2025 Visual Storytelling Summit

The longtime director of photography at The New York Times Magazine, Kathy Ryan has been a pioneer of combining fine art photography with photojournalism. She has worked with the world’s best photographers across all genres of photography. She regularly brought new talent into The Magazine’s pages. She recently left The Times after 39 years to focus on her own artwork, curating exhibitions, and teaching a course at Yale.

In 2011, Ryan edited The New York Times Magazine Photographs, a landmark book published by Aperture. An accompanying exhibition, curated by Ryan and Lesley Martin opened at the Recontres d’Arles in 2012, traveled to FOAM Museum in Amsterdam, Palau Robert in Barcelona, Universidad Catolica in Santiago and ended its run at the Aperture Gallery in New York City. 

Office Romance, a book of Ryan’s photographs featuring her colleagues and the beauty and poetry to be found in the radiant light in the New York Times building was published by Aperture in 2014.

Ryan has contributed essays and Q&A’s to books by photographers Lee Friedlander, Seydou Keïta, Paolo Pellegrin, Lynsey Addario, Jack Davison, Brian Finke and Lars Tunbjörk.

The Magazine‘s photography and videos have been recognized with numerous awards. Ryan won a lifetime achievement award from the Griffin Museum of Photography in 2007; the Royal Photographic Society’s annual award for Outstanding Service to Photography in 2012; the Vision Award at the Center for Photography at Woodstock in 2014; and the Outstanding Contribution to Photography recognition from Creative Review in 2016. Ryan has been recognized as Photo Editor of the Year by the Lucie Awards and Visa Pour l’Image. Ryan won two Emmy’s for videos she produced for The New York Times Magazine’s Great Performers series. 

📷 @kathyryan

In Anand Varma’s hands, a camera is not just a tool to capture what he sees—it’s a way to illuminate the layers of beauty and complexity that are otherwise hidden from view. Armed with a degree in integrative biology, he has devoted years of his life to developing innovative techniques—even building some of his own equipment—to create intimate, dramatic and surprising images of nature. His ultimate goal: to spark a sense of wonder about our world. Through his work, Anand highlights creatures whose incredible details typically go unseen, and discovers new stories behind the science along the way.

From the secret life cycle of the honeybee to the lightning-fast behaviors of hummingbirds, his images slow down the fast, speed up the slow and magnify the miniature to reveal life at the edge of our perception. He is a National Geographic Explorer and award-winning photographer based in Berkeley, California. His book Invisible Wonders was published by National Geographic in 2023.

The Asian Art Museum celebrates, preserves, and promotes Asian and Asian American art and cultures for local and global audiences. We provide a dynamic forum for exchanging ideas, inviting collaboration, and fueling imagination to deepen understanding and empathy among people of all backgrounds.

Sparsh Ahuja is an award-winning filmmaker, CatchLight Global Fellow, and National Geographic Explorer working primarily in animation and documentary. His work explores themes of migration and belonging, and has featured in MUBI, The New Yorker, TIME, The BBC, Al Jazeera, NOWNESS ASIA, NOEMA and The Economist.

Sparsh’s documentary short, “Birdsong”, premiered at SXSW 2023, was shortlisted for the Grierson, IDA and BIFA Awards, and was acquired by The Guardian as a Vimeo Staff Pick. His VR Film, “Child of Empire” – financed through the Venice Biennale Gap Financing Market – premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2022, played Sheffield DocFest, and MIFF, and won the inaugural XR History Award from the Korber-Stiftung Foundation in Hamburg. Sparsh is currently in development on his directorial debut, “Fear and Loathing in Kathmandu”, funded by VicScreen. 

In 2023, Sparsh was one of the 12 factual producers selected for VicScreen and Screen Australia’s “Originate Factual” incubator. In 2024, his reporting on Indigenous land rights disputes was a finalist for the LA Press Club Award.

Sparsh’s work has toured institutions such as The Victoria and Albert Museum, BFI Southbank, and ForumDesImages in Paris, and has been supported by the British Council, Australia Council for the Arts, Doc Society, Ford Foundation, Ian Potter Cultural Trust, and the CatchLight Fellowship amongst others. 

Sparsh currently works as a Development Producer for Dreamchaser Entertainment in Melbourne, Australia.

Dr. Padma Dorje Maitland is the newly-appointed Malavalli Family Foundation Associate Curator of the Art of the Indian Subcontinent at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. He was previously an assistant professor of architectural history, theory, and criticism California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, prior to which he served in curatorial positions at Stanford’s Cantor Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. He recently curated the exhibition After Hope: Videos of Resistance and edited a forthcoming volume Art, Hope, Action: Creative Praxis in Pandemic Times. This summer, he was a research fellow with the American Institue for Sri Lanka Studies, completing research for a manuscript project on the Hindi travel accounts of Rahul Sankrityayan, Anand Kausalyayan, and Yatri Nagarjun. 

The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.

