Portfolio Review
The countdown to the 11th edition of Chobi Mela XI – International Festival of Photography has begun. Continuing its strong legacy, this year’s festival brings together compelling exhibitions, artist talks, and a dynamic education programme featuring internationally celebrated photography professionals.
As part of Chobi Mela XI’s ongoing commitment to education and professional development, photographers are invited to apply for the Portfolio Review Sessions—a unique opportunity to present your work directly to influential members of the photographic community, including photographers, editors, curators, and visual arts professionals.
These one-to-one portfolio reviews are designed to offer focused feedback, critical insight, and meaningful guidance, while also creating valuable networking opportunities that can support both artistic growth and professional development.
Reviewers
Gary Knight
Gary Knight is a photographer, founder of the Programme for Narrative & Documentary Practice at the Tufts University Institute for Global Leadership, and co-founder of the VII Photo agency as well as the GroundTruth Project. He divides his time between academia and long-term photography projects.
Prof. Dr. Karen Fromm
Prof. Dr. Karen Fromm is a researcher, and educator whose work focuses on photo theory, pictorial languages, and documentary practices. She is a Professor at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hanover, heads its International Class, and founded the interdisciplinary research platform IMAGE MATTERS, contributing extensively to critical discourse on photography, journalism, art, and activism.
Prof. Lars Bauernschmitt
Prof. Lars Bauernschmitt is a visual journalism expert and educator, currently a Professor at Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts and spokesperson for the Visual Journalism and Documentary Photography programme. He is the former managing director of the VISUM photo agency and co-author of the Handbook of Photojournalism.
Tanvi Mishra
Tanvi Mishra is a photo editor, curator, writer and educator. Her areas of interest include rights and representation in image-making, refusal as visual strategy and the notion of truth/fiction in photography.Her work across curating, writing and editing is premised at the intersection of politics, culture and social justice.
Donald Weber
Donald Weber is a documentary photographer, educator, and writer whose work explores power, authority, and the systems that shape contemporary geopolitics. He is an Associate Professor of Contemporary Photography at Aalto University, Finland, and co-founded the Master Photography & Society at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague.
Shadman Shahid
Shadman Shahid is a photographer and an educator. His photographic methodology walks the line between documentary and fiction. He is a Head MA Photography & Society at The Royal Academy of Art (KABK).
Lotte Sprengers
Lotte Sprengers Dutch photographer and co-head of the photography department at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK). Alongside her dedication to photography and her own practice as a photographer she has devoted several years to developing the department's curriculum.
Anshika Varma
Anshika Varma is a photographer and curator with an interest in personal, collective and mythical histories. Combining her curiosity to study cultural and social evolution with storytelling, her work often looks at the emotional connection between the individual and their environment.
Alan Hill
Dr Alan Hill is a photographer, educator, and researcher specialising in visual politics and photography education. He is a Senior Lecturer in Photography at the RMIT School of Art in Naarm/Melbourne.
Vincent Hasselbach
Vincent Hasselbach is Anthropologist and curator working on and around photography and archival practices. He is a PhD Candidate and Postgraduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Anthropology at UCL (University College London).
NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati
NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati is a co-founder of photo.circle and Nepal Picture Library, and is the co-founder and festival director of Photo Kathmandu, an international photography festival held biennially in Kathmandu. She works across platforms to weave together visual narratives with research, pedagogy, and collective action to create public discourse around themes such as patriarchy, power and justice.
Abdul Aziz Sohail
Abdul Aziz Sohail is a curator and writer whose work builds interdisciplinary connections between art, history, archives, literature, theory, and biography and supports new cultural and pedagogical infrastructures. He is currently a PhD Candidate in Curatorial Practice at Monash University.
Why Apply?
– Receive personalized feedback from leading professionals
– Gain industry insight and curatorial perspectives
– Build connections within the international photography community
– Exchange ideas and strengthen your visual practice
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should include 12–15 images, with a maximum size of 2000 pixels on the longer side. Your portfolio may consist of a single project or multiple bodies of work.
Whether you are an emerging or early-career photographer, the Portfolio Review Sessions offer an exceptional platform to reflect on your work, refine your vision, and engage in meaningful dialogue with industry leaders.
Format: One-to-one portfolio review
Duration: 25 minutes per participant
Submit your portfolio before January 8, 2026.
Apply now and be part of the Chobi Mela XI Education Programme.