visual communication in Dortmund with a focus on film and photography and started his photographic career as a photo artist. He started to work as an international freelance curator in 1988, curating many individual and group shows. Since 2006 he is the chief curator at Haus der Photographie, Deichtorhallen Hamburg. Taubhorn has several lectureships in photography and visual media, e.g. a master class at the Ostkreuzschule Berlin. He is a member of the DGPh and is the president of the Deutsche Fotografische Akademie (DFA).

István Virágvölgyi, born and based in Budapest, Hungary, is a curator and photo editor. He studied freehand drawing, desktop publishing, photography and earned a master's degree from library and information studies at Eötvös Loránd University. 2007 he started working at the leading Hungarian news portal Origo first as photo editor and then as head of photography. He lectured about documentary photography and photo editing at the Budapest Metropolitan University between 2014 and 2019. Since 2014 he works as curator of the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center, and he is the secretary of the Capa Grand Prize Hungary. Since 2016 he is cultural advisor of the Archabbey of Pannonhalma and since 2021 member of the board of trustees of the József Pécsi Photography Scholarship for young artists.

Paula Winkler is an editorial photographer based in Berlin. She works for renowned magazines and newspapers such as ZEITmagazin and SZ Magazin. Her personal work has been exhibited in several shows such as „ In the Cut - the male nude in feminist art". She is also a member of femxphotographers which is an independent collective dedicated to promoting the work of female artists working with photography. In addition, she teaches photography at the Lette-Verein Berlin. 

Terms and conditions / FAQ

How should my submitted Portfolio look like?

There are no limits to the variety and no genre requirements. Your portfolio should be a collection of all your best work samples and reflect your photographic style and thematic orientation. The portfolio that you sent in for the application can consist of max. 20 images. On the day of the Portfolio Review you are allowed to present a larger number of images in your Portfolio. It is advised to bring one or two projects, in order to get in-depth feedback. Please note, no images are allowed, that contradict legal requirements and you must have the publication rights to the people shown in your pictures. 

Where will our submitted images be shown and published?

The „Best Portfolio" will be shown during a screening in the end of the >>follow up/FUTURES Day. The Friends of House of Photography society may use the images for publications in the context of the portfolio review as part of their marketing activities. Furthermore, most images will be presented on the website and social media before and after the day of the Portfolio Review.

When will I know if I am part of the portfolio review live in Hamburg?

The selected participants will be announced on April 25, 2022. We will send you a confirmation of participation via email. Traveling and accommodation must be organized and financed by yourself.

Is there a participation fee?

The participation fee is 70 € regular/ 50 € for Friends of the House of Photography members. This is a service fee for the Friends of the House of Photography society. If you receive a confirmation of participation, we will ask you to pay the fee. You will get all information via mail.

Who do I contact if I have more questions about the Portfolio Review?

portfolio@freundeskreisphotographie.de

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