Joanna kulesza

Joanna Kulesza’s new website is a big change from her previous one, and shows off her work in a more bold and graphic way.

Jeffery Salter

I had the pleasure of working with the always amazing Jeffery Salter on his latest website update.

We worked together years ago at Redux Pictures and it was such a joy to see what he’s been up to.

Check him out at jefferysalter.com

Documentary Photography Grants

Please note that grant availability and application criteria may change over time, so it's always a good idea to check the respective organizations' websites for the most up-to-date information.

  1. Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund: Supports independent documentary photographers who are covering critical issues around the world.
    https://www.magnumfoundation.org/emergency-fund

  2. Getty Images Grants for Editorial Photography: Provides financial support to photographers working on compelling social, political, and cultural stories.
    https://wherewestand.gettyimages.com/grants

  3. W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund: Awards annual grants to photographers working on humanistic documentary projects.
    https://smithfund.org/

  4. The Aftermath Project: Offers grants to photographers exploring the aftermath of conflict and promotes constructive storytelling.
    https://www.theaftermathproject.org/

  5. Women Photograph Grants: Aims to support the work of women, non-binary, and gender non-conforming photographers worldwide.
    https://www.womenphotograph.com/grants

  6. Alexia Foundation Grants: Supports photographers and visual journalists addressing social justice and humanitarian issues.
    https://www.alexiafoundation.org/

  7. Open Society Foundations Documentary Photography Project: Funds photographers documenting social issues and human rights.
    https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/documentary-photography-project

  8. Pulitzer Center Grants: Provides funding for journalism projects, including documentary photography, with a focus on underreported issues.
    https://pulitzercenter.org/grants

  9. International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF): Offers reporting grants for female and gender non-conforming journalists, including photographers.
    https://www.iwmf.org/programs/reporting-grants-for-women/

  10. CatchLight Fellowship: Supports visual storytelling that drives social change and amplifies underrepresented voices.
    https://www.catchlight.io/fellowship

  11. The Documentary Project Fund: Grants for photographers and filmmakers working on projects that shed light on social, political, and environmental issues.
    https://www.documentaryprojectfund.org/

  12. World Press Photo Foundation: Offers grants, fellowships, and other programs to support visual journalism and storytelling.
    https://www.worldpressphoto.org/activities/grants-programme

  13. The FENCE Grant: Provides financial support and exhibition opportunities for photographers participating in The FENCE, an outdoor photography exhibition.
    https://fence.photoville.com/

  14. The Ian Parry Scholarship: Aims to support young documentary photographers and offers mentorship, equipment, and cash prizes.
    https://www.ianparry.org/

Remember to visit each organization's website for specific details on application deadlines, eligibility criteria, and grant amounts.

Here are some grants specifically tailored for Indigenous photographers:

  1. Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) - National Native Media Awards: NAJA provides grants to Indigenous photographers and journalists for their work in covering Native American communities. Website: https://najanewsroom.com/programs/awards/

  2. IllumiNative - Native Storytelling Fellowship: Offers financial support to Native American and Alaska Native artists, including photographers, to create and share authentic narratives. Website: https://www.illuminatives.org/native-storytelling-fellowship

  3. Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) - Mentorship Program: ISO provides grants and mentorship opportunities for Indigenous photographers and filmmakers working on storytelling projects. Website: https://www.screenoffice.ca/

  4. N7 Fund - Nike: N7 Fund supports Native American and Aboriginal communities through grants for various artistic and sporting endeavors, including photography projects. Website: https://www.nike.com/n7

  5. First Peoples Fund - Cultural Capital Program: Offers grants to Indigenous artists, including photographers, to support the continuation and revitalization of traditional art forms. Website: https://www.firstpeoplesfund.org/grants/cultural-capital

  6. National Geographic Society - Indigenous Storytelling Grants: Provides grants to Indigenous storytellers, including photographers, to document and share stories from Indigenous communities worldwide. Website: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/funding-opportunities/grants/what-we-fund/indigenous-storytelling/

  7. The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation - Artist Fellowship: Offers fellowships to Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian artists, including photographers, to support their artistic development and projects. Website: https://www.nativeartsandcultures.org/grants-fellowships/artist-fellowship

  8. Ford Foundation - Indigenous Art and Culture Initiative: Supports Indigenous artists and cultural practitioners, including photographers, through grants that foster the revitalization and celebration of Indigenous cultures. Website: https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/indigenous-art-and-culture-initiative/

Seven Ways to be a LinkedIn Power User

(Originally published December 2019, updated January 2021)

I’m a big fan of LinkedIn.