CPJ’s work is based on its research, which provides a global snapshot of obstructions to a free press worldwide. CPJ’s research staff documents hundreds of attacks on the press each year. In our quest for a free media, CPJ denounces press freedom violations, meets with heads of state and high-ranking officials, spearheads or advises on diplomatic efforts, and works with other organizations to ensure that justice prevails when journalists are imprisoned or killed. CPJ also provides comprehensive, life-saving support to journalists and media support staff working around the world through up-to-date safety and security information and rapid response assistance.

Kerry Paterson is Chief of Staff at the Committee to Protect Journalists. Until recently, she served as the Director of Global Safety: Risk and Resilience at the Associated Press, where she oversaw physical, digital, and psychosocial safety for their journalists and freelancers.

Before joining the AP, Kerry served as deputy director of emergencies, and deputy director advocacy and communications at CPJ. Paterson has worked with the Initiative for Conflict-Related Trauma, Médecins Sans Frontières, the Women’s Media Center’s Women Under Siege Project, and the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Division of Global Health and Human Rights.

Jenny Stratton is a multimedia journalist, artist, educator and community media organizer. Concurrent with producing documentary and public art projects, Jenny works with schools, libraries, social justice and grassroots organizations to develop creative collaborations, participative mediamaking practices and community programming. She recently completed a U.S. Education Department FLAS fellowship in Arabic Language and Middle Eastern Studies and was a Lewis Hine Fellow at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University focusing on restorative narratives and maternal healthcare.

Cameras and Coffee Club meet-ups are monthly gatherings that bring together photographers, filmmakers, and multidisciplinary creatives with the goal of growing a vibrant local community that promotes networking, collaboration, and philanthropy. Our gatherings take place at local cafes, galleries, and camera shops with a selection of quality indie coffees, art, and cameras. We actively support local causes like food, toy, and backpack drives, using our collective reach to create a positive impact in the community we love.

Pablo Circa is a photographer based in Oakland, CA, driven by raw emotion and human connection. His work captures the resilience, determination, and spirit of Black culture—whether in fleeting street moments or intimate portraits. Rooted in the energy of Oakland, his photography offers an unfiltered look at life, pulling viewers in to feel the stories beneath the surface. For him, photography isn’t just about seeing—it’s about experiencing.

PhotoWings is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to utilizing the power of photography to further deep thinking, communication, and action. Their extensive online content and PhotoWings Outreach Programs have a myriad of educational applications and possibilities.

Natalia is the senior photo editor for the National desk at The Washington Post, where she leads national and political coverage. She focuses on a range of issues, including immigration, women’s rights and the political landscape. Natalia looks to create inclusive visual storytelling experiences that integrate photography, video or illustration. She has served as a photography juror for Pictures of the Year, Overseas Press Club, and the Leica Oskar Barnack Award. She is fluent in English, Spanish, French and speaks some Italian.

Elizabeth Krist was a photography editor at National Geographic magazine for over 20 years, and is now on the boards of Women Photograph and of the W. Eugene Smith Fund. She often works with CatchLight and with the Eddie Adams Workshop, and is a contributing editor for Virginia Quarterly Review. She has freelanced for The New Yorker and Magnum Photos, co-curated five Photoville installations, and teaches for ICP. Recently she has collaborated with Magnum Foundation, Leica, Apple, and the Joop Swart Masterclass for World Press.

Danielle A. Scruggs (she/her) is a Chicago-based photo editor, curator, and creative strategist with over 15 years of experience in visual storytelling across journalism, arts, and culture. She has worked as a photo editor for national outlets including The Wall Street Journal, ESPN’s Andscape, Getty Images, and Vox Media, where she commissioned, edited, and researched visuals in fast-paced, deadline driven environments.

She is the founder of Black Women Directors, a platform amplifying filmmakers historically marginalized in the industry, featured by The Cut, Blavity, and the British Film Institute.

She holds a journalism degree from Howard University and a master’s in digital art from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Danielle regularly reviews portfolios for places like Diversify Photo and The New York Times, to support emerging visual storytellers.

Jeff Cohen oversees Arnold Ventures’ media portfolio. Before joining the foundation, he spent more than 40 years as a reporter or editor at newspapers in Houston, Albany, N.Y., and San Antonio. Arnold Ventures provides grants to about 90 communications endeavors, including CatchLight. The majority of investments are designed to increase reporting capacity in three areas: investigative journalism, groups that cover policy in state capitals, and single subject websites that dovetail with the foundation’s research interests. As a student at the University of Texas, Jeff took note of the watchdog reporters at the Washington Post and CBS News who changed the course of the United States by pursuing the truth. Those journalists inspired him to make a career in the news business. On the weekends, when he’s not trying to perfect his mother’s fried chicken recipe, Jeff attempts to wear out the chain on a mountain bike.

Dawn Garcia is director of the John S. Knight (JSK) Journalism Fellowships at Stanford University. The program empowers diverse journalism leaders to succeed as effective change agents, sustain democratic communities, and defend press freedom around the world. She began her journalism career as a reporter and editor at West Coast newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle. She was the newsroom leader in charge of a staff of 100 reporters and editors covering California and local news at the San Jose Mercury News. She earned a master’s degree in liberal arts at Stanford, writing her dissertation on the evolution of Spanish-language media in California and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Oregon. She is a past president of the Journalism and Women Symposium, and serves on a number of nonprofit journalism boards, including KQED Public Media, the Knight Press Freedom Fellowship and the Constructive Institute.

