Curated by Annabelle Ténèze for Paris+ by Art Basel, ‘The Fifth Season’ places sculptures in the legendary Jardin des Tuileries.
Paris+ and the Louvre Take Over the Tuileries Garden for the Compelling Sculpture Show ‘The Fifth Season’
Women of ‘Groundswell’: Thinking Outside the Spiral
Revisiting the land artists at the Nasher Sculpture Center, a critic finds their work was never more relevant than it is today.
Where to Start When Building a Photography Portfolio
As a commercial artist, your portfolio is your introduction to the world. So what is the best approach to making sure that you are always putting your best foot forward?
This is going to be a busy week for me on the sales front. In addition to ongoing projects, I also have six different portfolio meetings coming up. As I’ve just spent most of the morning updating my own presentation, I thought it might be a fun time to chat a bit about the method behind the madness.
But, before getting into the answers, let’s start with a question. What is a portfolio? Not literally. I mean, obviously it’s a collection of images presented either in print or digital form. But, in terms of its purpose, what is a portfolio meant to achieve?
The big mistake that almost all photographers starting out make, myself included once upon a time, is that they think of a portfolio as an opportunity to roll out their greatest hits. They think of showing their portfolio as an opportunity to prove to the world that they are a good photographer. So, to that end, they start by laying out a series of random shots showing everything from what they imagine to be their best portrait to that amazing shot they took of the Grand Canyon last summer, trying to prove definitively that, when it comes to every type of photography under the sun, they know how to expose correctly. Don’t get me wrong, both of those aforementioned photographs might truly be stunning. But it’s highly unlikely that both should take up space in the same photographer’s portfolio.
Why? Because a professional photographic portfolio is not merely an opportunity to prove that you are a good photographer. Instead, it’s a sales tool that shows your potential buyer what products you have available for sale and what makes them unique. There is a world full of amazing photographers out there. So many that it can be daunting just to think about. Just being a good “photographer,” in the general sense of the word, isn’t likely to get you a lot of traction. Keep in mind, the people you are selling to likely receive hundreds if not thousands of emails a day from photographers all over the world. Every one of them perfectly capable of correctly exposing a standard portrait on seamless. Being a good photographer is a bare minimum to get into the room.
What your portfolio needs to convey is what specific type of photographer you are? What is your brand of photography? What specific benefit will a potential buyer get from hiring you that they can’t get anywhere else? In short, why you, instead of any of the hundreds of other equally good photographers who emailed them that day?
So, when selecting the images for your portfolio, think less about trying to prove that you have the technical skills to duplicate other images you’ve already seen in the market. Instead, focus on your own artistic voice and the specific value that you, and only you, bring to the table. In the end, that unique voice is the only thing separating you from the rest of the pack.
So, with that said, your first task when building your portfolio is identifying what product it is that you are trying to sell. Is it edgy fashion photography? Is it clean cut commercial product shots that are lit impeccably? Is it a certain brand of lifestyle photography that leans heavily on an innate understanding of youth culture? Whatever that is for you, you need to start by identifying it, because you’ll need this foundation in order to create an effective presentation.
Now that you know what it is that you’re selling, you must now figure out how to best go about selling it. There are a million and one ways to start. But, to make our job easier, let’s return again to your unique value proposition as a photographer. What is your unique brand as an artist? For instance, a couple of my friends are a photography duo. They work mainly in the world of commercial fashion photography and have come to be known for their poppy use of saturated colors and almost architectural use of lines and patterns in their fashion work.
Because they are so strongly identified by that style, they have become the first name on the lips of any art producer looking to create a project in that particular style. The type of brand recognition where, even if they don’t ultimately get the job, it’s likely that one of their images was used in the client brief to describe the type of work they are looking for.
But building their portfolio is more than just putting in a series of unrelated images that happen to be highly saturated. Their portfolio has to not only establish their visual style, but also place their work firmly in a specific section of the market. In their case, commercial fashion. Beyond the images themselves, they have to continue to hammer home the aesthetic they are bringing to the table. This goes for everything from their physical portfolio to their website design. When meeting clients in person, the duo even go so far as to match their own wardrobe with the highly saturated and curated styling of the subjects they photograph. 360-degree marketing. Keeping the brand clear everywhere from the end product to the people who make it.