Unlike contacts database subscriptions that you pay for, you can be reasonably assured that the information you see is correct. After all, it’s the individuals themselves who are updating the info, not a third party.

I also love that it’s a relatively politics-free social media space, where people unabashedly share their work achievements.

I’ve been posting on LinkedIn and leveraging it as a marketing tool for a few years, for both myself and individual photographers I work with, and have learned a lot along the way. Here are some of my top tips for getting the most out of it.

  1. Take advantage of the new “Featured” feature.
    After years of begging, LinkedIn has answered! You can now highlight work, with large thumbnails. Feature images, recent posts, web links, and more.

  2. Beef up your profile by adding images and videos.
    We’re visual people, working in a visual industry. Your LinkedIn profile should reflect that. You can add portfolio pieces to a specific experience block by clicking the edit icon, then uploading images or PDFs. To add websites or videos, click “link” and insert the URL you want to point to.

    You can also upload a banner photo to your profile page. Ideal dimensions are 1584x396.

  3. Create long-form articles.
    LinkedIn’s built in publishing tool allows you post articles with larger photos and videos than you can in the experience blocks. You can create behind the scenes posts with photos from a recent shoot, a recap of a recent trip you took, a year-end wrap up of your favorite projects. Navigate to https://www.linkedin.com/post/new/ to get started.

    Once you have created articles, they will appear in your profile and add some nice visual interest to your page. That said, in my experience they have lower engagement than newsfeed posts. Which brings us to my next tip…

  4. Share interesting news and updates in your feed as quick posts.
    Navigate to https://www.linkedin.com/feed/, then create a post as you would on facebook or twitter. I often share industry news and trends, because I love keeping up with that stuff and sharing it with others. I also occasionally post my own recent work to my feed.

    Another benefit of posting to your feed is that it is another way to add visual interest to your profile page.

  5. Follow potential clients
    It can be weird and creepy to send a connection request to people you don’t know. Instead, I prefer to follow people (and companies). This way, interesting work they post automatically appears in your news feed, where you can like and comment. It’s a great way to stay up-to-date on what people are working on. When it comes time to approach them to show your work or pitch an idea, you’ll be in a much more knowledgeable position.

    To follow a company, do a search for them and then click follow. To follow a person, navigate to their profile page, click “more”, and then “follow”.

  6. Research potential leads
    Sometimes, you know what brands, firms, or publications you want to work with, but aren’t sure who the right people to follow are. I use LinkedIn’s powerful search tool to help with this.

    Say you want to show your portfolio to Amazing Local Ad Agency, Inc, but you don’t know who would be the best fit. Head to the keyword search box at the top of the page and enter the company name. This will bring up their main page (where you can follow them, see #4).

    - Click on “See all 300 employees on LinkedIn”
    - Filter those results by location, if relevant
    - Add a relevant keyword in the “Title” box, such as photo, art, creative, marketing, or producer.

    This will bring up a refined list of people who may be a good fit for you, and from there, you can follow them or send them a promo in the mail. Again, I would NOT suggest sending a connection request at this point unless you have had some previous interaction.

  7. Don’t be shy about asking colleagues and clients for recommendations
    It can feel a little awkward asking someone to write a glowing recommendation for you, but they are powerful ways of showing the world that you are great at what you do. When you complete a project, make sure you are connected to those involved in the production on LinkedIn, and ask those you worked most closely with to share a short recommendation. These will appear on your profile page.

A note about Premium LinkedIn accounts and InMail

If you are considering upgrading your account to premium, there are some benefits that I like, such as being able to see who is viewing your profile, and how many searches your profile appeared in. Also, if you are doing a lot of market research and searching for specific job titles or people, eventually, LinkedIn will force you to upgrade to premium before showing any more search results. If I have a lot of research I want to do, I’ll upgrade for a month and then downgrade when I’m done.

I’m not a huge fan of InMail because, just like unsolicited mail in your regular inbox, it can be annoying to be on the receiving end. I very judiciously use InMail if I have something specific, relevant, and timely to contact someone about and I feel very confident that my email will not be a nuisance.

Join me over on LinkedIn!

seven ways to be a linkedin power user

Use the Feature area to highlight recent work with oversized thumbnails

Examples of work can be added to an experience block. Images can be uploaded and links to videos can be embedded.

Long form articles and short posts appear in your profile under Articles & Activity.

 
To follow a contact (instead of sending them a connection request out of nowhere), navigate to the More… button on their profile page.

