Women Photograph held their sixth annual workshop online September 12 – 15, which was open to women and nonbinary photographers. The event included artist talks, sessions on safety, a technical day about workflow, and a session on funding sources for photo projects.
I participated in a program called Agencies & Collectives along with agent Kristina Hicks of Illuminated Media International and photographer Karla Gachet of the Ayun photo collective, where over 150 photographers from around the world were in attendance via Zoom. Each speaker discussed their individual experiences supporting photographers in their growth, and I provided an overview of Wonderful Machine — explaining our network of photographers, and our consulting and production services. I talked about my role as a Creative Coach, Photo Editor, and Marketing Specialist, and how I help photographers with their brand refinement, portfolio development, and client outreach.
The main theme that ran through the entire hour, first mentioned by Kristina Hicks, was that photographers can’t do it alone. Finding support and forming partnerships — whether through agent representation, joining a photo collective, working with a consultant, or even a group of friends — can have a big impact on a young photographer’s career. There was a great deal of interest in the chat of the idea of a photo collective in particular. In fact, Ayun was formed as a result of a previous Women Photograph workshop. After each of us spoke, there was a Q&A moderated by Daniella Zalcman.
Women Photograph is a non-profit that launched in 2017 to elevate the voices of women and nonbinary visual journalists. The private database includes more than 1600 independent documentary photographers based in over 100 countries and is available to any commissioning editor or organization. Women Photograph also operates an annual series of project grants, a year-long mentorship program, an annual skills-building workshop, and collects data on hiring and publishing statistics in the visual media industry.
Our mission is to shift the makeup of the photojournalism community and ensure that our industry’s chief storytellers are as diverse as the communities they hope to represent. We believe that inclusion and equity work must be fully intersectional, and are committed to supporting and highlighting photographers across the spectrum of all identities. We are particularly committed to centering the voices of women and nonbinary photographers of color, and pledge that more than half of our funding and opportunities will go to BIPOC photographers.
— Women Photograph
To learn more about Women Photograph, visit their website.