LEARN FROM THE
WORLD’S LEADING VOICES IN DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY
Meet the guest experts shaping the future of documentary photography. Gain insights from the editors, curators, and photographers who help our mentees reach international recognition, funding, and career-defining opportunities.
LEARN FROM THE
WORLD’S LEADING
VOICES IN DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY
Meet the guest experts shaping the future of documentary photography. Gain insights from the editors, curators, and photographers who help our mentees reach international recognition, funding, and career-defining opportunities.
Sarah Leen
Emeritus Director of Photography at National Geographic Magazine
Sarah Leen is a photographer, photo editor, and teacher whose career has profoundly shaped contemporary visual storytelling.
In 2013, she made history as the first female Director of Photography for National Geographic magazine, and in 2020, she founded the Visual Thinking Collective, a community supporting visual editors, teachers, and curators.
Her journey began in 1979 as a student at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where she became the first female student to win the College Photographer of the Year competition. That same year, she earned a National Geographic internship, where then–Director of Photography Robert Gilka entrusted her with her first magazine story, “Return to Uganda”, published in the July 1980 issue.
After her internship, Sarah honed her craft as a photojournalist at several newspapers, including the Topeka Capital-Journal, the Columbia Daily Tribune, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. These formative years equipped her with the professional foundation that would sustain her two decades as a freelance photographer, shooting for various publications but most notably National Geographic, where she completed 16 feature stories and five covers over twenty years.
In 2005, she transitioned from photographer to editor, joining National Geographic magazine as a Senior Photo Editor. Over the years, she collaborated with many acclaimed photographers, including Lynn Johnson, Erika Larsen, John Stanmeyer, Evgenia Arbugaeva, Lynsey Addario, David Guttenfelder, Abelardo Morell, Jonas Bendiksen, Joel Sartore, and Jim Richardson, among others.
In 2013, she was promoted to Director of Photography for National Geographic Partners, becoming a trailblazer for women in visual journalism. After leaving National Geographic in 2019, Sarah redirected her creative focus toward editing photography books and mentoring photographers, a passion she continues to pursue. Since then, she has worked on several notable projects with FotoEvidence and independent photographers.
In 2023, she edited “Ukraine: A War Crime” (FotoEvidence), a monumental book featuring the work of 93 photographers documenting the first year of the war in Ukraine. The project was shortlisted for the 2023 Arles Historical Book Award, received the International Photography Awards Book Photographer of the Year, and was nominated for the Lucie Awards for both Book Publisher of the Year and Photo Editor of the Year.
Teaching and mentoring remain central to Sarah’s mission. She teaches at the Missouri Photo Workshops, Maine Media Workshops, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Eddie Adams Workshop, and Syracuse University. In 2024, she will lead a workshop in Maine titled “Female Perspectives on Visual Storytelling.”
Sarah also serves on the Board of the International League of Conservation Photographers, the Advisory Council of the Eddie Adams Workshop, and is a member of The Photo Society. Her curatorial work includes exhibitions at Photoville NYC, the Annenberg Space for Photography (LA), LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph, and National Geographic.
She lives in East Boothbay, Maine, with her husband Bill Marr on six acres of forest, alongside their cats Zuzu and Buzzer, the self-proclaimed troublemaker.
Sarah Leen
Emeritus Director of Photography at National Geographic Magazine
Sarah Leen is a photographer, photo editor, and teacher whose career has profoundly shaped contemporary visual storytelling.
In 2013, she made history as the first female Director of Photography for National Geographic magazine, and in 2020, she founded the Visual Thinking Collective, a community supporting visual editors, teachers, and curators.
Her journey began in 1979 as a student at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where she became the first female student to win the College Photographer of the Year competition. That same year, she earned a National Geographic internship, where then–Director of Photography Robert Gilka entrusted her with her first magazine story, “Return to Uganda”, published in the July 1980 issue.
After her internship, Sarah honed her craft as a photojournalist at several newspapers, including the Topeka Capital-Journal, the Columbia Daily Tribune, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. These formative years equipped her with the professional foundation that would sustain her two decades as a freelance photographer, shooting for various publications but most notably National Geographic, where she completed 16 feature stories and five covers over twenty years.
In 2005, she transitioned from photographer to editor, joining National Geographic magazine as a Senior Photo Editor. Over the years, she collaborated with many acclaimed photographers, including Lynn Johnson, Erika Larsen, John Stanmeyer, Evgenia Arbugaeva, Lynsey Addario, David Guttenfelder, Abelardo Morell, Jonas Bendiksen, Joel Sartore, and Jim Richardson, among others.
In 2013, she was promoted to Director of Photography for National Geographic Partners, becoming a trailblazer for women in visual journalism. After leaving National Geographic in 2019, Sarah redirected her creative focus toward editing photography books and mentoring photographers, a passion she continues to pursue. Since then, she has worked on several notable projects with FotoEvidence and independent photographers.
In 2023, she edited “Ukraine: A War Crime” (FotoEvidence), a monumental book featuring the work of 93 photographers documenting the first year of the war in Ukraine. The project was shortlisted for the 2023 Arles Historical Book Award, received the International Photography Awards Book Photographer of the Year, and was nominated for the Lucie Awards for both Book Publisher of the Year and Photo Editor of the Year.
Teaching and mentoring remain central to Sarah’s mission. She teaches at the Missouri Photo Workshops, Maine Media Workshops, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Eddie Adams Workshop, and Syracuse University. In 2024, she will lead a workshop in Maine titled “Female Perspectives on Visual Storytelling.”
Sarah also serves on the Board of the International League of Conservation Photographers, the Advisory Council of the Eddie Adams Workshop, and is a member of The Photo Society. Her curatorial work includes exhibitions at Photoville NYC, the Annenberg Space for Photography (LA), LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph, and National Geographic.
She lives in East Boothbay, Maine, with her husband Bill Marr on six acres of forest, alongside their cats Zuzu and Buzzer, the self-proclaimed troublemaker.
Cristina de Middel
Documentary Photographer | Magnum Photos
Cristina De Middel was born in Spain in 1975, and is now based between Mexico and Brazil. She joined Magnum Photos in 2017 and became an associate member in 2019. In 2022, she became a full member of the agency and was voted in to replace Olivia Arthur as the new Magnum president.
De Middel investigates photography’s ambiguous relationship to truth. Blending documentary and conceptual photographic practices, she plays with reconstructions and archetypes to build a more layered understanding of the subjects she approaches.
Cristina de Middel
Documentary Photographer | Magnum Photos
Cristina De Middel was born in Spain in 1975, and is now based between Mexico and Brazil. She joined Magnum Photos in 2017 and became an associate member in 2019. In 2022, she became a full member of the agency and was voted in to replace Olivia Arthur as the new Magnum president.
De Middel investigates photography’s ambiguous relationship to truth. Blending documentary and conceptual photographic practices, she plays with reconstructions and archetypes to build a more layered understanding of the subjects she approaches.
De Middel’s impulse toward an unconventional angle developed after a 10-year career as a photojournalist. She moved away from straight documentary and produced the acclaimed series, The Afronauts (2012). This explored the history of a failed space program in Zambia in the 1960s through staged re-enactments of obscure narratives, challenging the traditional depiction of the African continent.
