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I wanted to share a new website portfolio edit I just wrapped up with Matt Rainwaters. This was a really fun project because Matt was looking to weave together bodies of work with different styles and themes. He wanted a free-flowing edit and I think we landed on something pretty beautiful.
It’s a bit stream of consciousness. You get to meander through bodies of work, interspersed with textures and unrelated moments. I’m very happy with it and hope you’ll check it out here.
I'm so excited to be teaching this editorial workshop, along with the amazing Leslie Baldwin!
This is an updated version of a popular workshop I taught in Dallas, and will be a great experience for any photographer (aspiring or professional) who is looking to deepen their approach to destination and travel storytelling.
You’ll shoot and edit for two days in a welcoming, constructive group environment. We'll be taking full advantage of many of the wonderful things Austin has to offer, with a shot list comprised of restaurants, shops, and activities around town.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN --> http://www.ilovetexasphoto.com/shop/editorial-workshop/
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You will leave this class with:
✅ First-hand knowledge of what an editorial photo editor is looking for in feature story photography
✅ Strategies for handling a feature story assignment, from logistics to building a rapport with subjects
✅ A concise edit of new images that you can add to your own portfolio, build a promo out of or share on your social media accounts
✅ Real-world examples of marketing efforts that get the attention of magazine editors and art buyers
✅ An annual marketing checklist, with suggestions for when to do social, email and print promotions
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Class size is limited to 12 to ensure maximum awesomeness and opportunities for high fives!
Originally published September 2016. Updated June 2020.
As discussions around representation, diversity, and equality in media become more frequent, new resources are available to help creatives find, hire and publish photography by marginalized communities of artists and storytellers.
This list features organizations dedicated to increasing the presence of underrepresented groups in the media. Please contact me if you have corrections or suggestions for additional links.
Authority Collective
"The Authority Collective is a group of womxn, femmes, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people of color reclaiming their authority in the photography, film and VR/AR industries.”
Diversify Photo
Another fantastic database of artists around the world. “Diversify was born out of a recognition that calling for more diversity in the photo industry is not enough. To diversify photo, we need to equip Art Buyers, Creative Directors, and Photo Directors with resources to discover photographers of color available for assignments and commissions.”
Firecracker
Firecracker was established in 2011 by Fiona Rogers to promote women working in photography, through a variety of online features, networking opportunities and public events. Now in its 10th year, Firecracker continues to champion the work of female, female identifying and non binary photographers internationally through its online platform, annual grant, social media channels and event program. Rogers was previously Chief Operating Officer of Magnum Photos.
Hire Black Female Creatives
A list of Black female photographers, graphic designers, art directors, hair/makeup, and other creatives available for projects.
Women Photograph
Excellent resource for finding female-identifying and non-binary photographers around the world. Founded by Daniella Zalcman.
African Photojournalism Database
African Photojournalism Database is a directory of emerging and professional African news photographers, photojournalists and documentary photographers reporting on cultural, economic, environmental, political and social issues on the continent, as well as sports, nature, and stories of everyday life. There are over 400 photographers currently listed on the database, including over 180 professional photographers.
GirlGaze
"Girlgaze, initially created as an Instagram hashtag highlighting the female perspective, is an online jobs marketplace and creative agency that connects companies and brands with a global community of diverse and inclusive female-identifying creatives to generate award winning content.”
Women in Photography
Women in Photography is a platform for any female Photographer or photo interest. The aim is to give female artists a platform to show their work, inspire and encourage on their journey as a photographer.
Rueda Photos
A collective focusing on “themes with social context, referring to the territory, the gender issues and the current affairs that are specific to it”.
F Collective
"An initiative that asks brands + their agencies to pledge to present a female photographer option on each job, with a goal of increasing gender diversity in advertising photography.”
Free the Bid
FREE THE BID is a 501c3 non-profit initiative advocating on behalf of women directors for equal opportunities to bid on commercial jobs in the global advertising industry.
We, Women
"Through a radical transformation of image-making—with the goal of contributing to lasting change—We, Women believes we can revolutionize how we see our world and ultimately, ourselves.” Offers grants and other opportunities.
Natives Photograph
"Natives Photograph is a space to elevate the work of Indigenous visual journalists and bring balance to the way we tell stories about Indigenous people and spaces. Our mission is to support the media industry in hiring more Indigenous photographers to tell the stories of their communities and to reflect on how we tell these stories. “
Native
"We connect emerging journalists, documentary makers and visual storytellers from underrepresented regions and communities with major publications and introduce them to a global audience."
Majority World
Massive list of photographers from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Hard to search by destination, suggest contacting with specific needs. “We specialise in sourcing high quality images from these diverse continents, which provide unique insights into local cultures, environments and development issues.”
