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If you are student, please contact us at [email protected] to learn how to qualify for a discounted or free registration.

Our itinerary is still under construction. Please check back as we add speakers, workshops and photowalks. 

Returning to add a workshop, portfolio review or other item to your registration? Please email us at info@focusonthestory.org and we'll be happy to add it to your existing registration. 

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Presenting

Nina Berman

Nina is a documentary photographer, filmmaker, author and educator. Her wide-ranging work looks at American politics, militarism, post violence trauma and resilience. She is a member of the photography and film collective NOOR images and is a tenured professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she directs the photography program. She lives in her hometown of New York City.

Ernesto Bazan

Ernesto is an Italian photojournalist whose acclaimed trilogy of books documenting the despair and resilience of the Cuban people is the definitive story of “The Special Period.” The 14-year project, which spurred the Cuban government to banish him, won the W. Eugene Smith Fund Award for Humanist Photography. His fourth book on Cuba, “25 de Noviembre,” will be published this spring.

Malin Fezehai

Malin is a New York-based visual journalist whose work focuses on communities of displacement and dislocation around the world. She won a 2015 World Press Photo Award, the Wallis Annenberg Prize and was named one of the 30 Emerging Photographers to watch in 2015 by Photo District News. Her image depicting a Wedding of Eritrean Refugees in Israel was the first iPhone image to ever receive a World Press Photo Award.

Michael S. Williamson

Michael is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer at the Washington Post. He has spent decades documenting the plight of jobless, homeless and working Americans. His book, "And Their Children After Them," won the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. He has also covered a variety of global conflicts in the last 40 years, earning a second Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for his coverage of the Kosovo refugee crisis.

Andres Gonzalez

Andres is a visual artist and educator living in Vallejo, California. His current work synthesizes in-depth research with the poetics of photography, looking for truths behind the fictional, mythic aspects of American history. His recent book, American Origami, was shortlisted for the 2019 Paris Photo - Aperture Photo Book Awards, and received the 2019 Light Work Photo Book Award.

Charlotte Schmitz

Charlotte is the first recipient of the FotoEvidence W Award for her work La Puente, which documents the lives of sex workers in an Ecuadoran brothel. The British Journal of Photography selected her as "Ones To Watch 2019." The Berlin-based photographer's work is deliberately personal and often subverts the traditional documentary approach, which allows her to convey her messages about women and migration.

Jackie Dives

Jackie is the winner of the Focus on the Story 2020 call for proposals. The Vancouver-based photographer will present a series of images she made after the death of her father from a drug overdose. She will share her experience of using photography and art to process and heal trauma. She'll also discuss how she has used her personal work to bring awareness to a systemic crisis of opioid addiction in Canada.

Maria Daniel Balcazar

Maria is a Bolivian-American documentary and fine art photographer. Most of her projects focus on the vitality of cultural traditions, their universality and their uniqueness, as they adapt through syncretism to survive and to thrive.

She will present her first book, "Kilombo," a tribute to Afro-Brazilians and their capacity to tap into their roots and overcome adversity.

Brent Lewis

Brent Lewis is co-founder of Diversify Photo and a photo editor at the New York Times on the Business Desk, assigning visual coverage of technology, the economy, and auto industry. He was previously a photo editor at the Washington Post and ESPN's The Undefeated, where he drove the visual language of the website that is based around the intersection of sports, race, and culture.

Ibarionex Perello

Ibarionex is a photographer, writer and educator with more than 20 years of experience in the photographic industry. He is the producer and host of The Candid Frame: A Photography Podcast. He is an adjunct professor at the Art Center College of Design and teaches several online photography course through Better Photo.com. He lives in Altadena, California.

Jamie Rose

Jamie has worked as an international photojournalist on five continents and has been a contract photographer and communication strategist with some of the world’s largest nonprofit organizations. She is co-founder of Momenta Workshops, which provides education and in-the-field training for photographers.

Portfolio Reviews

This year we are excited to partner with Diversify Photo to present the first Diversify Photo Portfolio Review. 

Founded by Andrea Wise and Brent Lewis, Diversify Photo provides art buyers, creative directors, and photo directors with the resources they need to find photographers of color available for assignments and commissions.

Diversify Photo and Focus on the Story are offering all summit attendees the opportunity to add a portfolio review with their registrations for $25. Up to two additional reviews may be added at $50 each. The 20-minute sessions will take place on Saturday, May 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. Attendees will be assigned to reviewers on a random basis. The day-of, on-site signup rate is $65.

Reviewers

Brent Lewis

Diversify Photo co-founder and photo editor at the New York Times.

Andrea Wise

Co-Founder & Creative Director of Diversify Photo

Svetlana Bachevanova

Publisher of FotoEvidence.

Ernesto Bazan

Photojournalist, Educator, Publisher

Ibarionex Perello

Host and producer of The Candid Frame podcast.

[Additional reviewers will be posted here in the coming weeks.]

Portfolio Review Sign-up

  • Get Reviewed

    Get Reviewed

    Sign-up for a portfolio review with Diversify Photo.

    Price $25.00
($50.00/ea.)

Workshops and photowalks listed below are not included with registration. They may be added separately.