De Middel’s project Gentlemen’s Club, which began in Rio de Janeiro in 2015 and expanded to every continent around the globe, bar Australasia, focuses on prostitution’s less documented side: the male clients. Her intimate portraits subvert the paradigms of the status quo to provide new sources of insight and understanding. Released in 2024, Journey to the Center investigates phenomena related to the migration route through Mexico, with an atmosphere and symbolism inspired by Jules Verne’s famous novel “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” As well as her acclaimed personal projects, De Middel has worked on commission for clients including the Nobel Peace Foundation, Christian Dior, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and FC Barcelona.
De Middel’s impulse toward an unconventional angle developed after a 10-year career as a photojournalist. She moved away from straight documentary and produced the acclaimed series, The Afronauts (2012). This explored the history of a failed space program in Zambia in the 1960s through staged re-enactments of obscure narratives, challenging the traditional depiction of the African continent.
De Middel’s project Gentlemen’s Club, which began in Rio de Janeiro in 2015 and expanded to every continent around the globe, bar Australasia, focuses on prostitution’s less documented side: the male clients. Her intimate portraits subvert the paradigms of the status quo to provide new sources of insight and understanding. Released in 2024, Journey to the Center investigates phenomena related to the migration route through Mexico, with an atmosphere and symbolism inspired by Jules Verne’s famous novel “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” As well as her acclaimed personal projects, De Middel has worked on commission for clients including the Nobel Peace Foundation, Christian Dior, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and FC Barcelona.
Robin Hammond
Photographer | Storyteller | NOOR
Robin Hammond is the winner of two World Press Photo prizes, the RF Kennedy Journalism Award, three Pictures of the Year International Awards, the W.Eugene Smith Award for Humanistic Photography, and the recipient of five Amnesty International awards for Human Rights journalism, Robin Hammond has dedicated his career to documenting human rights and development issues around the world through long term photographic projects.
Robin Hammond
Photographer | Storyteller | NOOR
Robin Hammond is the winner of two World Press Photo prizes, the RF Kennedy Journalism Award, three Pictures of the Year International Awards, the W.Eugene Smith Award for Humanistic Photography, and the recipient of five Amnesty International awards for Human Rights journalism, Robin Hammond has dedicated his career to documenting human rights and development issues around the world through long term photographic projects.
In 2015, Robin was named by Foreign Policy as one of the “100 Leading Global Thinkers”. Robin has published three books, two as the result of awards. First, after being awarded the Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Award, was his book on life in Zimbabwe under the rule of Robert Mugabe, ‘Your Wounds Will Be Named Silence.’ Secondly, his long-term project on mental health in Africa, ‘Condemned,’ which was published after winning the FotoEvidence book award for documenting social injustice. His third book, ‘My Lagos’, was published in September 2016.
Robin has made a wide variety of other photographic bodies from the impact of climate change on Pacific Island communities to rape used as a weapon of war in Congo and Bosnia, the poisoning of ecosystems by multi-nationals in developing countries, to cover stories for National Geographic on Gender and immigration to Europe.
In 2015, Robin was named by Foreign Policy as one of the “100 Leading Global Thinkers”. Robin has published three books, two as the result of awards. First, after being awarded the Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Award, was his book on life in Zimbabwe under the rule of Robert Mugabe, ‘Your Wounds Will Be Named Silence.’ Secondly, his long-term project on mental health in Africa, ‘Condemned,’ which was published after winning the FotoEvidence book award for documenting social injustice. His third book, ‘My Lagos’, was published in September 2016.
Robin has made a wide variety of other photographic bodies from the impact of climate change on Pacific Island communities to rape used as a weapon of war in Congo and Bosnia, the poisoning of ecosystems by multi-nationals in developing countries, to cover stories for National Geographic on Gender and immigration to Europe.
Magdalena Herrera
Director of Photography - GEO France
Magdalena Herrera was born in Havana, Cuba, into a family of artists. She left Cuba as a child and later pursued studies in Fine Arts and History of Art at the Sorbonne in Paris. Her career began as a graphic designer and art director, eventually leading her to work extensively in books, print, and magazines. She spent ten years as Art Director and Head of the Photo Department at National Geographic France before joining GEO France as Director of Photography.
In addition to her editorial work, Magdalena has been deeply involved in education and mentorship, running workshops and seminars around the world organized by the World Press Photo Foundation. She also serves as a tutor in photography at the Noorderlicht Masterclass in Groningen (Netherlands), Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi (India), and for the Soros Foundation in Haiti, and has taught photojournalism at the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris.
Recognized for her sharp visual sensibility and extensive experience, Magdalena is regularly invited to serve on juries for international photography competitions. In 2018, she notably served as Chair of the World Press Photo Contest.
Magdalena Herrera
Director of Photography - GEO France
Magdalena Herrera was born in Havana, Cuba, into a family of artists. She left Cuba as a child and later pursued studies in Fine Arts and History of Art at the Sorbonne in Paris. Her career began as a graphic designer and art director, eventually leading her to work extensively in books, print, and magazines. She spent ten years as Art Director and Head of the Photo Department at National Geographic France before joining GEO France as Director of Photography.
In addition to her editorial work, Magdalena has been deeply involved in education and mentorship, running workshops and seminars around the world organized by the World Press Photo Foundation. She also serves as a tutor in photography at the Noorderlicht Masterclass in Groningen (Netherlands), Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi (India), and for the Soros Foundation in Haiti, and has taught photojournalism at the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris.
Recognized for her sharp visual sensibility and extensive experience, Magdalena is regularly invited to serve on juries for international photography competitions. In 2018, she notably served as Chair of the World Press Photo Contest.
John Stanmeyer
Award-winning Photographer, Filmmaker
John Stanmeyer is a founder member of the VII photo agency. Over the last decade, he has worked nearly exclusively with National Geographic, producing more than 12 stories for the magazine. John was a contract photographer for Time magazine, during which time he photographed the war in Afghanistan, the fight for independence in East Timor, the fall of Suharto in Indonesia, and other significant world news events. His years with Time resulted in 18 covers of the magazine.
Stanmeyer has been the recipient of numerous honors, including the prestigious Robert Capa award (Overseas Press Club), Magazine Photographer of the Year (POYi), and numerous World Press, Picture of the Year and NPPA awards. In 2008, his National Geographic cover story on global malaria received a National Magazine Award, and in 2012 he was nominated for an Emmy with the VII documentary film series, 'Starved for Attention'.
John Stanmeyer
Award-winning Photographer, Filmmaker
John Stanmeyer is a founder member of the VII photo agency. Over the last decade, he has worked nearly exclusively with National Geographic, producing more than 12 stories for the magazine. John was a contract photographer for Time magazine, during which time he photographed the war in Afghanistan, the fight for independence in East Timor, the fall of Suharto in Indonesia, and other significant world news events. His years with Time resulted in 18 covers of the magazine.
Stanmeyer has been the recipient of numerous honors, including the prestigious Robert Capa award (Overseas Press Club), Magazine Photographer of the Year (POYi), and numerous World Press, Picture of the Year and NPPA awards. In 2008, his National Geographic cover story on global malaria received a National Magazine Award, and in 2012 he was nominated for an Emmy with the VII documentary film series, 'Starved for Attention'.
