Chico Review, part 2 - What a Portfolio Review Taught Me About My Photography (That 10 Years Didn't)
Chico Review, part 2 - What a Portfolio Review Taught Me About My Photography (That 10 Years Didn't)  
Podcast: The MOOD Podcast
Published On: Fri Apr 10 2026
Description: Listen to part one hereWatch part one here________________________In Part 2 of this special Chico Review 2026 episode, Matt continues documenting his week inside one of photography's most respected portfolio review events. Featuring conversations with Odette England, Daniel Arnold, Tim Carpenter, Matthew Genitempo, Jesse Lenz, and Lindokuhle Sobekwa — plus fellow attendees pushing the edges of documentary, photobook, and fine art photography.Notable topics:What Jesse Lenz actually looks for as a publisher — and why finished work is a turn-offDaniel Arnold on 13 years protecting his creative spark and why he dreads making booksTim Carpenter's review philosophy: never say good picture or bad picture⁠Odette England on slow processing and what makes her eyes change during a reviewMatt Genitempo's approach to giving reviews and spotting talent⁠The broken economic models of editorial, photobooks, and commercial photography"Commercial documentary" as a survival strategy for photojournalistsHow feedback on "poetry vs narrative" shifted one attendee's entire practiceA photographer who enrolled in photojournalism school at 48 after surviving cancerGrief, bookmaking as chemistry lab, and dismantling perfectionism⁠Closing reflection on ego death, creative identity, and thinking about a project like musicWhy the shutter is only 10% of the work — and what happens afterPractical advice for future Chico attendees: go deep, not wideListen to part one hereListen to part one hereWatch part one here________________________Message me, leave a comment and join in the conversation!Support the showThank you for listening and for being a part of this incredible community. You can listen and watch full extended and ad-free episodes in my community - The MOOD Insiders - where I also share insights, photography tips and behind-the-scenes content on my channel as well as meet with the community on book club weekly events, special guest features, bonus content, open forum access, free resources and so much more. The MOOD Insiders Communityhttps://www.mattjacob.co/insidersLearn with mehttps://mattjacob.co/learnMy Newsletterhttps://www.mattjacob.co/archiveWebsite:https://themoodpodcast.comSocials:IG | X | TikTok | Threads | YouTube | @mattyj_ay