Repost from @lolabe using @RepostRegramApp - After nearly three years of working at World Press Photo and a few more as an independent photo editor, I've seen how the lack of diversity in photojournalism is still damaging the way we consume and produce visual stories. While I worked at WPPh we published a report in which numbers served only as proof of what I had experienced all along: nearly 65% of respondents originated from Europe and North America, and only 15% were women. Storytellers and mostly female ones outside of Europe and The U.S. are indeed woefully under represented. Or they don't have the means, education or contacts to create a proper personal voice and use it to edit and pitch visual stories successfully. I feel it is my responsibility as a female photo editor from Latin America to be proactive about encouraging diversity. The reason why I proudly present to you NATIVE agency. An agency focused on (female) visual storytellers from Latin America and Africa. I am a true believer of native talent and the ways this talent can be propelled to the rest of the world. The reason I want to play a role in helping documentary photographers (and videographers too!) to find their voice and get YOU to hear it. I'm proud to present to you the first NATIVE storytellers and members of the family: Federico Rios Escobar (Colombia), João Castellano (Brazil) & Emilia Lloret (Ecuador) with a female photographer from Nigeria and another one from Colombia to join the family soon. It's a tough industry, it's a jungle out there. But I firmly stand behind talented local storytellers and know that people are craving to hear their voices and see their stories, from their regions. I'm still looking for (female) storytellers, so please spread this message! or email me at [email protected] The website and structure is still in the making, but you can find everything you need to know about NATIVE here: www.nativeagency.org/about/ #photojournalism #nativeagency @agencynative #wpph #worldpressphoto #latinamericanphotojournalists #africanphotojournalists #documentaryphotographers #regionalphotographers photo @historiassencillas (at Hong Kong)