Newsha Tavakolian
Magnum Photos Member & Photographer
Newsha Tavakolian, a Magnum Photos member born in 1981 in Tehran, is an Iranian photographer, visual artist, and educator known for her work that captures the human condition. Tavakolian began her career in photography at a young age, eventually becoming a prominent figure in the field.
Her photography is characterized by its evocative storytelling and her keen eye for capturing the delicate emotions that shape us as humans.
Newsha Tavakolian
Magnum Photos Member & Photographer
Newsha Tavakolian, a Magnum Photos member born in 1981 in Tehran, is an Iranian photographer, visual artist, and educator known for her work that captures the human condition. Tavakolian began her career in photography at a young age, eventually becoming a prominent figure in the field.
Her photography is characterized by its evocative storytelling and her keen eye for capturing the delicate emotions that shape us as humans.
She has covered a wide range of topics, from the challenges faced by women in Iran and worldwide to the aftermath of tensions in conflict zones. Her work often combines artistry with documentary, blurring the lines between reality and the imagined. She has received numerous awards, such as the Carmignac Gestion Award and the Prince Claus Award (principal laureate). Her photographs have been featured in prestigious exhibitions worldwide.
Amongst others, Tavakolian’s work has found its place in the private collections of international institutions, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the British Museum, Sackler Gallery and the Boston Museum of Fine Art. In 2019, she made her first short film “For the Sake of Calmness.” She is now preparing for the production of her first feature film in Iran and Romania.
She has covered a wide range of topics, from the challenges faced by women in Iran and worldwide to the aftermath of tensions in conflict zones. Her work often combines artistry with documentary, blurring the lines between reality and the imagined. She has received numerous awards, such as the Carmignac Gestion Award and the Prince Claus Award (principal laureate). Her photographs have been featured in prestigious exhibitions worldwide.
Amongst others, Tavakolian’s work has found its place in the private collections of international institutions, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the British Museum, Sackler Gallery and the Boston Museum of Fine Art. In 2019, she made her first short film “For the Sake of Calmness.” She is now preparing for the production of her first feature film in Iran and Romania.
Jim Estrin
New York Times
Jim Estrin is a staff photographer at The New York Times, covering a wide range of topics with a particular focus on religion, health care, disability, and race. In recent years, his work has included visually driven stories on classical music, as well as long-form projects exploring subjects such as religion in New York City, the legacy of a family of Black farmers in Alabama, and the experience of listening to classical music outdoors during the summer.
He was a founder and editor of Lens, The Times’ acclaimed photography blog, and an originator of the New York Portfolio Review, a free annual event where photographers and editors exchange feedback and insights.
Jim Estrin
New York Times
Jim Estrin is a staff photographer at The New York Times, covering a wide range of topics with a particular focus on religion, health care, disability, and race. In recent years, his work has included visually driven stories on classical music, as well as long-form projects exploring subjects such as religion in New York City, the legacy of a family of Black farmers in Alabama, and the experience of listening to classical music outdoors during the summer.
He was a founder and editor of Lens, The Times’ acclaimed photography blog, and an originator of the New York Portfolio Review, a free annual event where photographers and editors exchange feedback and insights.
He has guided and supported numerous young photojournalists from diverse backgrounds throughout his career. His contributions to journalism include being part of the New York Times team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001.
He also served as co-executive producer of the HBO documentary Underfire: The Untold Story of Pfc. Tony Vaccaro (2016).
In addition to his work at The Times, he is an adjunct professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York.
He studied at Hampshire College and the graduate program at the International Center of Photography.
Guided by a strong sense of journalistic integrity, he is dedicated to accuracy, fairness, and empathy in his reporting.
He strives to recognize shared humanity in every story, upholds The Times’ Ethical Journalism Handbook, protects his sources, and refuses any gifts or favors that could compromise his independence.
He has guided and supported numerous young photojournalists from diverse backgrounds throughout his career. His contributions to journalism include being part of the New York Times team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001.
He also served as co-executive producer of the HBO documentary Underfire: The Untold Story of Pfc. Tony Vaccaro (2016).
In addition to his work at The Times, he is an adjunct professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York.
He studied at Hampshire College and the graduate program at the International Center of Photography.
Guided by a strong sense of journalistic integrity, he is dedicated to accuracy, fairness, and empathy in his reporting.
He strives to recognize shared humanity in every story, upholds The Times’ Ethical Journalism Handbook, protects his sources, and refuses any gifts or favors that could compromise his independence.
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Rena Effendi
Award-winning Documentary Photographer
Rena Effendi is an award-winning documentary photographer whose work is known for its deep empathy and quiet celebration of the human spirit.
Her early projects explored the social and environmental impact of the oil industry on people’s lives. This led her to follow a 1,700-kilometer oil pipeline through Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, documenting the communities along its path. The result was her acclaimed first monograph, Pipe Dreams: A Chronicle of Lives along the Pipeline (2009).
In 2013, Effendi published her second monograph, Liquid Land, pairing her own photographs with images of perished butterflies collected by her father, a Soviet entomologist who catalogued more than 30,000 specimens across the former USSR. The book reflects on themes of fragility, environmental decay, and the transformation of her native city, Baku.
Effendi has received numerous international honors, including the Prince Claus Fund Award for Culture and Development, World Press Photo Award (2014), Sony World Photography Award, Getty Images Editorial Grant, Alexia Foundation Professional Grant (2018), and the Overseas Press Club of America Award (2020). She was also shortlisted twice for the prestigious Prix Pictet Award in Photography and Sustainability (2012 and 2019).
Her photography has been exhibited in major institutions worldwide, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Saatchi Gallery, Istanbul Modern, Venice Biennial, Miami Art Basel, and New York’s MoMA.
Rena Effendi
Award-winning Documentary Photographer
Rena Effendi is an award-winning documentary photographer whose work is known for its deep empathy and quiet celebration of the human spirit.
Her early projects explored the social and environmental impact of the oil industry on people’s lives. This led her to follow a 1,700-kilometer oil pipeline through Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, documenting the communities along its path. The result was her acclaimed first monograph, Pipe Dreams: A Chronicle of Lives along the Pipeline (2009).
In 2013, Effendi published her second monograph, Liquid Land, pairing her own photographs with images of perished butterflies collected by her father, a Soviet entomologist who catalogued more than 30,000 specimens across the former USSR. The book reflects on themes of fragility, environmental decay, and the transformation of her native city, Baku.
Effendi has received numerous international honors, including the Prince Claus Fund Award for Culture and Development, World Press Photo Award (2014), Sony World Photography Award, Getty Images Editorial Grant, Alexia Foundation Professional Grant (2018), and the Overseas Press Club of America Award (2020). She was also shortlisted twice for the prestigious Prix Pictet Award in Photography and Sustainability (2012 and 2019).
Her photography has been exhibited in major institutions worldwide, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Saatchi Gallery, Istanbul Modern, Venice Biennial, Miami Art Basel, and New York’s MoMA.
Her works are part of the permanent collections of the Istanbul Modern, Open Society Foundations, and the Prince Claus Fund. A contributor to National Geographic Magazine, Effendi has also completed editorial commissions for The New Yorker, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, Marie Claire, Newsweek, GEO, The Sunday Times, and many others. She is represented by National Geographic Creative and ILEX Gallery, and has twice spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where she is a member of its Cultural Leadership Network.