To follow a contact (instead of sending them a connection request out of nowhere), navigate to the More… button on their profile page.

To find potential leads, use the search tool and filter by location, job title, etc.

Dell Technologies, Fall 2020

Photo production and editing for the most recent issue of Dell’s magazine, Realize.

We produced these shoots in March, right the country started to lock down due to Covid-19. Seems like so long ago!

A Robot to Fix Us All
Photographer: Jeff Wilson
Location: University of Texas

Chief Digital Officer Jen Felch

Photographer: Bryan Kuntz
Shot on location at Dell Headquarters in Round Rock, Texas

Dell Issue 4-7.jpg

Photo Research and Licensing

Photo by Maggie Steber/VII/Redux

Photo by Maggie Steber/VII/Redux


Endangered Wildlife Trust

Endangered Wildlife Trust

DUSTIN CHAMBERS/The New York Times/Redux

DUSTIN CHAMBERS/The New York Times/Redux

Kate Benson

I recently had the pleasure of working with Kate Benson, a commercial photographer based in the Boston area. She also travels frequently to shoot in New York City, Miami, Dallas and Charleston. Her new site is full of sparkle (in the form of jewelry and dishware), bright and poppy product photography, and warm and inviting fashion work.

Kate’s work has been featured in magazines such as InStyle Magazine, Food & Wine, The New York Observer, BBC, Luxe Interiors, Allure, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and more.

Check out her website at katebenson.com

Audra Melton Website

I had the pleasure of working with Audra Melton on her new website, which just launched last week.

Audra is an Atlanta-based storyteller and portrait photographer who often focuses on social issues.

Some of her clients include AARP, Oxfam, The Atlantic, The Coca-Cola Company, The New York Times, UPS, and The Washington Post.

For her website, we used PhotoFolio, and organized her work into a few main theme-based galleries, as well as featuring individual commissioned editorial, corporate, and commercial projects.

I love the new look. Please take a look at audramelton.com.

Photo Therapy Worksheet

This worksheet is to help you reflect on your photography business, including its strengths, weaknesses, and goals.

I use this worksheet with every new photographer I collaborate with as a way of identifying target markets, dream clients, and gaps in the work. This is especially helpful before embarking on a website update, print portfolio, or any marketing efforts.

I find it helpful to update this information on a yearly basis. It's good to reassess things, as well as to have an archive of goals. It's interesting to look back years later and see how your goals have changed.

If you have any questions, or are interested in 1-on-1 coaching help, please contact me!

Dell Technologies, Winter 2019

New work for Dell Technologies’ magazine, “Realize”. The theme of the issue was optimism, which is something I need a daily dose of. Sometimes when you look at the headlines and all the terrible things happening around the world, it’s hard to remember that there are really smart, creative people solving big problems.

A few highlights:

For a story on how emerging technologies are helping solve the planet’s plastic problem, we chose this intense image of people rowing through a river of plastic by Dimitar Dilkoff of @AFP / @theblindkolcho. Lettering by @joelholland_studio

Tony Luong made a beautiful portrait of Dell’s Chief Responsibility Office, Christine Fraser, in Boston.

Photo by @_tonyluong
Lettering by @joelholland_studio
Art direction by @alison_wilkes

01_plastic.jpg
Environmental Portrait Production for Dell

Natasha Lee

I had the pleasure of collaborating with Santa Monica-based luxury travel, food, and hospitality photographer Natasha Lee.

Our main goal for her site was to create an overview page that showcased a mix of interiors, details, food, portraits, and destinations. I love how it came out!

Select clients of Natasha’s include Apple, Food & Wine Magazine, Airbnb, Ritz Carlton Magazine, Tahiti Tourism, Geico, and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, among others.

See her work at bynatasha.net.

Natasha Lee's new portfolio overview


Eric Pohl Portfolio

Central Texas-based food, hospitality, and lifestyle photographer Eric Pohl and I teamed up to create a new print portfolio. He chose Artifact Uprising’s layflat book for his high-end paper and cover materials. We opted for a mix of multiple images, double page spreads, and single images to showcase his narrative approach to brand and editorial storytelling.

EPohl-Portfolio-book-01.jpg

Eric Pohl Sotol Promo

Eric Pohl and I teamed up to create new marketing materials to kick off the fall season. He recently created a body of work for Desert Door, America’s only sotol distillery. I loved the work and thought it would make a great promo piece. This tri-fold card showcases a great mix of portraits, documentary images, cocktails, and details.

Eric is based in the Austin, Texas area and specializes in travel, hospitality, and food. See more of his work at epohl.com.