Add-On Workshops and Photo Walks

Workshops

  • Ibarionex Perello: From Street to Stories

    Ibarionex Perello: From Street to Stories

    Wednesday, May 27
    9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

    Thursday, May 28
    7 a.m. - 4 p.m.

    In this two-day workshop, you will learn to use the techniques of street photography to tell stories. Whether they are personal narratives about your own life, your travels or the lives of others, this course demonstrates how a “street sensibility” helps you to become a better story-teller.

    You’ll discover practical skills for carefully observing moments around you and how to make informed choices about composition, as well as narrative. You also learn how to think and see your images and your story in an adaptive and engaging way.

    Price $599.00
  • Jamie Rose: #PhotoBizSkills

    Jamie Rose: #PhotoBizSkills

    Wednesday, May 28
    9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

    Finding new clients, creating effective marketing campaigns, negotiating contracts…. These are just some of the necessary skills photographers need to thrive in today’s competitive marketplace. During this full day seminar, COO Jamie Rose will present Momenta Workshops’ highly popular #PhotoBizSkills presentations on marketing. The seminar includes in-depth presentations covering social media, websites, branding design, networking, presenting your work in person, interviewing, and much more. With plenty of audience participation and Q&A opportunities, Jamie will offer ways each attendee can make the most of their limited free time to find new and better paying clients, increase revenue, and grow your business every year. Laptops or paper for note taking are highly recommended. Workshop perks include coffee and donuts during the morning meet-n-greet, digital handouts, and a surprise guest speaker.

    Price $180.00
  • Jamie Rose: Financing Personal Projects

    Jamie Rose: Financing Personal Projects

    Thursday, May 29
    9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

    In this in-depth seminar, you will learn the ins-and-outs for funding your dream project. Jamie Rose on behalf of Wildfire Media, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to documentary storytelling, explains the 3 types of funding (Public, Private, Personal) you can use to fund your next photo or multimedia project. This full-day seminar will to help you decide which projects are worthy of doing a fundraising campaign and the approaches needed to go after each type of funding. From writing a grant or sponsorship proposal to writing thank you notes when you’re done, this day should set you on the path to funding success. If you have a personal project in mind but need an extra boost of financing, this is the workshop for you. Laptops or paper for note taking are highly recommended. Workshop perks include coffee and donuts during the morning meet-n-greet, digital handouts, and a surprise guest speaker.

    Price $180.00

Photo Walks

  • District Perspectives with Abdullah Konte

    District Perspectives with Abdullah Konte

    Thursday, May, 28
    5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

    Photograph DC cityscapes during golden hour at this FREE photowalk, sponsored by Aperturent.com. Hit the streets with Abdullah Konte as he takes you through some interesting locations downtown and offers insights on the best techniques to capture the most thought-provoking images. All camera types welcome!

    [While this meetup is free, please register so that you will receive important updates]

    Price $0.00
  • On Hallowed Ground with Michael A. McCoy

    On Hallowed Ground with Michael A. McCoy [12 remaining]

    Friday, May 29
    1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

    Join photojournalist Michael A. McCoy on a Fujifilm photo walk through Arlington National Cemetery, including the often-overlooked Section 27, the final resting place for 5,000 African American soldiers and civilians. Participants are encouraged to borrow some Fujifilm gear for the walk. Participants should be in moderately good condition as the walk will take participants up and down hilly terrain.

    Price $15.00
  • Colors of the Capital with Angela Douglas Ramsey

    Colors of the Capital with Angela Douglas Ramsey [12 remaining]

    Friday, May 29
    2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

    Join photographer/educator Angela Douglas Ramsey for a photo walk concentrating on all things COLOR. Angela will review color theory, color harmonies and the psychology of color. Color has a huge impact on the overall feel of an image. Learn to find and combine colors to enhance the emotional impact of your everyday photography.

    Price $15.00
  • Sunrise Meetup with Geoff Livingston

    Sunrise Meetup with Geoff Livingston

    Saturday, May 30
    5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

    Get up early and photograph the sun rising over the capital's monuments from one of the District's most iconic locations - the Netherlands Carillion, which is nestled between the Arlington National Cemetery and the Marine Corps Memorial.

    [While this meetup is free, please register so that you will receive important updates]

    Price $0.00
  • Brutalist Photowalk with Mark Alan Andre

    Brutalist Photowalk with Mark Alan Andre [13 remaining]

    Saturday, May 30
    9 a.m. - Noon

    Brutalist Architecture has gained a reputation for being severe, stark, and boring. The growth of Washington, DC through the 1960s and 70s has lead to a dearth of examples of the style in the central core of the Capitol. The very same things that make Brutalism infamous make it a great subject for a photo walk around Washington, DC.

    Price $15.00
  • Portraits on Location with Jonathan Thorpe

    Portraits on Location with Jonathan Thorpe [13 remaining]

    Saturday, May 30
    10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

    Join Tamron Image Master Jonathan Thorpe as he demonstrates how to mix strobe and ambient light to create dramatic looking portraits on location. Using light to shape both your subject and environment, will give your photos that little bit extra and make them stand out to clients.

    Price $15.00

Merchandise

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    Please note:  Unfortunately, we do not offer refunds to the Visual Storytelling Summit. However, registrations are transferable. Please email us at [email protected].

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