Her works are part of the permanent collections of the Istanbul Modern, Open Society Foundations, and the Prince Claus Fund. A contributor to National Geographic Magazine, Effendi has also completed editorial commissions for The New Yorker, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, Marie Claire, Newsweek, GEO, The Sunday Times, and many others. She is represented by National Geographic Creative and ILEX Gallery, and has twice spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where she is a member of its Cultural Leadership Network.
Mads Nissen
Photographer
Mads Nissen is a photographer based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
For Nissen, photography is all about empathy - creating understanding and intimacy while confronting contemporary social issues such as inequality, human rights violations, and our destructive relationship with nature.
Nissen graduated with distinction from The Danish School of Media and Journalism in 2007. After graduating he moved to Shanghai to document the human and social consequences of China’s historic economic rise. Since 2014, he has worked as a staff photographer at the Danish daily Politiken, a newspaper internationally praised for its strong commitment to visual journalism.
Mads Nissen
Photographer
Mads Nissen is a photographer based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
For Nissen, photography is all about empathy - creating understanding and intimacy while confronting contemporary social issues such as inequality, human rights violations, and our destructive relationship with nature.
Nissen graduated with distinction from The Danish School of Media and Journalism in 2007. After graduating he moved to Shanghai to document the human and social consequences of China’s historic economic rise. Since 2014, he has worked as a staff photographer at the Danish daily Politiken, a newspaper internationally praised for its strong commitment to visual journalism.
In addition to Politiken, his images have been published in Time, Newsweek, CNN, National Geographic, The Guardian, Le Figaro Magazine, Der Spiegel and many other publications. He frequently gives lectures and workshops and has solo-exhibitions across Europe and Latin America.
In both 2015 and 2021, Nissen’s photographs were selected as World Press Photo of the Year. In 2015, his photograph was of an intimate moment between a young gay couple from Russia, and in 2021, ‘The First Embrace,’ depicted an embrace between two women in a care home in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. His work has received more than 80 international awards and recognitions, including the Visa d’Or in 2022 and first prize as ‘The International Photographer of the Year’ at POY in 2023.
Nissen has published three photo books: The Fallen (People's Press), AMAZONAS (Gyldendal) and most recently in 2018 the award-winning We are Indestructible (GOST Books).He is represented by Panos Pictures, by Prospekt in Italy and Laif in Germany.
In addition to Politiken, his images have been published in Time, Newsweek, CNN, National Geographic, The Guardian, Le Figaro Magazine, Der Spiegel and many other publications. He frequently gives lectures and workshops and has solo-exhibitions across Europe and Latin America.
In both 2015 and 2021, Nissen’s photographs were selected as World Press Photo of the Year. In 2015, his photograph was of an intimate moment between a young gay couple from Russia, and in 2021, ‘The First Embrace,’ depicted an embrace between two women in a care home in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. His work has received more than 80 international awards and recognitions, including the Visa d’Or in 2022 and first prize as ‘The International Photographer of the Year’ at POY in 2023.
Nissen has published three photo books: The Fallen (People's Press), AMAZONAS (Gyldendal) and most recently in 2018 the award-winning We are Indestructible (GOST Books).He is represented by Panos Pictures, by Prospekt in Italy and Laif in Germany.
Erika Larsen
National Geographic Society Fellow
Photographer
Erika Larsen is a photographer and multidisciplinary storyteller whose work explores cultures that maintain deep connections with nature. Her essays and visual stories often examine the relationship between humans, animals, and the environment, highlighting ancestral and contemporary ways of life.
Larsen has photographed multiple stories for National Geographic magazine, including features that follow Sámi reindeer herders across the Scandinavian Arctic and explore the spiritual and cultural significance of the horse in Native American communities. She was also part of the team that produced National Geographic’s 2016 single-topic Yellowstone Issue, and contributed to the companion book Yellowstone: A Journey Through America’s Wild Heart, published by National Geographic Books.
Erika Larsen
National Geographic Society Fellow
Photographer
Erika Larsen is a photographer and multidisciplinary storyteller whose work explores cultures that maintain deep connections with nature. Her essays and visual stories often examine the relationship between humans, animals, and the environment, highlighting ancestral and contemporary ways of life.
Larsen has photographed multiple stories for National Geographic magazine, including features that follow Sámi reindeer herders across the Scandinavian Arctic and explore the spiritual and cultural significance of the horse in Native American communities. She was also part of the team that produced National Geographic’s 2016 single-topic Yellowstone Issue, and contributed to the companion book Yellowstone: A Journey Through America’s Wild Heart, published by National Geographic Books.
A Fulbright Fellow, Larsen studied the North Sámi language in northern Scandinavia, a project that led to her first monograph, Sámi, Walking With Reindeer (2013). Her ongoing work continues to document the interconnectedness between people, animals, and the land, particularly within Indigenous communities across the Americas. Currently, Larsen is a National Geographic Society Human Journey Fellow, exploring the landscapes of the Americas and the ways animals and natural resources shape human understanding of the environment.
Her photography has been exhibited in prestigious institutions including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery (Washington, D.C.), Fotografiska Museum (Sweden), Ajtte Sámi Museum, and the Reggio Calabria National Archaeological Museum (Italy), as well as at Visa pour l’Image in Perpignan, France.
Larsen’s images are represented by National Geographic Creative, and she is one of the featured photographers in Women of Vision: National Geographic Photographers on Assignment, an exhibition and book celebrating groundbreaking photojournalists and their work behind the lens.
A Fulbright Fellow, Larsen studied the North Sámi language in northern Scandinavia, a project that led to her first monograph, Sámi, Walking With Reindeer (2013). Her ongoing work continues to document the interconnectedness between people, animals, and the land, particularly within Indigenous communities across the Americas. Currently, Larsen is a National Geographic Society Human Journey Fellow, exploring the landscapes of the Americas and the ways animals and natural resources shape human understanding of the environment.
Her photography has been exhibited in prestigious institutions including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery (Washington, D.C.), Fotografiska Museum (Sweden), Ajtte Sámi Museum, and the Reggio Calabria National Archaeological Museum (Italy), as well as at Visa pour l’Image in Perpignan, France.
Larsen’s images are represented by National Geographic Creative, and she is one of the featured photographers in Women of Vision: National Geographic Photographers on Assignment, an exhibition and book celebrating groundbreaking photojournalists and their work behind the lens.
Yael Martinez
Photographer | MAGNUM
Yael Martínez (born 1984, Guerrero, Mexico) is a documentary photographer whose work examines the social fabric of fractured communities in his native country. Through a poetic and symbolic visual language, Martínez evokes the emptiness, absence, and pain experienced by families and individuals affected by organized crime and state violence.
Based in Taxco, Mexico, Martínez became a Nominee Member of Magnum Photos in 2020, an Associate Member in 2022, and a Full Member in 2024. He is also a member of Mexico’s National System of Art Creators.
His work has received numerous international honors, including the 2022 Wayfinder Award from the National Geographic Society, the W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography (2019), and the World Press Photo Award winning second prize in the Long-Term Projects category in 2019 and first place in the Open Format category for North and Central America in 2022.
