Everyday Projects Education: The Essentials
PhotoWings is proud to partner with Everyday Projects to provide The Essentials, a series of online classes for photographers presented by The Everyday Projects + Black Women Photographers!
Register for Season 7! Sessions run October 24-25, 2026
These free, weekly workshops are for emerging and experienced editorial photographers who would like to learn more about the ins and outs of professional photojournalism. Each class video is 75-90 minutes, including Q&A.
Season 7 Sessions:
Day 1: October 24th
Building Stories that Matter with Miranda Barnes
10am-11:15am ET
This course will highlight how to move beyond single photographs in order to build visual narratives that tell meaningful stories. From researching and developing a story before even picking up the camera to sharpening your skills of observation and anticipation, you’ll learn how to imbue depth into your photography. Whether working on a personal project or assignment, this class will take you from idea to finished story with a stronger, more intentional eye.
Miranda Rae Barnes is a photo-based artist born in Brooklyn, NY. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Justice from John Jay College. Her practice borrows from vernacular photography and a fine art tradition of documenting everyday scenes of families and friends, often in communion and celebration. She has photographed across the United States and globally, both for commissions and artistic explorations. Her debut monograph Social Season, published through Important Flowers and Mack Books, explores the rich history of Black cotillions in the US through photographs made at debutante balls in Detroit, Michigan between 2022 and 2025. She resides and works between Brooklyn, New York and Austin, Texas. Follow Amanda on Instagram @mirandabarnes
The Ethics Lab with Daniella Zalcman
11:15am-12:30pm ET
Every image carries a responsibility and this class will provide a clear ethical framework you can bring to every story you tell. In this session you’ll explore how to seek meaningful consent, work respectfully with vulnerable communities, and practice trauma-informed journalism that puts people’s dignity first. And, with AI touching nearly every corner of our lives, you’ll also learn more about how to use these tools honestly and with transparency.
Daniella Zalcman is a documentary photographer based in New Orleans. She is the founder of Women Photograph, a journalism professor at Tulane University, a multiple grantee of the National Geographic Society and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, and has held fellowships with CatchLight and the International Women’s Media Foundation. Her work tends to focus on the legacies of western colonization, from the rise of homophobia in East Africa to the forced assimilation education of Indigenous children in North America. Her work has been recognized with a Robert F Kennedy Journalism Award, the Magnum Foundation's Inge Morath Award, an ICP Infinity Award, and an ASME National Magazine Award. Daniella is a proud member of the Authority Collective and Diversify Photo, a co-founder of Indigenous Photograph, a co-founder and creative director of We, Women, and a co-author of the Photo Bill of Rights. Follow Daniella on Instagram @dzalcman
Photography 101—at every stage—with Alyssa Pointer
12:30pm-1:45pm ET
Strengthen your fundamentals with a hands-on introduction to lighting, composition, and the core techniques behind a compelling photograph. You'll also learn how editors think, how to sequence images to build a compelling story, and how to choose your strongest work when editing your portfolio. Whether you’re just starting out or have years of experience, this class will be enlightening to all levels.
Alyssa Pointer is a visual storyteller based in Atlanta, GA. Pointer earned her B.A. in photojournalism and African American studies from Western Kentucky University in 2016.After graduation, she quickly established herself in the field, working for The Chicago Tribune and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In 2024 she joined Thomson Reuters as a temporary video journalist, where she traveled the East Coast covering breaking news, extreme weather and the 2024 Presidential election. She currently leads her creative ventures at Leola Studios, a company named after her grandmother, that focuses on providing narrative visuals for profit and non profit businesses. In addition to working in the field, Pointer has also produced video and photo projects for local Atlanta photography and film companies. Beyond her creative pursuits, Alyssa is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of journalists. She has served as a photography coach for photojournalism workshops and has moderated panels at the National Association of Black Journalists annual conventions. Whether collaborating with global news agencies, for profit and nonprofit clients or engaging directly with communities through her projects, Alyssa Pointer continues to explore the power of visual storytelling. Follow Alyssa @alyssapointerphoto
Day 2: October 25
Positioning, Relationships, and High-Stakes Assignments with Tolani Alli:
10am-11:15am ET
This session will delve into how to position yourself professionally, build client relationships, and prepare for high-stakes assignments while honing your business and people skills. Whether taking on your first paid work or looking to bump your career up to the next level, this class will give you the practical strategies to thrive long-term by building a sustainable photography business.
Tolani Alli is a Creative Strategist, Director, and Producer working across film, photography, and institutional storytelling. Her work sits at the intersection of leadership, perception, and memory, shaping how institutions, leaders, and ideas are seen and understood over time. She currently works with the senior leadership of the World Bank Group, where she documents and helps shape the institution’s visual narrative at the highest level. Prior to this, she served as Executive Creative Adviser and Digital Storyteller to Dr. Akinwumi Adesina CON at the African Development Bank, where she led visual storytelling and advised on narrative, digital presence, and content strategy across the institution. Her work spanned multiple African countries and global convenings such as COP28 and the G7 Summit. Her work has been featured by CNN, the United Nations, BBC News, World Press Photo, and The Guardian. Alli’s work is guided by a clear belief: that storytelling is not separate from strategy. It is how institutions are understood, how trust is built, and how legacy is shaped. Follow Tolani on Instagram @tolanialli
Getting Field Ready with Adriana Loureiro Fernández
11:15am-12:30pm ET
Prepare for the realities of working in the field with tools for staying safe while covering sensitive stories. In this course, you'll learn how to assess risks, protect yourself and the people you photograph, and build a well-prepared kit with everything you need before heading out on assignment. Just as important, this class will also highlight earning people’s trust in order to tell stories responsibly with care and respect.
