Cameron Sterling

by Cameron Sterling

This is for a specific group, photographers who sell their work, however the concepts can apply to people in other professions.

I have reviewed photographers’ work and brands in various capacities for over twenty years. This essay may help you make the most of the important interview experience known as portfolio reviews.

Your unique curiosity and experiences inform your perspective on a topic as a photography business. People hire you because this perspective is distinctive and serves their need. Your perspective on a topic is a key part of your value proposition and brand.

Portfolio reviews help photographers get perspective, network, and hone their marketing message. These are a few ideas to help you prepare for meetings with reviewers.

About You

If you are an advertising, editorial, or gallery photographer you know reviews are a way to get perspective on your work and marketing message. This perspective helps you understand how your work and offer is perceived by your prospective clients.

In a review you have the opportunity to give context about your work in person. The first few minutes are your moment to verbally define what your work does, who it is for, and how it is similar and different from other photographers. A clear message that guides your image presentation and verbiage will make you memorable.

Refine your introduction and business story before meeting reviewers. You will get a lot of practice using and refining it at a portfolio review.

This introduction is a short phrase about who your business is for and what it does for them. This “who and what” does not need to be greatly different from others in your market. Common ground is important for your unique perspective.

What differentiates your introduction from others is a short story that explains where your business came from, how it became good at solving its client's problem the way it does, and where it stands today. As an individual this story is interconnected with your life story, but mostly the parts that relate to your work.

This story is something only you could author and establishes your unique curiosity and experiences that inform your authority on your perspective. You may get help writing it, but it is distinctly yours.

Sometimes your perspective is thought of as “your style,” however it is deeper than this and more like “your calling” that manifests in your style. Your perspective can also come across as your unique selling point derived from the connected dots of your past.

This combination of who your ideal client is, what you do for them, and your unique perspective makes a clear memorable message for a reviewer to hire or refer you.

With the above in mind, organize your portfolio by topic, project, or both. You can also use this for text on your website and SEO.

A goal of meeting with reviewers is to get feedback you can use to refine your portfolio marketing. Another goal is to be remembered or referred to by them in the future when they need you.

Your business is in motion so it is natural for its marketing message to feel like a work in progress. The key here is to make your images and language consistent and clear with your introduction and business story.

About Your Reviewers

Know your audience. Research reviewer’s business background before meeting them. This will help you know what perspectives they can offer you to make the most of your time.

This is some information about me. I have worked with professional creatives for 20 years and understand the effort, investment, and challenges of a photography career.

I first learned how to give and receive constructive critiques at Brooks Institute in 2001-03. Then from working with Richard Avedon, Hiro, Ellen Graham, Adobe Stock, Sandbox Studio, Wonderful Machine, and consulting creatives from 25 to 95 years old. I have also given a few dozen online reviews.

If we meet for a review I will give you an honest assessment of your images, edits, and marketing message. We will also discuss how your business can clearly and quickly answer these questions:

1. What do you do?

2. How does it help your client?

3. How do they get it?

An Example

The following text at an exhibition entrance illustrates the above idea.

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry

University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

The Kinetic Life of the Puppet: Photography of Richard Termine, 2024-2025

Richard Termine, Photographer

“My training and work experience in puppet theater preceded my career as a photographer. It has shaped and guided my work with the camera.

My challenge as a photographer of puppet theater is to capture the animation of the puppet in a still image. To do that, I focus on the gestural life of the puppet, seeking to capture the “decisive moment” when the figure is most animated and a peak dramatic event is visualized.

Through the camera lens I am connected to the puppet and the puppeteer. I compose through the lens, and I feel a rich, creative exchange of energy as I shoot an artform I know and love.

Any photographer of theatrical performance is only as good as the artists they work with. It has been a blessing to collaborate with some of the most talented puppet artists in America and to capture their unique artistry.” ~ Richard Termine

Richard Termine attended the University of Connecticut and completed his M.F.A. in Puppet Arts in 1978. In 1980 he began his association with The Jim Henson Company as a puppet designer and builder for a variety of Muppet productions and was honored with an Emmy Award in 1987 for his design work on Sesame Street. His puppet theater production of Diary of a Madman received a UNIMA-USA Citation for Excellence in 2002.

While working on the set of Sesame Street in New York City in the mid-1980s, Termine began photographing behind the scenes. This work led to a new career as a performing arts photographer. He has photographed many of the world's leading performers and puppet artists. Currently, Richard is a photographer for the culture desk of The New York Times. His other clients include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and The Metropolitan Opera. He has been the in-house photographer for Sesame Street since 1988 and has been on the board of The Jim Henson Foundation since 1987, currently serving as the Foundation's Vice President.