He has also been a Fellow of the Photography and Social Justice Program at the Magnum Foundation, and a grantee of the foundation’s Emergency Fund and On Religion programs.
Martínez’s photography has been exhibited widely in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, in both solo and group shows. His work is held in several permanent collections, including those of the International Center of Photography (ICP), the Bronx Documentary Center, the Toledo/INBA Collection, and Fundación Televisa.
His projects have been published in leading international outlets such as National Geographic, TIME, Aperture, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Vogue Italia, Bloomberg News, and Vrij Nederland.
Yael Martinez
Photographer | MAGNUM
Yael Martínez (born 1984, Guerrero, Mexico) is a documentary photographer whose work examines the social fabric of fractured communities in his native country. Through a poetic and symbolic visual language, Martínez evokes the emptiness, absence, and pain experienced by families and individuals affected by organized crime and state violence.
Based in Taxco, Mexico, Martínez became a Nominee Member of Magnum Photos in 2020, an Associate Member in 2022, and a Full Member in 2024. He is also a member of Mexico’s National System of Art Creators.
Sanne De Wilde
Photographer | NOOR
She explores the medium of photography and effectuates this in regards to subjects related to the role genetics, identity and perception play in people's lives and how this shapes and affects communities and makes people vulnerable in the eye of society.
She has been internationally published (Guardian, New Yorker, National Geographic, Le Monde, CNN, Vogue) and exhibited (Voies OFF, Tribeca Film Festival, Circulations, Lagos Photo, Lodz Fotofestiwal, Cortona On the Move, IDFA, STAM and EYE).
Since 2013, she works with the Dutch newspaper and magazine De Volkskrant, in Amsterdam the Netherlands, and joined NOOR in 2017.
Michael Christopher Brown
Acclaimed Documentary Photographer and Filmmaker
Michael Christopher Brown is an artist, National Geographic photographer, author, and filmmaker who utilizes and challenges the documentary image to spotlight some of the world’s most pressing humanitarian issues.
Brown became known for pioneering smartphone reporting in war zones and his recent projects push the bounds of reportage illustration with AI-assisted reportage.
Michael Christopher Brown is an artist utilizing and challenging the documentary image to spotlight some of the world’s most pressing humanitarian issues. His work spans from the chaotic rise of eastern China to the frontlines of the Arab Spring, from the wars of Eastern Congo (DRC) to the conflict in Israel and the West Bank, from socioeconomic issues in Cuba to homelessness in Los Angeles.
Pulitzer Prize-winning Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha and Michael have released their book The Difference Between Bullets and Stones, which launched on Kickstarter in September 2025 to both fund the publication and to raise money for the efforts of aid organizations in the Gaza war.
A photographer at National Geographic Magazine since 2004, and a former associate at Magnum Photos, he has over two decades of experience across six continents and brings a cinematic, authentic approach to both photography and directing.
Dominique Hildebrand
Photo Editor at National Geographic
Dominique Hildebrand is a visual editor and storyteller currently serving as the Climate & Environment Photo Assignment Editor at The Washington Post. In this role, she commissions and curates visual narratives that illuminate the pressing environmental challenges of our time.
Prior to joining The Post, Dominique was a photo editor at National Geographic, where she led multiplatform projects, including the September 2022 cover feature on America's land conservation strategy. Her work also encompassed stories on natural disasters and extreme weather, such as a compelling photo-led piece on how certain bird species might help predict hurricane intensity. Dominique's commitment to excellence in visual storytelling has been recognized by her peers; in 2025, she was named a finalist for Visual Editor of the Year by POYi. She also served as a judge for the 78th College Photographer of the Year competition in 2023, contributing her expertise to the next generation of photojournalists.
Dominique is dedicated to fostering inclusive environments within the media industry. While at National Geographic, she co-chaired the organization's LGBTQIA+ employee resource group, advocating for a workplace where everyone can authentically express themselves.
A passionate educator and mentor, she frequently leads workshops and portfolio reviews, sharing her knowledge with both emerging and established photographers. She holds a master’s degree in multimedia, photography, and design from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA.
Andreas Trampe
Senior Photo Editor - Stern Magazine
Andreas Trampe is the Senior Picture Editor at Stern Magazine, based in Hamburg, Germany.
He began his career as a photo trainee before working as a freelance photojournalist for several German daily newspapers and magazines, including Bunte and Bild am Sonntag.
In 1996, Andreas joined Stern Magazine, where he was first appointed Deputy of the Picture Desk and later served as Director of Photography for nineteen years. Since February 2019, he has held his current position as Senior Picture Editor.
Beyond his editorial work, Andreas is deeply involved in supporting emerging photographers.
He is a co-founder of the Hamburg Portfolio Review and the Stern Young Photography program, which annually awards one graduating student a one-year staff photographer position at Stern.
He is also a member of the German Society for Photography (DGPh).
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Alixandra Fazzina
Photographer | NOOR
Alixandra Fazzina (UK/Ireland) focuses with her photography on under-reported conflicts and the often forgotten humanitarian consequences of war.
Alixandra has an uncanny ability to work in the most difficult social and geographical environments and is recognized for her compassionate and empathetic approach towards the human condition, always fully aware of the bigger picture.
Her photographs cut to the core but are never imposing. Distinctly quiet, yet descriptive. Alixandra worked over a period of two years to chronicle the exodus of migrants and refugees from Somalia to the Arabian Peninsula.
The resulting book “A Million Shillings: Escape from Somalia” was published by Trolley and was shortlisted for the Pictures of the Year International Best Photography Book of the Year Award.
Her long-term project The Flowers of Afghanistan, documents the stories of Afghan children seeking refuge in Europe. The photographic investigation looks into the causes and effects of the increasing number of Afghan minors making the hazardous overland journey to apply for asylum in EU member states.
Alixandra has worked as researcher and producer for broadcast media and is regular contributor for radio. She regularly teaches masterclasses and workshops around the world for organisations that have included World Press Photo, Reporters Without Borders and The Royal Photographic Society. She lectures in art, photography and media at photography and literature festivals and at on under and post graduate programmes at universities.
Guy Martin
Photographer | MAGNUM
Guy Martin has been a member of Panos Pictures since 2011. From January 2011 he began to document the revolutions sweeping through the Middle East and North Africa.
From 2012 he was been based inIstanbul Turkey, where he produced ‘The Parallel State’ his first book about the rise of Turkish soft power and the complex new identities in the Turkish Republic. The book was published in 2018 by GOST books and subsequently was listed as on of Time Magazine's best photo books of the year.
Guy's work is concerned with the way our digital lives have overlapped into the political violence of the physical world. He continues to work for the world's leading magazines while lecturing, teaching workshops and exhibiting his work worldwide.
His work has been recognised by Centre Santa Fe for the Project Launch Award, Sony World Photo Awards, BJP IPA award, ViewBook Transformations grant, St.Breiuc Festival Award, and The Observer David Hodge Award.In 2012 his work from the Arab revolutions was shown in Side Gallery, HOST Gallery Third Floor Gallery and The Polly. In 2017 The Parallel State had its first major installation at Les Rencontres de la photographie in Arles, France.
Guy is an associate lecturer at the University of Falmouth and on the on the advisory board of the Rory Peck Trust, an organisation that represents and champions the safety and working practices of freelance photographers and journalists working in war and conflict zones.