Adriana Loureiro Fernandez is a freelance photojournalist based in Venezuela. Focusing on themes around social conflict, the environment, and migration, her work has been featured in The New York Times, ProPublica, The Washington Post, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Der Spiegel, among others. She is a frequent contributor for The New York Times in Latin America and was most recently awarded with the 2024 World Press Photo Award and the Eugene Smith Grant. In 2025 she received an honorable mention for the Anja Niedringhaus Award. In 2024 she was shortlisted for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award. She earned the 2019 Remi Ochlik Award at Visa Pour L’Image and the 2017 Ian Parry's Highly Commended Award. Adriana’s work has been exhibited worldwide and she has a Master's Degree in Journalism from Columbia University. She’s currently developing a new chapter of her ongoing project, Paradise Lost. Follow Adriana on Instagram @adriana.loureiro
Avoiding Burnout and Nurturing Sustainability with Gabriel V. Cárdenas
1pm-2:15pm ET
Achieve a fulfilling photography career that lasts by learning how to invest not only in your work but also yourself. This class will outline how to stay motivated, recognize the early signs of burnout, and build self-care practices that protect your well-being both on and off assignment. You'll also learn how personal projects can reignite your passion, sharpen your visual voice, and open new doors.
Gabriel V. Cárdenas is a documentary photographer and photo and video journalist based in Mission, Texas, along the U.S.-Mexico border. His work explores immigration, gender, identity, and the complexities of life in border communities. Cárdenas is an International Women’s Media Foundation Fellow and an Eddie Adams XXXI alumnus. He is a former Women Photograph mentee under Lynn Johnson and Emily Jan, and a former participant in the Advanced Mentored Study program with James Estrin and Ed Kashi. In 2025, he served as a judge for Pictures of the Year International. He is a frequent contributor for Reuters, The New York Times, The Texas Tribune, among others. Follow Gabriel on Instagram @gabriel_v_cardenas
Being Nimble While Being Yourself with Annice Lyn
2:15pm-3:30pm ET
Expand your career by learning how to move between editorial, commercial, and sports photography while staying true to your voice. Exploring how to successfully approach and build lasting relationships with brands, partners, and sponsorships, this class reveals how to create a well-rounded, diversified practice that supports long-term growth. You don’t have to step away from work that matters to you in order to diversify your career—and this class shows you how.
Annice Lyn is a Malaysian photojournalist and visual storyteller working across sports, documentary, editorial, and commercial photography. A former national figure skater, she brings an insider’s perspective to the world of sport, having covered multiple Olympic Games and major international sporting events. Her practice has evolved to include collaborations with global brands and publications, building long-term partnerships while staying rooted in an authentic editorial voice. As the co-founder of Women Photographers Malaysia, she is passionate about creating opportunities for women in visual storytelling. Through her work, Annice explores how photographers can build sustainable careers through trust, meaningful relationships, while finding a balance between navigating the editorial world, commercial partnerships and opportunities. Follow Annice on Instagram @annicelyn
Explore The Essentials Webinars
Explore the Everyday Projects Partnership
The Everyday Projects Curriculum - 10 Lessons
The Everyday Projects Video Lessons
CatchLight + The Everyday Projects
Outreach Spotlight: The Everyday Projects
Season 6:
Season 5:
Season 4:
Season 3:
Season 2:
“Expanding Your Vision” with Yagazie Emezi
October 6
In this class, Yagazie Emezi will guide us through her personal projects and finding her own creative voice in photography. As she guides us through this aspect of her career, she will talk about the process of learning to trust her own vision, what others can learn from her journey, and how she then applies her personal style to assignment work. This class builds on Yagazie’s previous class in The Essentials, “Be Your Own Manager".
Yagazie Emezi is a Nigerian artist and self-taught photojournalist focused on stories surrounding African women and their health, sexuality, education and human rights. Having worked extensively across Africa, Yagazie also covers stories on identity and culture, social justice, climate change and migration. Her art practice uses photography and sculpture to construct visual critiques of Nigeria's socio-political state and the roles media play in it, pulling from history and current events. You can follow her @yagazieemezi.
“Managing Risk, Safety, and Trauma as a Journalist” with Alison Baskerville and Tara Pixley
October 13
This session discusses key elements of risk assessment, safety and security planning, and the management of bio/psycho/social impacts in the work of journalists, understanding those experiences and the realities of the job through an intersectional lens. By recognizing how identity, environmental, organizational, and operational variables impact our health and safety for every assignment, we are better prepared to enter any space or experience.