Inés Familiar Miller is a program officer for the Arts & Culture Program at The Kresge Foundation, where she works to expand equity and opportunity by positioning culture and creativity as drivers of more just communities. Previously, Inés served as a program associate at the California Community Foundation, where she supported technical assistance initiatives for nonprofit organizations, public-private partnerships and fellowships for individual artists in Los Angeles County. A native of Mexico City, Inés earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the Universidad Iberoamericana and a master’s degree in arts management from Claremont Graduate University.

Harlan Bozeman is an artist, educator, and CatchLight Global Fellow (2024) based in Central Arkansas. His research-driven practice confronts the erasure of Black legacies, examining how these histories shape identity and personhood. Bozeman’s earlier work focuses on the Gullah Sea Island communities, particularly Wadmalaw Island, where his family originates, exploring narratives that preserve and sustain their cultural significance. His current projects blend photography, collage, and archival research to interrogate historical omissions and distortions, with a specific focus on the region of Elaine, Arkansas. Bozeman earned an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Arkansas and a BA in Journalism from DePaul University in Chicago. He is a Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture alumnus and a 2024 CatchLight Global Fellow. His work has been featured in British Journal of Photography, Der Greif, and The New York Times.

🔗 harlanbozeman.com
📷 @harlanbozeman

Elinor Carucci (b. 1971, Jerusalem) is an acclaimed photographer of Jewish North African and Bukharian descent. Her photographs are included in major collections, including The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, and her editorial work has been published in outlets such as The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, W, and Aperture.

Carucci is recipient of the ICP Infinity Award (2001), a Guggenheim Fellowship (2002), and a NYFA grant (2010). She is the creator of five critically acclaimed monographs, including Closer (Chronicle Books, 2002), Diary of a Dancer (SteidlMack, 2005), MOTHER (Prestel, 2013), Midlife (Monacelli Press/Phaidon, 2019), and The Collars of Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Portrait of Justice (Clarkson Potter/Random House, 2023).

Currently, Carucci teaches in the graduate program of Photography and Lens-Based Art at the School of Visual Arts and is represented by Edwynn Houk Gallery in New York City.

🔗 elinorcarucci.com
📷 @elinorcarucci

Binh Danh reconfigures traditional photographic techniques and processes in unique ways to explore the connections between history, identity, and place. He is renowned for his contemporary daguerreotypes of national parks, which feature reflective surfaces that allow individuals from all backgrounds to see themselves as part of the American landscape.

Danh’s early work examined our collective memory of war through his invention of chlorophyll printing, a method where photographic images appear embedded in leaves via photosynthesis. His work is included in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

His latest book, “Binh Danh: The Enigma of Belonging,” was the first recipient of the Minami Book Grant for Asian American Visual Artists from Radius Books in 2023.

Danh is currently an associate professor of art at San José State University.

🔗 binhdanh.com
📷 @binhtdanh

Pablo Unzueta is a first-generation Chilean-American born in Los Angeles, California. Through photography, he documents stories about the environment, climate change, displacement, migration, and the socioeconomic implications of globalization. Unzueta’s work has been funded by the Magnum Foundation and collected by the Library of Congress. Today, he is a CatchLight Local Fellow who bridges the fields of art and journalism for El Tecolote, California’s longest-running bilingual newspaper. His debut exhibition, “The Memory of Our Skin,” is a visual exploration of human responses to traumatic events that took place decades apart in California and Chile.

🔗 pablounzueta.com
📷 @pablounzueta_

Ashley Gilbertson (b. 1978) is an Australian photographer and writer living in New York City recognized for his critical and unique approach to social issues. Gilbertson was a member of VII Photo prior to its acquisition by The VII Foundation in 2023. He is a frequent contributor to major media outlets and a collaborator with the United Nations.

🔗 ashleygilbertson.com
📷 @ashgilbertson

A native of Oakland, California, Traci Bartlow is an artist and entrepreneur with a longstanding career as an activist, business owner, photographer, dance educator, lecturer, curator, and cultural archivist. In 2023 she received a proclamation from the mayor of Oakland recognizing her significant contributions as “a great woman of Hip Hop”. This reflects her decades of work in Hip Hop culture in the areas of dance and photography. Bartlow is a story consultant and contributing writer for a 2022 Emmy-winning film “If Cities Could Dance – Oakland Boogaloo.” She has served her community for many years as a founding member of Eastside Cultural Center, a board member for City Center Dance Theater, and consulted with several arts and social justice organizations on scaling their impact on their changing neighborhoods. In 2024 she was awarded a YBCA Creative Corps Fellowship in support of her transformative community engagement programming. Currently she is preparing to publish a coffee table photography book of photographs and stories of her work as a photojournalist in the 1990’s.