Adriana Teresa Letorney
Founder and CEO of VISURA
Adriana Teresa Letorney is the Founder & CEO of Visura.co, a market network for publishers to discover freelance visual storytellers worldwide, and freelancers to build their website, and network with the global marketplace of media and journalism.
She is also Co-founder at Scout Film Festival, a 501c3 non-profit organization that celebrates, connects, and empowers filmmakers worldwide aged 24 and under.
As a writer, she has contributed to numerous publications, including The New York Times, and Huffington Post. As a juror, nominator, and/or reviewer, she has served for the Alexia Grant at the University of Syracuse, World Press Photo, Prix Pictet, CPOY, The New York Portfolio Review (2011-present), Northern Course Short, New York Photo Awards, The Google Photography Prize, Photoville's 'The Fence', amongst many others.
Adriana has been a panelist and guest lecturer at numerous events and institutions, including the Fashion Institute of Technology, Missouri School of Journalism, The S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, Photo Plus Expo, The School of Visual Arts, and The New School in NY.
Numerous publications have highlighted her career, including The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, PDN, NY Daily News, The Daring Magazine, SevenDays, amongst others.
Adriana has a BA in Anthropology (2001) from the University of Puerto Rico, BFA in Photography (2007) from the School of Visual Arts NY, and a Master's in American Journalism from NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. The same year, she joined NYU's Entrepreneurship Institute, where she completed the LaunchPad, an award-winning immersive 9-week accelerator for scalable startups led by NYU students. During the NYU VC PitchFest, Visura was awarded "Most Investable Startup."
Santiago Lyon
Award-winning War Photographer
Santiago Lyon is the Head of Advocacy and Education for the Adobe-led Content Authenticity Initiative, where he works to combat misinformation through digital content provenance. He has over forty years of experience in photography as an award-winning photojournalist, photo editor, media executive, and educator.
Throughout his career, Lyon has covered some of the most significant global events of the late 20th century.
As a photographer for Reuters and later the Associated Press (AP), he documented major conflicts including the end of the civil war in El Salvador, the U.S. invasion of Panama, the first Gulf War, the Balkan wars in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo, the civil war in Somalia, and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, among other major international news and sports stories.
He joined the Associated Press in 1991 in Cairo after previously working for the Spanish news agency EFE, United Press International, and Reuters. From 1995 to 2003, he served as the AP Photo Editor for Spain and Portugal, before being named Director of Photography in 2003 following a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University. He held this leadership position at the AP until 2016, during which time the organization won three Pulitzer Prizes for photography and numerous other international photojournalism awards under his direction.
Lyon was also a Sulzberger Fellow at Columbia University in 2012, where he studied strategies to enhance the value of AP’s photographic output for emerging audiences. That same year, he chaired the jury for the 2013 World Press Photo Contest and had previously taught at the 2010 Joop Swart Masterclass organized by the World Press Photo Foundation.
Deeply committed to education and mentorship, Lyon serves on the Board of Directors of the Eddie Adams Workshop, where he regularly teaches at the annual tuition-free program in upstate New York. He also teaches at the International Center of Photography in New York and serves on the advisory board of the VII Foundation.
He has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Overseas Press Club in New York, where he chaired its photo contest jury in 2010 and 2011.
Lyon’s lifelong dedication to ethical storytelling, visual journalism, and education has made him one of the most respected figures in contemporary photojournalism.
Laura El-Tantawy
Photographer
Laura El-Tantawy’s is rooted in her concern with the human condition. Investigating notions of home and belonging, she routinely approaches her work from a social and environmental sensibility drawing on her transatlantic background. Her visual explorations often intertwine moving images, sound and personal narratives, marked by the artist’s lyrical eye on reality.
Laura is an award winning British/Egyptian documentary photographer, book maker and educator. Born in Ronkswood in Worcestershire, UK, to Egyptian parents, she studied in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the US and UK. Living between East and West throughout her life has deeply influenced her artistic journey, providing a rich cultural tapestry for her work.
She began her career as a newspaper photographer in the United States. She turned freelance in 2005, moving to Cairo and starting what became her seminal body of work In the Shadow of the Pyramids.
She is the first Egyptian to be awarded the prestigious W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Award, which honours photographers whose work reflects the humanistic tradition and compassionate dedication of W. Eugene Smith.
In 2016, she was among the four artists nominated and exhibited as part of the prestigious Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, awarded annually to a photographer who made the most significant contribution to the photographic medium in Europe in that year.
She is also the recipient of Prix Virginia and PhMuseum awards.
Bertan Selim
Prince Claus Fund
Bertan Selim is the founder and executive director of the VID Foundation for Photography, an organization dedicated to supporting emerging visual storytellers from the Balkans through grants and mentorships. He is also the Head of Development at the Netherlands Dance Theatre (NDT) in The Hague, where he applies his extensive experience in arts management and strategic consulting.
Bertan has built a distinguished career in strategic management consulting for cultural institutions across the Netherlands, the Balkans, and the MENA region. In 2014, he played a key role in establishing the Arab Documentary Photography Programme (ADPP), a collaboration between the Prince Claus Fund, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), and the Magnum Foundation.
Bertan’s curatorial and educational work extends throughout Europe and beyond. He regularly curates photography exhibitions and lectures on photography and arts management at various art academies across Europe.
In 2022, he curated the first solo exhibition of World Press Photo winner Mohamed Mahdy in Egypt, and in 2023, he served as a jury member for the Larnaca Biennial in Cyprus.
He holds several leadership positions in the international arts community, including serving on the Supervisory Board of the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, the Board of DokuFest in Kosovo, and the Board of Directors of PhotoEvidence in the United States.
Through his work in arts development, education, and photography advocacy, Bertan Selim continues to champion visual storytelling and cultural exchange as vital tools for social impact and creative growth.
Marcel Saba
Redux Pictures
Marcel Saba is a highly respected figure in the photography industry, an industry guru, educator, and founder of Redux Pictures, an award-winning New York City–based commercial and editorial photo agency representing photographers across the globe.
Redux Pictures has become a global leader in photography, known for its diverse body of work spanning editorial, commercial, travel, lifestyle, and documentary photography.
Redux photographers have created portraits of world leaders, CEOs, politicians, athletes, and celebrities, while also documenting critical social issues such as healthcare, immigration, and poverty, as well as global challenges including the economy, the environment, and war.
Under Saba’s leadership, Redux has built an extensive network of collaborations and partnerships.
The agency represents the photo collections of The New York Times Archives and is partnered with more than 25 world-renowned photo collections. Regular Redux editorial clients include Afar, Forbes, Fortune, ESPN, The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, GQ, GEO, Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Reader’s Digest, and Travel & Leisure.
Commercial clients include major brands such as Goldman Sachs, USAA, Bose, Converse, Denny’s, Glossier, PNC Bank, Siemens, Under Armour, and Vans.Beyond his role at Redux, Saba has made significant contributions to the broader photography community. He is a past President of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund, has served on the Board of the Eugene Smith Foundation, and teaches at the International Center of Photography in New York.
Sim Chi Yin
Magnum Photos Nominee and Visual Artist
Sim Chi Yin is a Singaporean artist whose research-driven practice spans photography, moving image, archival work, book-making, and text-based performance.
