Portfolio Drop-offs
Written on November 24, 2008
While we are not an ad agency nor a magazine, we get our share of portfolio drop-offs (though unlike many agencies and magazines, we do not have a drop-off day…these are largely unsolicited.)
I try to look at as many as I can and when I do, I try to leave a note of some sort so that the photographer knows somebody saw their book. But most of the time I am too busy to look at books and the rest of the time I’m frankly not that interested.
And a good reason I am not interested are the number of books that get dropped off that are of little relevance to our agency. This does not mean the work is not good - indeed I have seen many books whose work was great or interesting, but completely inapplicable to us. If you are a photographer that drops books off at agencies, perhaps it’d make sense to leave a note explaining a bit about your background and work.
So please, do your research. A book drop-off is far less intrusive than, say, an email, but if an agent actually looks through your book and sees that it’s completely irrelevant that is an opportunity wasted. If you’re a commercial food photographer, don’t drop your book off at a fashion agency. If your focus is fine art, does it make sense to leave it at a commercial photo agency? The less time you waste for yourself the more you can devote to targeting carefully.
Filed in: Talent, Photo Agency, Advice.
Thank you.
Words of common sense, that seem to be overlooked regardless!
Care to share what you ARE looking for, though? If there was a pile of portfolio’s that all shared similar qualities and you had to chose, would it be based on whether you’d used them before? The professionalism of the portfolio? The ease of being able to contact the artist?
I’m new to the game, and still undergoing a degree in Photography in a very commercial environment - so these posts are helping me a lot - thanks again.
Hello Grant,
Not entirely sure I understand the question…as an agent I am not in a position to commission any work unlike an art buyer or photo editor.
If there are a pile of portfolios dropped off I’ll try to look at them all but I would just hope that they are relevant to our agency’s focus and that the portfolios are well edited and put together.
cheers,
avs
a lot of people who receive stuff complain about this and although its kind of a sad situation I truely believe that its largely an irrelevant complain. Its the nature of advertising and sending out stuff that you take chances.
I research the people I show stuff but really most of my connections and contacts I made actually not via the perfect match but via some sort of coincidence (for example showing soemthing to someone who is not interested at all but who gives me the number of a friend)
You have to take your chances - it puzzles me that art directors and people in media and galleries don’t realize this and always hand out their “targeting careful” advice
Good advice. May I add, however, that it’s a little like saying, “only drop of stuff I like please”. While it’s never a good idea to waste time with unsolicited drop offs [IMHO], some agencies handle a very wide variety of work and as the saying goes: “one never knows”.
It can be difficult for a seasoned professional to hit the mark consistently so to complain that a younger - all-be-it wildly talented - pro may take chances is a tad unfair me thinks.
Again, this comment doesn’t mean that I disagree with AVS advice - take it as an additional consideration.