powerHouse Portfolio Review at powerHouse Arena

It’s back! Returning for an 11^th year, the powerHouse Portfolio Review took place this past weekend and they launched their new decade with a review panel packed with talent. With faces from New York Magazine, National Geographic, Getty Images, the Edwynn Houk Gallery and others in attendance, the powerHouse Arena in Brooklyn’s DUMBO had no shortage of quality advice and constructive criticism for amateur photographers of all branches in the career field.

That’s an important distinction to address right out the gate. While powerHouse Books did not shut down the Arena for this event and a general attendance could certainly be spotted perusing their concentrated stock of books near the entrance, the event itself was completely geared towards photographers set on making photography their livelihood. Between its cost and the general, career-oriented advice trickling out from the sessions, this wouldn’t be something to recommend for photography hobbyists.

Even the special event, which was a retrospective by world-renowned photographer Larry Fink on his career, was photography-centric. It was designed as an opportunity for amateur photographers to hear the trials and tribulations of a photographer who found success in the industry through conversation with another fellow reviewer, who’s also an editor and photographer in the industry.

The review as a whole ran like clockwork. Each photographer had five 20-minute sessions scheduled throughout the day and powerHouse did an excellent job of maintaining that time while not being disruptive or overbearing to the process. During those 20-minute sessions, the pedestrian ears shopping for books may have found the decibel of white noise permeating from the review a bit distracting and overbearing but, for those more interested and listening, that noise was like a song of enthusiasm as connections were made, career paths were set and skills were adapted.

Notably, as the morning sessions began to disperse and one of the last groups gave their final regards, a reviewer capped his goodbye with a “Let me know how that works out for you” – priceless for any young professional.

Robert Malone

For further information about the powerHouse Portfolio Review visit here.