Her work explores themes of history, conflict, memory, and extraction, often engaging with layered narratives of place, time, and identity. Her acclaimed projects include The Rat Tribe (2012) and Dying to Breathe (2013–2017).
Her works are held in major institutional collections, including the Harvard Art Museums, The J. Paul Getty Museum, M+ Hong Kong, Singapore Art Museum, and the National Museum of Singapore.
Sim is currently based in New York, where she is a fellow in the Whitney Museum’s Independent Study Program and completing her PhD at King’s College London, focusing on British Malaya. She is represented by Zilberman Gallery (Berlin) and Hanart TZ Gallery (Hong Kong).
Sanne De Wilde
Photographer | NOOR
She explores the medium of photography and effectuates this in regards to subjects related to the role genetics, identity and perception play in people's lives and how this shapes and affects communities and makes people vulnerable in the eye of society.
She has been internationally published (Guardian, New Yorker, National Geographic, Le Monde, CNN, Vogue) and exhibited (Voies OFF, Tribeca Film Festival, Circulations, Lagos Photo, Lodz Fotofestiwal, Cortona On the Move, IDFA, STAM and EYE).
Since 2013, she works with the Dutch newspaper and magazine De Volkskrant, in Amsterdam the Netherlands, and joined NOOR in 2017.
Alixandra Fazzina
Photographer | NOOR
Alixandra Fazzina (UK/Ireland) focuses with her photography on under-reported conflicts and the often forgotten humanitarian consequences of war. Alixandra has an uncanny ability to work in the most difficult social and geographical environments and is recognized for her compassionate and empathetic approach towards the human condition, always fully aware of the bigger picture. Her photographs cut to the core but are never imposing. Distinctly quiet, yet descriptive.
Her reportages have been widely published in the British and international press and her photographs exhibited worldwide. Alixandra worked over a period of two years to chronicle the exodus of migrants and refugees from Somalia to the Arabian Peninsula. The resulting book “A Million Shillings: Escape from Somalia” was published by Trolley (2010) and re-launched in Arabic (2011). “A Million Shillings” was shortlisted for the Pictures of the Year International Best Photography Book of the Year Award.
Yael Martinez
Photographer | MAGNUM
Yael Martínez creates work that addresses fractured communities in his native Mexico. He often works symbolically to evoke a sense of the emptiness, absence and pain suffered by those affected by the state and organized crime.
Martínez has earned a number of honors for his photography, including the 2022 Wayfinder Award from The National Geographic society, membership in Mexico’s National System of Arts Creators (SNCA), and the 2019 W. Eugene Smith Fund Grant. Martínez won The World Press Photo in the region of North and Central America in the Open Format category in 2022 and second prize in the World Press Photo contest in the Long-Term Projects category in 2019. He is a fellow of the Photography and Social Justice Program of The Magnum Foundation.
Martínez’s work has been featured in solo and group shows in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States. In addition to National Geographic, his work has been widely published in Aperture, The New York Times, Time, The Wall Street Journal, the New Yorker, Vogue Italy, Bloomberg News and Vrij Nederland.
Martínez joined Magnum Photos in 2020 as a nominee, as an associate member in 2022, and as a full member in 2024.
Guy Martin
Photographer | MAGNUM
Guy Martin graduated with a B.A(HONS) in DocumentaryPhotography from the University of Wales, Newport. He has been a member of Panos Pictures since 2011. From January 2011 he began to document the revolutions sweeping through the Middle East and North Africa. From 2012 he was been based inIstanbul Turkey, where he produced ‘The Parallel State’ his first book about the rise of Turkish soft power and the complex new identities in the Turkish Republic. The book was published in 2018 by GOST books and subsequently was listed as on of Time Magazine's best photo books of the year.
Guy's work is concerned with the way our digital lives have overlapped into the political violence of the physical world. He continues to work for the world's leading magazines including The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Bloomberg Buisness Week, Time Magazine, National Geographic, Harpers, HUCK and Le Monde; while lecturing, teaching workshops and exhibiting his work worldwide.
Michael Christopher Brown
Acclaimed Documentary Photographer and Filmmaker
Michael Christopher Brown is an artist, National Geographic photographer, author, and filmmaker who utilizes and challenges the documentary image to spotlight some of the world’s most pressing humanitarian issues. Brown became known for pioneering smartphone reporting in war zones and his recent projects push the bounds of reportage illustration with AI-assisted reportage.
Michael Christopher Brown is an artist utilizing and challenging the documentary image to spotlight some of the world’s most pressing humanitarian issues. His work spans from the chaotic rise of eastern China to the frontlines of the Arab Spring, from the wars of Eastern Congo (DRC) to the conflict in Israel and the West Bank, from socioeconomic issues in Cuba to homelessness in Los Angeles.
Pulitzer Prize-winning Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha and Michael have released their book The Difference Between Bullets and Stones, which launched on Kickstarter in September 2025 to both fund the publication and to raise money for the efforts of aid organizations in the Gaza war.
A photographer at National Geographic Magazine since 2004, and a former associate at Magnum Photos, he has over two decades of experience across six continents and brings a cinematic, authentic approach to both photography and directing.
Newsha Tavakolian
Magnum Photos Member and Self-taught Photographer
Newsha Tavakolian, a Magnum Photos member born in 1981 in Tehran, is an Iranian photographer, visual artist, and educator known for her work that captures the human condition. Tavakolian began her career in photography at a young age, eventually becoming a prominent figure in the field.
Her photography is characterized by its evocative storytelling and her keen eye for capturing the delicate emotions that shape us as humans. She has covered a wide range of topics, from the challenges faced by women in Iran and worldwide to the aftermath of tensions in conflict zones. Her work often combines artistry with documentary, blurring the lines between reality and the imagined.
Throughout her career, Newsha Tavakolian has received numerous awards, such as the Carmignac Gestion Award, the Prince Claus Award (principal laureate), and several international photo prizes. Her photographs have been featured in prestigious exhibitions worldwide.
Rena Effendi
Award-winning Documentary Photographer
Rena Effendi's early work focused on oil industries effects on people's lives.
In 2013, Rena Effendi published her second monograph Liquid Land where her images are paired with photographs of perished butterflies hunted by her father, a Soviet entomologist, who collected more than 30,000 butterflies in Soviet Union. Liquid Land punctuates the theme of fragility and environmental decay of Baku, the city where Effendi was born and grew up.
Effendi has received many international awards including the Alexia 2018 Professional Grant, the Prince Claus Fund Award for Culture and Development, World Press Photo, Getty Images Editorial Grant and was short-listed for the Prix Pictet Award in Photography and Sustainability.
She is represented by National Geographic Creative agency and ILEX Gallery. Rena Effendi's work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide including at the Saatchi Gallery, Miami Art Basel, Istanbul Modern, and the 52nd Venice Biennial. She has worked on editorial assignments for the National Geographic, The New Yorker, Newsweek, TIME, The New York Times magazine, Vogue, Marie Claire, The Sunday Times, GEO and others.
Andreas Trampe
Senior Photo Editor - Stern Magazine
Andreas Trampe is the Senior Picture Editor at Stern Magazine, based in Hamburg, Germany.
He began his career as a photo trainee before working as a freelance photojournalist for several German daily newspapers and magazines, including Bunte and Bild am Sonntag.
