FotoFest 2008 is now in full swing. It kicked off on March 7th, and as usual, has a tremendous calendar of exhibitions, events, panels, and workshops. One of the biggest impacts FotoFest has had on the industry has been through its portfolio review segment, called "Meeting Place". These folks wrote the book on the portfolio review; there are fourteen days of meetings scheduled with curators, dealers, reps, collectors, and editors. Participants can register for either a four-day or six-day session, and are guaranteed at least four meetings a day.

My sense has always been that the photographers who are going to get the most out of a time and cost-intensive review like FotoFest are those with already strong and cohesive projects that they're shopping for publication or exhibition (which, as we all know, can keep us in procrastination purgatory forever). But after speaking with Lisa M. Robinson, a FotoFest success story, I feel a little differently.

Robinson, whose beautiful book Snowbound has just been published by Kehrer Verlag, has been a presence at FotoFest since 2004, when she first started showing images from the series and looking for feedback. In 2004, "the work was at a very early stage, and I found the reviews very encouraging. It was really an opportunity to plant seeds on a project that I can now follow through on." Lisa has been very proactive about creating a presence for herself at portfolio events, including PhotoLucida and Rhubarb-Rhubarb. And it has been a process; when the book came out this year, many thought she was on the scene out of the blue, but in fact, she has been "building these relationships for years".

The work itself is stunning, having been produced over five consecutive winters.

Valhalla, 2007

 Solo, 2007

I called Lisa to ask about the festival, and found her super-busy with Snowbound-related activities. She'll be sitting on a panel on Sunday the 16^th called "Publishing Photo Books Today", and she has a book signing on Monday. She's also still showing the imagery to people who have not seen it, specifically international curators. And now she's working on acquisitions.

On that panel will also be Mary Virginia Swanson, a renowned consultant and industry mainstay. She'll also be reviewing portfolios with other reviewers who include Sue Brisk from Magnum, Lesley A. Martin from Aperture, German GEO's Nadja Masri, Paula Gillen from the New Yorker, Brian Clamp of CLAMPART, and MANY more. It's an embarrassment of photo riches.  If you DO go to Houston, don't go unprepared, even if your project is still in its infant stages. Mary Virginia Swanson gives her tips for how to present a portfolio here.