So, now think about that in terms of your own brand. What is the story you are trying to tell. Let’s assume, for sake of argument, that you aren’t doing highly saturated fashion work like the duo I just mentioned. What is it that makes you unique? And how do you convey that to your client?
I am a filmmaker and a photographer. Not only do I mention that because it helps describe much of my approach to my own portfolio. But, I also mention that as it has aided me in understanding the best way to make a presentation. Regardless of how well it is shot, a movie is not just a collection of random beautiful images. If it were, that would make for a very very boring two hours. Instead, a movie is a collection of images that, when placed in a specific sequence, tell a complete story. It’s not only about the images themselves being amazing. It’s about choosing the right arrangement to guide the audience through the film.
Think of your portfolio in the same way. What is Act One? Act Two? Act Three? How do you introduce your story to the audience, build up excitement, then stick the landing with a climatic finish that builds on all the plot points you’ve guided them through so far and cements a specific idea of you in their heads that will stick around long enough to get you future work?
Having a random scene in your film that has nothing to do with the rest of the story can confuse an audience. Having every scene in a movie just be variations on the same narrative beat for two hours will bore them to tears. You need to carefully modulate the story you are telling them, establish a theme, but then dramatize that theme in new and unexpected ways. In the case of a photography portfolio, the end result of this story you tell being that the audience/reviewer now has a firm understanding of they type of photographer that you are, the method you like to work, and, most importantly, why they should hire you specifically, rather than the thousands of other photographer in their inbox.
The length of your portfolio, the specific images that will sell your work best, and so forth, are things that I can’t tell you without seeing your work or knowing your specific set of buyers. And for every general rule, there is always an exception. But the more you think of your portfolio as a sales tool as opposed to a collection of your greatest hits, the more effective you will be at building a portfolio presentation that turns into a successful career.
adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2 Low GTX Blazes a New Trail in Hiking Comfort
Do you identify as an avid hiker rather than someone who just likes to occasionally get out into nature? Someone who savors the journey even more than the eventual destination, preparing for the worst while expecting the best hike? Those distinctions have traditionally demarcated the lines between gear chosen by avid adventurers versus recreational exercisers. But that line is increasingly being blurred. Just as trails evolve, so too has the segment of outdoor wear, with brands like adidas TERREX utilizing new technologies and material science to engineer lighter and more comfortable hiking gear unburdened by the past’s definitions of what a hiker is and what they should wear.
Interior of TERREX PDX, the brand’s lone retail outpost dedicated solely to the outdoor gear brand. The center display showcases a TERREX jacket under simulated rain conditions. Photo: Gregory Han
TERREX forgoes a heavier outsole for a lighter, yet aggressively patterned Continental™ Rubber, a layer that would later withstand the sharp basalt shards of an Oregonian trail we’d be invited to test our pair upon. Their durability was also matched by a confident amount of grip even while climbing onto and over wet rocks.
We recently ventured up north to Portland, Oregon to meet with adidas TERREX’s Elisa Schaller, Director of Product/Brand Outdoor, North America at the brand’s one and only semi-permanent pop-up shop dedicated to TERREX, a space committed to community outreach as it is a concerted effort in merchandising. Once there, we were invited to chat with Schaller about TERREX’s evolving approach to designing hiking clothing and footwear with inclusivity and sustainability at the forefront, alongside talk about design attributes of the brand’s newest adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2 Low GTX before setting out to test those very same shoes across a section of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Touring the footwear section within the TERREX PDX pop-up, guided by adidas TERREX’s Elisa Schaller, Director of Product/Brand Outdoor, North America.
The Free Hiker 2 Low GTX is in name and spirit the mid-top adidas TERREX Free Hiker 2 with a little less up top. Which explains why slipping into a pair delivered the same instant gratifying comfort as its slightly taller counterpart, our current favorite hiking shoe for sub-10 mile distances. Schaller credits the Free Hiker 2 Low GTX’s easy fit to the spacious toe box, gusseted tongue, and smooth collar lining that together facilitates sliding on a pair and eliminating the need to unlace and wiggle the foot into place.
These are hiking shoes you can slide into with the same ease as trail runners or running shoes, with a satisfying degree of support and grip for both wet and arid conditions. Hikers with wider feet probably hope TERREX will add width options, but as a wide-footed hiker myself, I can attest there’s enough toe box inside for a degree of breathing room without the loss of stability.
