Application
Prospective new member portfolios are reviewed by Soho Photo Gallery members both in the gallery and online, typically on the first Saturday of every month, starting at 9:30 am.
Please upload your digital images and bring your portfolio to the gallery before 9:00 am. Submission details are below.
What We’re Looking For
A cohesive body of work – the photographs clearly belong together through theme, style, point-of-view, process, or concept. We’re not looking for your “greatest hits!”
A concise project statement, 3-4 sentences, roughly 45-75 words, which would help reviewers understand why these photographs belong together. This is a statement about the work presented, not your overall intention as a photographer.
Craft and presentation – we expect competent tonal-color control, focus and finish that make prints worthy of exhibition.
More information is available on our FAQ page. Please review our AI Policy.
How We Evaluate
Vision & Originality – Is there a distinct point-of-view? Does the project say something, or explore its subject with intent?
Cohesion & Editing – Do the images belong together? Is the sequence purposeful and tight (no fillers)?
Individual Image Contribution – Does each photograph demonstrate superior craft, clarity of vision that allows it to stand confidently on its own while contributing to the whole?
Technical Execution – Do craft choices support the work (exposure, color/tonality, focus, print quality, paper choice, consistency)?
Presentation Readiness – Could this hang next month with minor adjustments (scale, framing, practicality of installation)?
Whether or not you’re accepted as a member, applicants receive constructive feedback following the review to help refine and strengthen their portfolio.
What to Submit
1 – Print Portfolio
Bring a portfolio box of 10–15 prints that represent a single project.
- Number the back of each print to indicate your intended sequence.
- Include a hard copy of your artist statement
- Print one at final exhibition size if the project includes oversized work; the rest may be smaller. No work prints, please.
- Matting is optional. Do not frame!
Please label on the outside: “Attn: New Membership Application.”
Return at 12:00 pm for feedback and the decision. You may deliver on the day before the Saturday review during the gallery’s operating hours.
2 – Digital Portfolio
- JPEGs
- sRGB
- 1200px on the long side
- Naming convention: 01_LastName_Title.jpg; 02_LastName_Title.jpg, etc.
3 – Payment
A US$50.00 non-refundable fee holds your spot and is credited toward first-year dues if you’re accepted as a member of Soho Photo. We often have more portfolio review requests than we are able to review in a single month.
Contact Linda Hacker, Membership Chair, using the contact form on the Join page to let her know of your interest in applying.
She will let you know if there is still room in your preferred month and provide upload instructions for your digital images. Once you’re all set, click the button at the bottom of the page to pay your application fee.