Fine Art Photoblog Opens the Door to New Photographers

Blue Door Blue Window
Creative Commons License photo credit: Thomas Hawk

I've been hinting at this for about a week, but it's now official. The Fine Art Photoblog will be accepting portfolios for review in search of one or two new photographers to join us. Before you get too excited, be sure to read this entire post and soak in everything that we're asking for.

Back in December, I posted the first call for portfolios. We had 30 people submit their work, vote on each other, and 6 of the top photographers were accepted. By early February, we had finished building and testing the site and we had a hugely successful site launch thanks to the help of many people in our community. OK, so that's the history in case you missed it a few months back.

And now we're doing it again. But this time, we'll only be bringing on a few new photographers to supplement our existing team. We're looking for upcoming artists who want to gain exposure for themselves while contributing to something larger.

WHAT WE'LL EXPECT FROM YOU

Before we even talk about portfolio guidelines, we want to bring up a few thoughts about what is expected of a “Fine Art Photoblogger”. We don't require many things, but we're very passionate about the guidelines we do set. Here are some basic commitments you can expect within the group:

  • Post at least one new photo per week.
  • Have the ability to sell unsigned prints on your own via “print on demand”.
  • Have the ability to produce signed (and optionally) limited edition works.
  • Participate in our private forum by bringing up issues, voicing opinions, etc.
  • Come up with new ways to market the site and put the plans into action.
  • Plan on sticking to it for at least 12 to 18 months.
  • Be a team player and treat the website as an equal share democracy.

If you're still interested in being part of the team, read on.

HOW WE'LL RUN THIS SHOW

This time around will be a bit different from the first time. Portfolios will be accepted for a period of two weeks from now (DEADLINE: June 2). The seven of us at the Fine Art Photoblog will judge the portfolios alongside a few guest judges. Then we'll bring in the selected photographers as outlined by the “Break-In” period. Here's the basic rundown:

  • You submit portfolios
  • We select up to 2 photographers
  • The new photographers will be “broken-in”
  • If everything works out, they stay
  • If not, they don't

We know it's a little different from the first portfolio review, but the site is in a different place too. So if you're alright with the terms so far, read on.

ABOUT THE “BREAK-IN” PERIOD

Maybe this sounds bad, but it's just something intended to protect the photoblog and those already involved with it. After some discussion, we all decided that the following plan would be best for any new photographers brought into the website. If you are selected to join us, here's the process you can expect to go through:

  • You will post 3 photos under a guest account. This will help us evaluate how well you fit in with the blog.
  • After your first post, you'll be brought into the private forum. We'll then be evaluating your interactions with the other photographers and getting a feel for your level of commitment to the site.
  • After your 3 photos are posted and you've been active with the forum, the seven of us will decide if it's right to bring you on full time.
  • If you're asked to join, we'll make you a full account on the blog and transfer ownership of your 3 photos to your account. You'll also get an email address and we'll add your contact information and bio to the website.

I know, it's probably a bit like a hazing period with a fraternity, but it's just to give us some options in case things don't work out. So if this still sounds like something you want to do, read on.

AND ABOUT THOSE PORTFOLIOS

We're going to be a little more strict with the portfolio entries this time around too. If portfolios don't meet the requirements outlined here, they won't be considered for review. In addition to some general portfolio guidelines, here are the requirements:

  • A maximum of 20 photos, and a minimum of 10 photos.
  • The photos must be your own work and should represent you as an artist.
  • Must be accessible in the form of a web address — don't send us loose photos.

That's it really… just a small set of photos. We're limiting to 20 photos because we may end up with more than 30 portfolios for review — even at 30, that's 600 photos that all of us have to review.

Once the portfolios have been reviewed, I'll post all the entries we have this time around — that way everybody can see some other portfolios and see all the great work. We'll also announce the photographers who will begin their trial period.

SUBMIT YOUR PORTFOLIO HERE

DEADLINE: June 2

UPDATE: The entry form has been closed and portfolios are no longer being accepted. Keep an eye out for the results in the days to come!

CURRENT PORTFOLIO ENTRIES