Redeye is delighted to announce an evening of portfolio advice and critique at the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art.

Are you planning to go to the portfolio reviews at Format festival this year but not entirely happy with your portfolio or does any of this ring true for you?

• You'd like to build contacts and get your work seen
• You're struggling with marketing your work or reaching clients
• You're half-way through a project and need a steer or a push
• You need to test some ideas, to see which ones have the most promise
• You've got a feeling your career is going in the wrong direction
• You're stuck on anything else to do with photography.

If so, this event is for you! Come and talk in a supportive atmosphere, and we'll match you with reviewers who can help with your problems and queries. We’ve got an excellent line up of reviewers including Elizabeth Wewiora of the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, Jill Carruthers of the Open Eye Gallery and Redeye’s very own Paul Herrmann.

Once you have booked your place, you will be prompted to email us regarding your work and what you would like to discuss, and any restrictions on time. We will then contact you to let you know when your slot takes place and with whom.

Tickets:
Redeye Member – Free
Standard - £30

Advance ticket sales close 1 week before the event (26 February 2014). To buy Redeye member tickets, please first log in as a member. To book tickets please click Buy Tickets below.

Venue and Timing
The portfolio reviews will take place on 5 March 2014 at the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, Market Buildings, Thomas Street, Manchester, M5 1EU from 17:00-19:00.

You will be allotted a specific time to meet with your reviewer. Please be in plenty of time as timings on the night will be very tight.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is it only portfolio viewings? No, you can come with any work-related problems that you want to talk about. 

Do I have to be professional? No, just serious about your work. 

How far ahead do I need to book? 

As early as possible if you want the best chance of a well-matched viewer. 

What do you want in the text you ask for?

Something about the kind of work you do, where you’re up to, and what you want from the session.

Can I just send a CV or weblink? No, the text we ask for is much more helpful in matching you with a viewer. You can attach a CV if you want but it’s not necessary. 

Who will view my portfolio? We try to match you with the most appropriate viewer. If you have a particular request please tell us at the time of booking. 

What kind of advice and criticism do you offer? Our viewers are there to offer support. It is helpful for you to come with an idea of what you want from the session. If you have work in development we will try and make suggestions about where to go with it. If you particularly want a robust critique we can try and oblige. 

What form should my work be in? You can bring a portfolio, loose prints, or work on your fully-charged laptop. We can also by arrangement look at work on a USB pen drive/memory stick but please tell us in advance.

Can I bring transparencies? Yes, but you will also need a lightbox and magnifier.

How may photos should I include?
The session is only 30 minutes long so it’s a good idea not to bring too much - it can be hard to look at more than 40 pictures in that time. A good number might be between 10 and 30 pictures.
 

Any special requirements for digital pictures? They can be hard to see if they’re too small, and slow things down a lot if they’re very large. We advise bringing JPEGs sized between about 1000 to 4000 pixels in the longer dimension, with a colour profile embedded if possible. Use JPEG compression settings between 8 and 11 (approx 70 to 90%, or high quality). 

Do I need anything else? 

Pen and paper to note down suggestions. 

What if I’m late? You will probably lose part or all of your session if you’re late. We can’t move things around too much. It’s a really good idea to arrive early anyway in case there are any cancellations available - we will fill these up free of charge. 

Why did you move my time slot? 

Sorry. There are sometimes last-minute changes we can’t avoid. 

What if I have to cancel? Please try to give as much notice as you can.

What happens if I don’t show up and don’t cancel? Please avoid this. We subsidise each place so it costs us a lot more than your ticket price.

Can I come again? Absolutely. Please give us plenty of notice if you want the same or a different viewer.