Michael Christopher Brown (MCB) is an American photographer and artist. Raised in the Skagit Valley, a farming community in Washington State, he became known for his extensive use of an iPhone as a primary reporting device, including during the 2011 Libyan Revolution. This seminal documentation led to his monograph Libyan Sugar, designed by MCB and Ramon Pez, which won the Paris Photo Book Award and the ICP Infinity Award.

 

A National Geographic Magazine photographer since 2004 and a former associate photographer with Magnum Photos, he was the main character of the Michael Mann directed HBO documentary Witness: Libya and a contributing cinematographer to several conflict based documentaries including Hondros, Which way is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington, and This is Congo. MCB has over 20 years of experience working editorially, for publications including The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Time, ESPN and Vogue, with NGO’s, including.

 

Conservation International, Amnesty International and Save the Children, and commercially, photographing and directing for clients including Land Rover, Chopard, Nike, U.S. Army, Sony, and Hyperice. In 2018, Damiani published his second book, Yo Soy Fidel, a week long journey documenting the cortège of Fidel Castro. In 2023, Twin Palms will publish Ondas, on the Cuban electronic music scene. MCB has two other books in-progress, including a series of three books from over ten years of work in Congo (DRC) and another from the levant. He is the creator of 90 Miles and has exhibited in museums, galleries and exhibitions around the world. He lives in L.A. and is father to a beautiful four year old daughter, Poppy.

Ed Kashi is a renowned photojournalist, filmmaker, speaker and educator dedicated to documenting the social and geopolitical issues that define our times. He has covered topics as diverse as the impact of oil in Nigeria, the protestant community in Northern Ireland, the lives of Jewish settlers in the West Bank, the impact of an aging society through his groundbreaking project, Aging in America, climate change, the plight of Syrian refugees, and the global epidemic of Chronic Kidney Disease among agricultural workers. A sensitive eye and an intimate and compassionate relationship to his subjects are signatures of his intense and unsparing work. A member of VII Photo Agency since 2010, Kashi has been recognized for his complex imagery and its compelling rendering of the human condition. His early adoption of hybrid visual storytelling has produced a number of influential short films and in 2015 he was named Multimedia Photographer of the Year.

 

Kashi’s embrace of new approaches to visual storytelling has led to creative social media and printed projects for a range of clients including National Geographic, Open Society Foundations, The New Yorker, MSNBC, GEO Germany, Fortune, Human Rights Watch, International Medical Corps, MediaStorm, NBC.com, New York Times Magazine, Oxfam, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and TIME magazine. From implementing a unique approach to photography and filmmaking in his 2006 Iraqi Kurdistan Flipbook, to of the moment Instagram coverage of Hurricane Sandy for TIME Magazine in 2012, Kashi continues to create powerful imagery and engage with the world in new ways. Kashi frequently lectures on a wide range of topics for arts institutions, universities, schools and professional organizations. His work has been published and exhibited worldwide, receiving numerous awards and honors. Through his editorial assignments and personal projects Kashi has published eleven books, including Curse of the Black Gold: 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta, THREE, Photojournalisms, and most recently, Abandoned Moments: A Love Letter to Photography, which was named Photo Book of the Year by the International Photo Award. In 2002, Kashi founded Talking Eyes Media in partnership with his wife, writer + filmmaker Julie Winokur. The non-profit company has produced numerous award-winning short films, exhibits, books, and multimedia pieces that explore significant social issues. They are currently engaged in an 8-year storytelling project with Rutgers University in Newark focused on immigration for which they recently received a two-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Ahmet Sel (born in Türkiye 1956) explores the field of documentary and portrait photography. He lived in Paris between 1981 and 1990 where he worked for La Cinq TV channel. Between 1990 and 2000, he lived in Moscow where he was a correspondent and bureau chief for Sipa Press.  2005-2006, Sel has been the chief editor for Sipa Press in Paris.

 

He is living in Türkiye since 2009. His photographs are published in major international newspapers and magazines including Le Monde, Stern, Paris-Match, VSD, Figaro Magazine, l’Express, The Walrus, Corriere della Serra, Sette, Noticias, to mention a few. Sel is a member of various international and national contest juries. Ahmet Sel’s photographs exhibited in many museums and galleries, and are part of private and public collections.He won the “Fujifilm Press Photo Award France” in the portrait category, in 2003,  the Gold Award of  National Magazine Awards Foundation (Canada) in the “Words & Pictures” category, in 2004  and he was awarded the 2021 TFSF (Turkish Federation of Photographic Art) award. Sel won the 1. Prize in the category Portrait at Sarajevo Photography Festival in 2022.

Engin Güneysu was born in Samsun, Türkiye, back in 1981. His journey into the world of photography began in 2004 when he started working as a photo editor at Cena Advertising Agency in Izmir. During that same year, he took on photography assignments for Bodrum's Heart magazine and also contributed to the 2004 Türkiye/Izmir/Cesme Guidebook. Between 2006 and 2007, Güneysu occasionally provided photography training for children at the Education Volunteers Park in Samsun, Türkiye.

 

He further honed his skills by attending workshops conducted by renowned photographers like Peter Ten Hoopen, Ami Vitali, and Joachim Delafoged. In 2008, his photography talents were recognized when he clinched the second prize in the travel category of the International National Geographic Photo Contest in Türkiye. His work continued to receive awards, acclaim, and opportunities for exhibition in various other photography competitions. Some of his photographs even found a permanent home in the collection of the Türkiye Photography Museum, which was established in 2011. Engin Güneysu continued his photography career at Agence Le Journal photo agency for five years, until its closure. In 2022, he marked a significant milestone by releasing his very first photo book, titled "Radio Sarajevo." He's also known for creating a video documentary called "Duje," which sheds light on the victims of the Bosnian War. Alongside these achievements, he regularly organizes workshops on Mobile Photography and Street Photography, both within Türkiye and at various international locations. Notably, he held the role of photo editor at Turkish Airlines' Skylife magazine for a year. Currently, he's immersed in a range of photography and video projects, working both at home and abroad.

Gül Yıldız graduated with an engineering degree from Ankara University. Later, she pursued her passion for photography and cinematography by completing her studies at Anadolu University, and she also obtained a degree in TV and Radio Programming simultaneously. Her educational journey continued as she pursued a Master's degree in the Cinema Department at Marmara University. Throughout her career as a photographer, she actively participated in various national and international competitions, showcased her work at photography exhibitions and festivals, conducted photography seminars across different regions of Türkiye, and served as a jury member for several photography competitions.

 

Notably, in 2015, she received the AFIAP (Artist Federation Internationale de L'Art Photographique) designation from the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP). In 2017, she achieved the prestigious title of "X Photographer" and became one of the official photographers for Fujifilm Global. As a professional photographer, she currently works as an instructor at Fujifilm, offering private photography lessons and corporate training sessions. Her work often takes her on travels around the world for various photography projects. Gül Yıldız is also the founder of the ARTbellek Photography Workshop, where she continues to lead workshops and provide project consultation services.