The Luupe
"A community of women photographers creating custom content for leading brands. We believe authenticity in advertising shouldn’t be hard to achieve. So we’re making it easier and more affordable to get a steady stream of stunning, diverse content - created specifically for you.”
Women Who Draw
Illustration is not my main area of focus, but as a photo editor, I am sometimes asked to make illustrator recommendations. I love this database for the filtering capabilities (location, race, illustration style, etc).
CreateHER Stock
“A grassroots resource and digital space for stock imagery that can be used for lifestyle, business, and everyday content creation for bloggers, creatives, and online influencers.”
Nappy
“Beautiful photos of Black and Brown people, for free. For commercial and personal use.” Similar model to Unsplash, which I’m not really a fan of because I don’t believe you can make a living off exposure. But if you are using free sources like Unsplash, Nappy fills a void that is needed in the industry.
Gender Spectrum Collection
"The Gender Spectrum Collection is a stock photo library featuring images of trans and non-binary models that go beyond the clichés. This collection aims to help media better represent members of these communities as people not necessarily defined by their gender identities—people with careers, relationships, talents, passions, and home lives.”
TONL
“Culturally diverse stock photos that represent the true world we live in. Creating an inclusive culture takes both commitment and action. A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions for everyone.” Founded by Joshua Kissi.
Offset
Not specifically a stock archive showcasing the work of underrepresented communities, however, they do make an effort to feature more diverse and representational photography.
New Pandemics
Casting and management agency dedicated to increasing LGBTQ+ visibility.
For photographer Elijah Hurwitz, we worked together to edit two of his personal projects so that he could pitch them to various publications. They went on to be published in National Geographic and Vice.
The first story, for National Geographic, is a collection of broad visual reportage from the NK border in China focused on daily life and trade in the wake of UN sanctions and nuclear tensions. You can read more about that article here, and see Elijah’s album on the topic here.
The second story, published in Vice, is a deep dive into a surprising and passionate community of swimmers in unlikely waters: the river between North Korea and China. You can read more on the Vice website here, and see more from Elijah’s series here.
Recently, Eric Pohl and I worked together to create a promo of his work. Eric’s photography primarily focuses on Texas culture, food and places. He also covers travel, landscapes, scenic backroads and the nostalgic and historic side of small towns. His photography has been featured in publications like Austin Monthly, Texas Highways, Texas Parks & Wildlife, and The Local Palate.
More of Eric’s work can be seen here.
Last year, I completed a website update for Katie Hayes Luke, a photojournalist and multimedia producer out of Austin, Texas. Katie’s work focuses on social issues, interspersed with scenes of Americana, education, poverty, illness and military service.
You can see more of Katie’s work at www.katiehayesluke.com.
Last year I had the opportunity to work with John Michael Fulton. Together we created a brand new website that highlights his fashion, lifestyle and portrait photography.
JM works with editorial and commercial clients like 7 For All Mankind, Nylon Magazine, Mod Cloth, Rachel Zoe and many more.
I’m looking forward to following his work and seeing future projects. See more of his work at www.johnmichaelfulton.com.
I love seeing edits come to life on photographers’ websites. I recently wrapped up working with Ian Curcio, an amazing portrait photographer based in South Carolina. Ian’s work radiates joy, a dry sense of humor, and a real connection with the people he photographs.
Here are a few of my favorite photos. Check out the full galleries at www.iancurcio.com.
Last fall, I had the pleasure of being an on-site photo editor for the Texas Book Festival. The photography team, led by Bob Daemmrich, included Deborah Cannon, Laura Skelding and Marjorie Kamys Cotera.
Lots of great photography events including talks and book signings with Pete Souza, Kenny Braun, Wyatt McSpadden, Pete Beste, Jay B Sauceda, and Casey Dunn.
Highlights from the 2018 Texas Book Festival can be viewed here. Check out some of my favorite photos below!
I’m so happy to share the website I created with NYC-based lifestyle and portrait photographer Susie Mann (@susiemcreative). Susie brings a fabulous energy to her work, creating images where people exude confidence and joy.
Susie came to me looking to freshen up her portfolio and marketing.
Here’s what we did together:
✅ Talked about her goals, what inspires her, and what kind of work she enjoys doing the most.
✅ Updated her website with a totally new edit
✅ Fine-tuned her @aphotofolio website template (love the new look!)
✅ Marketed her website update with an email blast to relevant clients
These are a few of my favorite photos from her site. Check out the full galleries here.
I’m so happy to share the updated website I edited for Portland, Oregon based @nashcophoto. I love their tagline, “We make real people look cool”!
From celebrities and students to doctors and farmers, they capture people in an effortless way.