If the Free Hiker 2 Low GTX seems a bit too easy going in nature, rest assured, it’s rugged enough for most hiking enthusiasts venturing out for a day hike in all varieties of conditions. Schaller points out a Gore-Tex membrane and abrasion-resistant mesh upper are designed to keep these hiking shoes dry without sacrificing the more nimble feel some hikers are requiring of their footwear. Surprisingly, in comparison to its mid-top counterpart, these low cut models felt a little heavier. “I’m surprised you were able to notice such a minute difference in weight. But yes, they’re a little heavier because the Gore-Tex abrasion-resistant mesh adds a little more weight.” Weight differences aside, these low cut hikers felt considerably more fleet footed than the generations of heavier hiking boots I laced into while traversing Sequoia, Sedona, and sections of the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail).
Arguably the most integral part of the TERREX Free Hiker 2 in either iteration, mid and low, is the inclusion of Adidas’ proprietary BOOST midsole, the white expanded thermoplastic polyurethane section that gives the brand’s shoes its characteristically airy, yet stable foot feel. It’s also the one section of the shoe warranting some concern, noting an all-white exposed thermoplastic is prone to invite structural and aesthetic wear if pushed into harsher conditions. Schaller says TERREX is aware of the concern and is already testing numerous protective applications that retain the midsole’s properties. She also notes the brand is exploring alternative ecologically sustainable materials to further improve the lifecycle of what is inherently a product with a limited lifespan.
“We’re looking at developing materials to ‘close the loop’ while also retaining the durable properties required of outdoor wear. We also want to make recycling our shoes easier, but I cannot say whether that will be a year or several years from now due to the scale required for such an initiative.”
Material innovations like those woven directly into the TERREX Flooce Hooded Fleece Jacket are indicative of the brand’s efforts to make outdoor gear less burdensome to wear/carry over distances, while retaining temperature regulation comfort and protection from the elements. The versatile jacket is partially made with recycled materials, featuring a perforated second layer designed to retain heat when needed, and ventilate when hot, with a weave structure somewhat like popped bubble wrap in fabric form. The unique loop design uses specially treated yarn and knitting construction to keep the fleece from shedding microplastics with every wash.
adidas TERREX’s Elisa Schaller notes the brand’s partnership with National Geographic has proven immensely popular overseas in Asian markets like South Korea and Japan. Photo: Gregory Han
It is said it’s better to show than tell, thus adidas TERREX would later transport our small media group to a section of the Pacific Crest Trail equipped with their latest gear to allow us to test the Free Hiker 2 Low GTX across a trail offering a variety of wet, dry, slippery, and unstable sharp terrain. Our shoes would quickly no longer look this new traversing basalt and sodden dirt trails.
Hiking gear, especially footwear, has silently communicated whether you’re apt to venture across the creek, over the hills, and down into canyons. And until very recently, hiking boots emphasizing durability and weatherproof ruggedness – oftentimes at the expense of comfort – were the standard for those with more serious mileage intentions. The Free Hiker 2 Low GTX makes a convincing case it’s not inconceivable the best hiking shoes might be lightweight and low top, and certainly should feel as comfortable during the final leg back as the first step across the trailhead.
The adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2 Low GTX hiking shoes retail for $180 at adidas.com.
All photos credited to Adidas TERREX except where noted.
How to overcome photography’s hardest challenge
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A Glasgow Museum Reveals a $3.7 Million Rodin Sculpture Has Been Missing From Its Collection for Nearly 75 Years
A plaster version of a $3.7 million sculpture by Auguste Rodin has been missing from the Glasgow Museums collection for nearly 75 years.
Native artist uses humor to defy stereotypes, target hypocrisy in exhibition at the Modern
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith had never visited a gallery or art museum before college, but that didn’t deter her from pursuing her passion. Throughout her career, the artist’s work has hung everywhere from the Smithsonian American Art Museum to the Carnegie Museum of Art. Her piece “I See Red: Target” was the first painting on canvas by a Native artist purchased by the National Gallery of Art.
Now, roughly 50 years of her career — including paintings, drawings and sculpture exploring the importance of nature, history and conceptions of time and creation — are on display at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Born in 1940 in a Jesuit mission on the Flathead Reservation in Montana, Smith is a citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation, and her work confronts the discrimination Indigenous people face in the United States and also pokes fun at the stereotypes.
