Every year in Perpignan, the portfolio readings are one of the most eagerly awaited events of the festival.
Emerging photographers, established authors, publishers, photo directors and curators come together to work on a photographic project.
These exchanges, often intense and sincere, can open doors, shake up certainties, or simply rekindle the desire to continue telling the world's story.Mais pour que la rencontre soit fructueuse, une chose est essentielle : la préparation.
Clarify your intention
Before sitting down with a professional, it's important to know what you're looking for.
Would you like an editorial opinion? A critical look at a current project? A publication opportunity?
Defining your intention will help you focus your presentation and choose the right contacts.
A successful reading is above all a coherent encounter between your approach and the reader's sensibility.
Choose accuracy over quantity
A portfolio is not a catalog, it's a visual narrative.
A short, strong series is better than a succession of breathless images.
Present 15 to 25 photographs at most: the most accurate, the most personal.
Pay attention to rhythm, coherence and emotion. Let the images breathe.
The reader should sense a progression, a tension, a story.
Form to serve content
Whether printed or digital, the portfolio must be a discreet showcase for the images.
Paper prints offer a closeness, a texture, a materiality that no screen can replace - but a fluid, readable PDF can be just as convincing.
Choose a sober format, quality paper, a calibrated screen.
Avoid artifice: graphics should not steal the light from photographs.
Get to know the people you're going to meet
A portfolio reading is not a blind interview.
Find out more about the professionals present: their publications, their preferred fields, their view of photography.
A press photo director will not expect the same thing as an exhibition curator.
Adapting your speech does not mean disguising yourself - it's a sign of respect, and of lucidity about the world you're addressing.
Finding the right words
Talking about your work is often as difficult as producing it.
Prepare a few clear sentences about your approach, your subject, your choices.
Don't try to "sell" your work: tell it with sincerity.
The right tone is that of dialogue - not speech.
Leave room for questions, silences, exchange.
Welcoming criticism as an opportunity
The feedback you receive may surprise you, and sometimes even offend you.
But it's invaluable. Every comment sheds light on a blind spot, every glance enriches your perception.
Don't try to convince at all costs: listen, take note, let things settle.
A portfolio reading is not an exam: it's a conversation about photography, with its doubts and truths.
Extending the encounter
After the reading, take the time to thank your interlocutors.
Send a message, share an update of your work a few months later.
The bonds forged in Perpignan, sometimes in just a few minutes, can become lasting ones.
This is also the spirit of Visa pour l'Image: a lively, curious, committed community, where every encounter counts.
In conclusion
Preparing a portfolio reading means learning to look at oneself with lucidity.
It's a demanding but essential exercise - a way of confronting one's gaze with that of the world.
At Visa pour l'Image, these exchanges are at the heart of the festival: rare moments when photography is shared, questioned and reinvented.
Be prepared, come open and curious.
Because sometimes, a single conversation can change a trajectory.