Their portraiture is beautifully complimented by their storytelling.
You can see more of NashCo’s work here.
This fall, I had the pleasure of working with the media team for one of my favorite events, the Texas Tribune Festival. Working this event is a fun whirlwind of scheduling, editing, captioning, funneling images to social media teams, and of course, breakfast tacos and coffee. Lots, and lots of coffee.
Austin is lucky to have some incredibly talented, hard-working photojournalists covering this event. The Tribune Festival photography team included Bob Daemmrich, Callie Richmond, Chris Carrasquillo, Erich Schlegel, Erika Rich, Marjorie Kamys Cotera, Rachel Zein, Rudolfo Gonzalez, Stephen Spillman, Steve Moakley, Thomas Meredith and fellow photo editor Leslie Baldwin.
Thanks to Tribune Creative Director Jacob Villanueva for putting together a rock-star team! If you are in need of solid event or editorial coverage, these photographers should be on your list!!
If you're in need of an editor to produce photo and video coverage, give me a shout!
You can see more photos from the event here, and read more about the Texas Tribune Festival here.
I’m excited to share a recent website update for lifestyle photographer and director Stephanie Rausser. Stephanie’s motion and still work has a focus on couples, children and families. She brings a bright and inviting quality to all of her work.
You can see more of Stephanie’s work at www.stephanierausser.com
I recently wrapped up working with Oakland-based architecture and lifestyle photographer Vivian Johnson. Interior photography is Vivian’s specialty, and she brings a warm, cozy vibe to every project. She’s also great at incorporating people (designers, families, artists, etc) in her shoots. Her freshly-updated website showcases this work along with her destination storytelling.
In order to share her work with designers, architects and interior goods companies, we created a beautifully-printed booklet, along with a coordinated email promo and graphics for sharing on social.
You can see more of Vivian’s work at www.vivianjohnson.com.
I recently had the pleasure of working with commercial lifestyle photographer Tosca Radigonda on her new website portfolio. The website, built on the PhotoFolio platform (photofolio.io) features a stunning collection of children's lifestyle work, as well as dreamy and ethereal travel imagery.
Tosca and I also worked together to create a gorgeous, 16-page print promotion which was sent to advertising and editorial creatives, along with a coordinated email promo.
You can see more of Tosca’s work at toscaradigonda.com
Being an on-site photo editor for large events is one of the best things about my job! Working with the photographers, PR folks, and social media team in a fast-paced environment is always an inspiring way to spend a work day.
ACL Fest is a special level of high energy, since your office is in the middle of the largest music festival in Texas!
Together with fellow editors Alyssa Coppelman and Molly Winters, we reviewed tens of thousands of photos, selecting, editing, and distributing images in as close to real time as possible.
We curated galleries of the best images from the weekend, highlighting marketing activations, crowd shots, aerials, and of course, EPIC stage shots of the bands performing.
The unsung heroes of the production were the runners, who literally ran -- to and from golf carts -- to shuttle cards from the photographers in the photo pit to the A/V trailer.
The photographers were Callie Richmond, Cambria Harkey, Greg Noire, Nick Simonite, and Reagan Hackleman.
Here are a few of my favorite images!
I worked with photographer Jason Elias to create a postcard promo book of his work to send out to potential clients. Jason is a California-based photographer and director who’s work focuses on portraits, travel and lifestyle. He regularly works with clients like Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, USA Network, Delta Airlines, and HBO.
More of Jason’s work can be seen here.
This 16-page booklet features SC-based Ian Curcio's portrait work for corporate and commercial clients.
I recently wrapped up some marketing work with LA-based Jason Elias. He chose to do a postcard flipbook with Paperchase, and we wanted the edit to take the viewer on a journey through his work. From the "hero" images to the more quiet moments, the piece captures the dynamic, fun and sometimes intense work that Jason does for clients like Discovery Channel, Showtime, and others.
Read the interview with Jason at http://aphotoeditor.com/2017/12/11/the-daily-promo-jason-elias/
“...the edit was done by a great editor based in Texas, Jasmine DeFoore – https://www.jasminedefoore.com/. I really like Jasmine’s take on things and she always helps me see my work with fresh eyes. Once she knew I was going to do the postcard book, she also had the great idea of having an animated GIF in flipbook form on the back. So I found a great animator in DC named Travis Pietsch to build me one – https://www.travispietsch.com/. I kind of had an idea and he helped craft it and make it. Once I had it on there I realized that as much as you try to stand out in some way, there is also something to just having fun and enjoying being creative for the sake of being creative, and that’s why I loved the flip book so much.”
Overwhelmed by all the conference choices at Photo Plus this year? Check out my top picks for editorial and commercial photographers looking to expand their businesses.
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