“When I was a little girl,” she told a crowd gathered at the Modern, “we were asked to leave restaurants or stores with my father who was very dark. ‘We don’t serve Indians here.’ … So we didn’t wear anything that would identify us.”
Fort Worth Report
When she learned about art history she saw several different renderings of the Madonna, also called the Virgin Mary or Mother of Christ, but they were all white. Smith decided to make a sculpture of her own, an Indigenous version, which is one of the first pieces that greets visitors upon entering the exhibition.
Around the mid-to-late ’80s and early ’90s, Smith began to feel that her works weren’t political enough so she started to introduce text into her art.
“People were saying, ‘Well, I don’t understand what this work is about, and I hear what you’re saying, but it doesn’t look that way to me.’ So I decided I would just put the text in there and just let it speak for itself,” she said. As a bonus, it helps the docents describe the work to tour groups.
Smith created a set of paper dolls in 1991 with Barbie and Ken Plenty of Horses and a variety of outfits such as “A suit for receiving U.S. gov’t rations when not allowed to hunt or gather our own food” and “Matching Smallpox suits after U.S. gov’t sent wagon loads of Smallpox-infected blankets to keep our families warm.”
Filling the wall of another gallery, an expansive 12-feet-wide mixed-media canvas depicts a long canoe, images of wildlife and a collage of headlines, including: “Have you lost your sense of direction?,” “Protect Endangered Loggers,” and “My daughter collects seashells. I collect air miles.” The shelf with plastic baskets mounted above the piece “Tongass Trade Canoe” is emblematic of her view that Americans are trading plastic for wildlife and natural landscapes.
“My father said, ‘Don’t criticize white people because it will help you get in trouble, but you can think it,’” she recalled. “So I think … one reason why I started going to newspapers was because it was a safe thing to do. It was already created and I could cut it out and paste it on here.”
In the ’90s, Smith was inspired by the boldness of younger generations, she shed her fear of wearing items that would identify her as Native.
Ironically, even today, if she wears a hat with beadwork or traditional earrings, she still gets comments about how she looks. The same thing happens to her son whenever he carries an embroidered bag.
“Some of the things we deal with are, ‘It doesn’t look Indian’ or ‘You don’t look Indian,’” Smith’s son Neal Ambrose-Smith said. “And it might sound strange, but that happens a lot of the time, like ‘Where are your feathers?’ that sort of thing.”
Smith’s work is grounded in research, but her own perspective is always present, whether she is challenging stereotypes, pointing out hypocrisy or turning a map on its side.
This subversion isn’t meant to evoke a power struggle but intended as a kind reminder that the land that would become the United States was settled long before Christopher Columbus and other pilgrims arrived.
“We were here first,” Smith said. “We’ve been here since creation time.”
About 130 pieces of her work will be on view at the Modern through Jan. 21.
Marcheta Fornoff covers the arts for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org or on Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Local photography club continues its library exhibit
ANGOLA — The Angola Area Photography Club exhibit at the Carnegie Public Library is extended through October, said Karen Holman from the library’s adult services.
“We originally wanted to do the show just through September, but they wanted to extend it into October,” said John Mowry, one of the club founders
Suspected Banksy artwork appears in London: The artist’s long connection with Palestine
Touch, Interact + Enjoy Woo’s UMI Armchair
Furniture design company Woo, who is based in Kyiv, Ukraine, enjoy every day with purpose and carry that vibe through into their interior objects. One of the most recent pieces that you could confuse for sculpture is the UMI Armchair. Designed by Rostislav Sorokovoy, that’s exactly what he wanted to create – an object that resembles a soft sculpture rather than a piece of furniture. The armchair’s shape and texture invite the user to interact with it in a genuine way, “like children do.”
UMI consists of two cylinders that form a horseshoe shape to create the seat and back of the armchair. Four chunky, cylindrical legs make for a stable base, and help form ergonomic proportions and a comfortable sitting position. Manufactured using a plywood frame, polyurethane foam, and textile upholstery, the finished design of UMI invites you to relax, read, or meditate – all playful interactions are welcome! Position a pair of armchairs next to each other for an even bigger sculptural statement.
To learn more about the Umi Armchair, visit woo.furniture.
