Portfolio Review
Madrassa, Burma 2012/Geoffrey Hiller
Want a fresh eye on your work? Need to revitalize your web presence? Have a photo essay that is almost complete? I can help, having been a photo editor for 20 years with Black Star NYC, Sipa Press Paris, and Sierra Club Books, San Francisco. I regularly travel to conferences such as Photo Alliance to do in-person portfolio reviews. Whether you’re early on in your career or a working professional, we can all benefit from a new perspective on our work.
In addition, I’m a seasoned photographer who still shoots. In the past couple years I’ve been on the ground in Asia— Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Cambodia. Since 2008 I’ve also worked in these countries as a photography trainer, in colleges and adult education through the Fulbright Program and the State Department.
My portfolio reviews are personal, and like with my editing at Verve, I take my time. You email me some questions to focus on, or a bigger issue you are struggling with. I will take up to a week to examine your work, and we schedule a phone appointment. Our conversation lasts 40 minutes, twice as long as I spend as a reviewer at a workshop.
The cost of the service is $100 per review.
For more information email me at: hillerphoto<at>gmail.com
Tokyo, Japan 2007/Geoffrey Hiller
Verve Photo- The New Breed of Documentary Photographers 
Geoff and I did a portfolio review on Mar 21, 2010. He was very pleasant to talk with, insightful about what I was doing with my project, and extremely helpful with suggestions for gaining additional exposure. In particular, he told me about NPR’s The Picture Show. I immediately “pitched” my project to the Picture Show and it went live on Apr 12, 2010.
All in all, the time and money spent with Geoff was a terrific investment. Highly recommended.
I have spent my life in the media firstly as a journalist (and casual photojournalist) to a leading media advisor. After spending more than a 10 years away from taking photographs I have struggled to adjust in this digital era. Coming from ‘wet’ photography to digital photography (and all the software anomalies that come with it) the past 12 months has been a bum[y road. My session with Geoffrey has been invaluable. Through his experienced eye, Geoffrey immediately hit on where I am going wrong and ways to dramatically improve my processing workflow, which up unti now was ‘haphazard’ to say the best… Geoffrey has also challenged me to think more about the way I shoot. Immediately, after the session the ‘light’ came back on, everything he said made sense and for the first time I now have a clear idea about what I want to get out of my work and how to achieve it. Geoffrey’s advice is worth 10 times what he is charging. It was the best session with a ‘shrink’ I have ever had. I wholeheartedly recommend spending the time with Geoff it will give you a clear pathway to the future whether you are new to the game or a seasoned professional. I intend to re-visit him in 12 months time.
A photographer’s style and approach should develop, through reflection and discussion and critiques. In this process the support of a skilful guide with all the right experience is going to be valuable. Seeing what works and what doesn’t for an editor, and knowing why, is crucial. The process with Geoffrey, from formulating questions for him to choosing a portfolio, and the session itself, was challenging and has brought me to look creatively at a number of concerns.