In 1996, Andreas joined Stern Magazine, where he was first appointed Deputy of the Picture Desk and later served as Director of Photography for nineteen years. Since February 2019, he has held his current position as Senior Picture Editor.
Beyond his editorial work, Andreas is deeply involved in supporting emerging photographers.
He is a co-founder of the Hamburg Portfolio Review and the Stern Young Photography program, which annually awards one graduating student a one-year staff photographer position at Stern.
He is also a member of the German Society for Photography (DGPh).
Marcel Saba
Redux Pictures
Marcel Saba is a highly respected figure in the photography industry — an industry guru, educator, and founder of Redux Pictures, an award-winning New York City–based commercial and editorial photo agency representing photographers across the globe.
Founded by Saba in 2003, Redux Pictures has become a global leader in photography, known for its diverse body of work spanning editorial, commercial, travel, lifestyle, and documentary photography. Redux photographers have created portraits of world leaders, CEOs, politicians, athletes, and celebrities, while also documenting critical social issues such as healthcare, immigration, and poverty, as well as global challenges including the economy, the environment, and war.
Under Saba’s leadership, Redux has built an extensive network of collaborations and partnerships. The agency represents the photo collections of The New York Times Archives and is partnered with more than 25 world-renowned photo collections. Regular Redux editorial clients include Afar, Forbes, Fortune, ESPN, The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, GQ, GEO, Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Reader’s Digest, and Travel & Leisure. Commercial clients include major brands such as Goldman Sachs, USAA, Bose, Converse, Denny’s, Glossier, PNC Bank, Siemens, Under Armour, and Vans.Beyond his role at Redux, Saba has made significant contributions to the broader photography community. He is a past President of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund, has served on the Board of the Eugene Smith Foundation, and teaches at the International Center of Photography in New York.
Known for his generosity, expertise, and passion for visual storytelling, Marcel Saba continues to shape the global photography landscape through his leadership, mentorship, and unwavering commitment to the craft.
Dominique Hildebrand
Photo Editor at National Geographic
Dominique Hildebrand is a visual editor and storyteller currently serving as the Climate & Environment Photo Assignment Editor at The Washington Post. In this role, she commissions and curates visual narratives that illuminate the pressing environmental challenges of our time.
Prior to joining The Post, Dominique was a photo editor at National Geographic, where she led multiplatform projects, including the September 2022 cover feature on America's land conservation strategy.
Her work also encompassed stories on natural disasters and extreme weather, such as a compelling photo-led piece on how certain bird species might help predict hurricane intensity.
Dominique's commitment to excellence in visual storytelling has been recognized by her peers; in 2025, she was named a finalist for Visual Editor of the Year by POYi.
Bertan Selim
Prince Claus Fund
Bertan Selim is the founder and executive director of the VID Foundation for Photography, an organization dedicated to supporting emerging visual storytellers from the Balkans through grants and mentorships. He is also the Head of Development at the Netherlands Dance Theatre (NDT) in The Hague, where he applies his extensive experience in arts management and strategic consulting.
Bertan has built a distinguished career in strategic management consulting for cultural institutions across the Netherlands, the Balkans, and the MENA region. In 2014, he played a key role in establishing the Arab Documentary Photography Programme (ADPP), a collaboration between the Prince Claus Fund, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), and the Magnum Foundation.
Bertan’s curatorial and educational work extends throughout Europe and beyond. He regularly curates photography exhibitions and lectures on photography and arts management at various art academies across Europe. In 2022, he curated the first solo exhibition of World Press Photo winner Mohamed Mahdy in Egypt, and in 2023, he served as a jury member for the Larnaca Biennial in Cyprus.
He holds several leadership positions in the international arts community, including serving on the Supervisory Board of the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, the Board of DokuFest in Kosovo, and the Board of Directors of PhotoEvidence in the United States.
Through his work in arts development, education, and photography advocacy, Bertan Selim continues to champion visual storytelling and cultural exchange as vital tools for social impact and creative growth.
Erika Larsen
National Geographic Society Fellow
Erika Larsen is a transdisciplinary storyteller who believes that photography is one of the most important ways to explore our understanding of time.
She is fascinated by the way we communicate with nature and often focuses on people that maintain strong relationships to the natural world.
Her first monograph, Sami-Walking with Reindeer, a reflection of her time living in the Scandinavian Arctic, was published in 2013.
Her second monograph, Materia Prima, a collection of photographs that explores ritual, time and the process of remembering we are nature, was published in 2021.
Her work has been included in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, National Geographic Society, Fotografiska Museum, University of Kentucky Art Museum and the United States Embassy in Oslo.
Erika is a lecturer at Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas in Lima, Peru.
Mads Nissen
Photographer
Mads Nissen is a photographer based in Copenhagen, Denmark. For Nissen, photography is all about empathy - creating understanding and intimacy while confronting contemporary social issues such as inequality, human rights violations, and our destructive relationship with nature.
He has worked as a staff photographer at the Danish daily Politiken, a newspaper internationally praised for its strong commitment to visual journalism. In addition to Politiken, his images have been published in Time, Newsweek, CNN, National Geographic, The Guardian, Le Figaro Magazine, Der Spiegel and many other publications. He frequently gives lectures and workshops and has solo-exhibitions across Europe and Latin America.
Nissen’s photographs were selected as World Press Photo of the Year. In 2015, his photograph was of an intimate moment between a young gay couple from Russia, and in 2021, ‘The First Embrace,’ depicted an embrace between two women in a care home in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. His work has received more than 80 international awards and recognitions.
Laura El-Tantawy
Photographer
Laura El-Tantawy’s practice is rooted in her concern with the human condition.
Laura is an award winning British/Egyptian documentary photographer, book maker and educator. Born in Ronkswood in Worcestershire, UK, to Egyptian parents, she studied in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the US and UK. Living between East and West throughout her life has deeply influenced her artistic journey, providing a rich cultural tapestry for her work.
She began her career as a newspaper photographer in the United States. She turned freelance in 2005, moving to Cairo and starting what became her seminal body of work In the Shadow of the Pyramids.
She is the first Egyptian to be awarded the prestigious W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Award, which honours photographers whose work reflects the humanistic tradition and compassionate dedication of W. Eugene Smith.
Sim Chi Yin
Magnum Photos Nominee and Visual Artist
Sim Chi Yin is a Singaporean artist whose research-driven practice spans photography, moving image, archival work, book-making, and text-based performance. Her work explores themes of history, conflict, memory, and extraction, often engaging with layered narratives of place, time, and identity. Her acclaimed projects include The Rat Tribe (2012), a portrait of blue-collar workers living in Beijing’s underground housing, and Dying to Breathe (2013–2017), a moving four-year documentation of Chinese gold miners suffering from silicosis, centering on miner He Quangui.
Her works are held in major institutional collections, including the Harvard Art Museums, The J. Paul Getty Museum, M+ Hong Kong, Singapore Art Museum, and the National Museum of Singapore. Sim is currently based in New York, where she is a fellow in the Whitney Museum’s Independent Study Program and completing her PhD at King’s College London, focusing on British Malaya. She is represented by Zilberman Gallery (Berlin) and Hanart TZ Gallery (Hong Kong).
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