Join us for season six of The Essentials!
Each class is 75 minutes long, including lots of time for Q&A, and is for both emerging and experienced storytellers.
Black Women Photographers is proud to announce season six of The Essentials: free online classes created in collaboration with our partners The Everyday Projects and Photo Wings!
Each class is 75 minutes long, including lots of time for Q&A, and is for both emerging and experienced storytellers wanting to hone their skills and learn more about successfully navigating the visual media industry.
DAY ONE: OCT. 18
Covering news topics through a sensitive—and prepared—lens with Taiwo Aina
10am - 11:15am ET
In this course, you’ll learn how to approach difficult topics with care, as well as how to prepare logistically, emotionally, and ethically before, during, and after an assignment. Whether for personal work or a commission from a client, this class will take you step-by-step from start to finish on how to be prepared for approaching tough topics with compassion.
How to make your pitch break through the noise with Nicole Tung
11:15am - 12:30pm ET
This class will prepare you to pitch stories that reach editors and audiences in an impactful, meaningful way. News cycles are always unpredictable, but we will show you how to propose stories that matter, even when the headlines are focused elsewhere. Our tips and tricks as well as advice on how to build rapport and relationships with editors will help you sell your ideas with confidence.
Navigating the ups and downs of self-marketing with Raquel Natalicchio
1pm - 2:15pm ET
Social media! Newsletters! Websites! Oh my! In this break-it-down course on self-promotion, we’ll walk through how to increase engagement, build a followership, and create community in ways that lead to positive outcomes. This class will highlight how to use platforms to creatively promote your work—and how to get through the difficulty of doing so.
Day TWO: OCT. 19
Breaking down a successful grant application with Sarah Perlmutter and Nada Harib
10am - 11:15am ET
In this session, Magnum Foundation’s Sarah Perlmutter and Magnum Foundation grant recipient Nada Harib will walk through how to build a successful grant proposal, including common mistakes made (and learned from!), and how to keep yourself on track with all the moving parts.
Commercial work: where to even start? with Angela Ogunfojuri
11:15am - 12:30pm ET
The world of commercial photography can feel daunting. This course will show you where to start, how to build up a clientele and portfolio, and how to leverage the strengths you already have to score more commercial opportunities.
Makin’ money moves with Hallease Narvaez
1pm - 2:15pm ET
Advocating for yourself financially is one of the hardest parts of freelancing. We will help you learn how to navigate bulky contract language, build personal and work budgets, and ask for more money. We’ll go over the questions to ask, the language to use, and the methods for growing and sustaining a thriving business—even during hard times.
Edit like a pro! with Alicia Vera
2:15pm - 3:30pm ET
Whether for a portfolio review, book, website, or social media, learn how to select and sequence images with intention. Through the lens of one body of work, you’ll see how different platforms can alter editing outcomes—and why that matters. This class will also discuss how photography’s limitations can lead to conceptual storytelling approaches.
All sessions will be recorded. Replay the past five seasons here.