CatchLight Summit | State of Photography

Real Photo Show with Michael Chovan-Dalton

Part 2 of 2 of my conversations with presenters at the CatchLight Visual Storytelling Summit April 19-20, 2022 at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. In this episode I speak with Dr. Tara Pixley. Tara and I talk about her presentation with Daniella Zalcman on the state of photography in 2022. We discuss the report and its findings, including the under-representation of historically marginalized communities. We also talk about what is changing and what may come next to help address the findings in the report. Lastly, Tara speaks about what it's like to both be an active professional and an educator in visual journalism.

The full report and panel presentation can be found here: https://player.catchlight.io/0oyd/1/state-of-photography-cover

This episode covers the following panel:

STATE OF PHOTOGRAPHY, BEHIND THE NUMBERS: SURVIVAL IN A SHIFTING INDUSTRY

As visuals become an increasingly important part of the global media diet, economic precarity has become commonplace for many photographers in the digital age—a key finding of both the State of Photo 2022 Report and the Visual Storyteller Field Survey, which led to the creation of the Photo Bill of Rights. What is behind this disparity, and how will image makers—including those in underrepresented groups—survive? Tara Pixley—an award-winning visual journalist, professor and co-founder of Authority Collective, an organization resourcing and amplifying women/nonbinary photographers of color—discusses these issues with CatchLight Global Fellow Daniella Zalcman, an multiple grantee documentary photographer and founder of Women Photograph, an organization which confronts the gender imbalance and inequities rampant in the photo industry.

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A PHOTOGRAPHER IN 2022? THIS IS THE STATE OF PHOTOGRAPHY REPORT. By Tara Pixley, Martin Smith-Rodden, David Campbell & Adrian Hadland The State of Photography represents the first international study of photographers that specifically looks to understand the experiences of imagemakers from historically marginalized communities in greater depth. You can scroll through the report below or download a PDF in the link. Made possible by funding from CatchLight and the Knight Foundation

This episode is sponsored by the Charcoal Book Club, a monthly subscription service for photobook enthusiasts. Working with the most respected names in contemporary photography, Charcoal selects and delivers essential photobooks to a worldwide community of collectors. Each month, members receive a signed, first-edition monograph and an exclusive print to add to their collections. www.charcoalbookclub.com

Tara Pixley is a visual journalist, strategic storytelling consultant and professor based in Los Angeles, with an MFA in Photography, a Ph.D. in Communication and two decades of experience as a media producer and editor for editorial, nonprofit and commercial organizations.

Tara's documentary film work has screened internationally and my award-winning writing on media has been published widely in magazines, academic journals and news media trade journals. I am a 2021 IWMF NextGen Fellow, a 2020 awardee of the World Press Photo Solutions Visual Journalism Initiative and was a 2016 Visiting Fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism of Harvard University, researching inequities in the photojournalism industry.

Tara is co-Founder and Board Member of Authority Collective, an organization dedicated to building community and opportunity for women/nonbinary photographers of color. https://www.tarapixley.com