The first portfolio reviews organized by LENS, the New York Times photo blog, were held the weekend of April 13 and 14. Led by co-editors James Estrin and David Gonzalez, these complimentary reviews, which normally cost up to several hundred dollars, took place at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism in New York. Le Journal is associated with this event as a media partner and was represented by two of its writers: Paul Melcher and Jonas Cuénin.
Among the 89 critics on hand to evaluate the work of these photographers and offer them guidance were New York gallerists Peter Mc Gill, Yossi Milo and Steven Kasher, director of the Visa pour l’Image festival Jean-François Leroy, curators Sean Corcoran (Museum of the City of New York) and Danielle Jackson (Bronx Documentary Center), the editors Jody Quon (New York Magazine) and Paul Moakley (Time Magazine), and photo director Kathy Ryan (New York Times Magazine). These are just a few of the prestigious names who offered to spend two days poring over portfolios from photographers who traveled a few blocks or hundreds of miles for the occasion.
James Estrin and his team selected 174 portfolios among 2700 submissions from amateur and professional photographers. All kinds of photography were represented, from reportage, documentary, portraits and fashion photos to more conceptual approaches, with plenty of nice surprises. Who knows how many of these first meetings will lead to a second? To offer a glimpse of these discoveries, Le Journal is publishing a selection of the portfolios picked by the critics. Enjoy!
Jonas Cuénin
