Putting Ourselves in the Picture – Part 2: Engaging with Industry (POITP2)

In May this year we start the next stage of our collaborative project Putting Ourselves In The Picture in partnership with five pioneering organisations: Women for Refugee Women and Autograph in London, Impressions Gallery in Bradford, National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh and Work Show Grow online. This second part of the project, Engaging with Industry, is supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (grant number AH/Z505602/1), University for the Creative Arts and all our partners.

For Putting Ourselves in the Picture – Part 2: Engaging with Industry we will work together with our partners to develop the project with communities of marginalized women and non-binary people in three locations where our partners are based. Part 2 focuses on developing relationships with the photography industries that could offer work experiences such as day long field visits, workshops and talks with industry partners who are willing to work with us as experts and develop future opportunities for our participants, the emerging women and non-binary photographers. 

We will develop a mentorship program to support the participants to develop new skills and knowledge about the professional fields of photography and how to connect to valuable networks. Skills such as developing websites, CVs, social media and promotional materials will be demonstrated and developed alongside the practical aspects of how to run a business. We also aim to further the technical photographic knowledge of the emerging photographers so that they have the potential to work as assistants for other photographers and in turn learn further skills through this work. 

This project is based on the knowledge that opportunities in photography for marginalized women and non-binary photographers are few and far between and there is an increased need for change in the burgeoning histories of the photography industry and the white male dominance of this industry since its inception.

For Part 2: Engaging with Industry, our aims are:

To mentor emerging women and non-binary photographers to develop skills needed for working in photography and support engagement with the photography industry in their regions. 

To create valuable impact in the photography industry for the Putting Ourselves in the Picture (POITP) project, (an inspiring training and mentorship program for marginalised women and non-binary people who have not had access to photography training or education).

To bring new possibilities, through engagement with the photography industries, to emerging women and non-binary photographers enhancing well-being in society.

To continue to change the rhetoric around migration and gender bias within the photography industry with reference to the future employment of all women and non-binary photographers. 

To consider new strategies for photography education to better serve women and non-binary photographers in relation to employability with a particular focus on people who have not traditionally had access to higher education with a view to improving the economy and levels of employment.