Tara Pixley (she/her) is a visual journalist and educator with 20 years of experience as a freelance photographer and photo editor for news organizations such as the New York Times, Newsweek, CNN, Wall Street Journal, ProPublica, and many others. She is currently an IWMF NextGen Fellow in journalist safety and risk assessment and a professor of journalism at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Tara was a Knight Visiting Fellow at Harvard’s Nieman Foundation of Journalism, an inaugural awardee of the World Press Photo Solutions Visual Journalism Initiative, and holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of California San Diego. You can follow her @tlpix.
Ali Baskerville (she/her) is a documentary photographer and a media safety trainer and advisor with a focus on freelancers. A former-soldier-turned-photographer, Alison is able to blend her military experience with her career as a conflict photographer to translate into realistic safety training for the media community. As a photographer she uses her experience to comment on, document and question the military experience that aims to make work reflecting on important contemporary issues such as social inequality, military occupation, gender identity and safety as well as the long-term consequences of emotional trauma through conflict. You can follow her @ali_baskerville.
This session is sponsored by the ACOS Alliance. Learn more about the organization here.
“Demystifying Digital Security: Practical Guidance for Journalists” with Ela Stapley
October 20
From surveillance to identity theft, journalists face a range of digital security threats as they go about their work. Knowing what steps to take to better protect themselves and their sources is more and more important. From secure communications to protecting online data, this session will teach journalists practical tips that they can use to increase their security. If you have doubts about WhatsApp security or have ever wondered if it is safe to store your passwords in your browser, then this session is for you!
Ela Stapley is a digital safety expert and trainer working with journalists around the world to help them be safer both when online and when using technology. She is part of the Emergencies team at the Committee to Protect Journalists where she supports journalists on a wide range of issues ranging from device security to online harassment. Ela also leads the online harassment initiative at the International Women's Media Foundation where she works with journalists and other organisations to find solutions to violence online. Ela is a former freelance journalist and holds an MA in International Journalism from Cardiff University, UK.
“Building Your Career” with Sarahbeth Maney and Sarah Waiswa
Careers in photography have no roadmap, and a common question is, how do I get started? How do I make my first contacts in the industry, get my first assignment, work on my first projects? Photographers Sarahbeth Maney and Sarah Waiswa will use their own passion projects and reporting projects to walk you through the start of their careers and highlight some of their most important learnings along the way. Coming from different points of their career and different backgrounds, Sarabeth and Sarah will showcase what they were able to do with limited support and discuss what it was truly like to get their careers off the ground.
Sarahbeth Maney is a 2021-22 photography fellow at The New York Times' Washington bureau. Her personal work focuses on topics related to housing insecurity, disability, and inequalities that disproportionately impact Black and brown communities. Most recently, she has documented immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the California wildfire season. In addition, she filmed a short documentary following Ahmet Ustunel, the first blind person to kayak independently from Asia to Europe using navigational prototype technology. Maney graduated from San Francisco State University in 2019 with a degree in photojournalism and has interned at the San Francisco Chronicle and The Flint Journal in Michigan. She is a recipient of the inaugural Pulitzer Center and Diversify Photo Eyewitness Photojournalism Grant in 2020. Her photography has been published by TIME, Vanity Fair, Apple, The Washington Post, and the San Francisco Chronicle, among others. Maney is a member of Diversify Photo, the National Association of Black Journalists, Authority Collective, and Black Women Photographers. You can follow her @sbmaneyphoto.
Sarah Waiswa is Ugandan-born, Kenya-based documentary and portrait photographer with an interest in exploring the New African Identity on the continent. With degrees in sociology and psychology, Sarah’s work explores social issues in Africa in a contemporary and non-traditional way. In 2015, she was awarded first place in the story and creative categories in the Uganda Press Photo Awards and second place in the Daily Life and portrait categories. In 2016 she was awarded the Discovery Award in Arles, France and in 2017 she was awarded the Gerald Kraak Award in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2018, she was named a Canon Brand Ambassador and was selected for the World Press Photo 6x6 Africa Program. She is a Pulitzer Center Rainforest Journalism Fund grantee. Her work has been exhibited around the world, most recently at the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia. Her work is currently on display at the Bristol Photo Festival 2021 in collaboration with the Bristol Archives. Her photographs have been published in the Washington Post, Bloomberg, the New York Times, among other publications, and she has worked with brands such as Christian Dior and Chloe. Earlier this year, she founded African Women in Photography, a non profit organization dedicated to elevating and celebrating the work of women and non binary photographers from Africa. She is a contributing photographer to Everyday Africa. You can follow her @lafrohemien.
“So You Got An Assignment – Now What? Working with Photo Editors” with Jehan Jillani and Olivier Laurent
When on an assignment, knowing what an editor expects of you can be challenging, especially early on in your career. Photo editors Olivier Laurent (The Washington Post) and Jehan Jillani (The Atlantic) will take a practical approach to explaining the barebones of how to make photojournalism a sustainable career, and will delve into strategies on how to work with photo editors, how to make sure your voice is heard, and how to turn in photos with the proper information.
Jehan Jillani is a Visuals Editor at The Atlantic where she commissions photography and illustrations for the publication’s digital features and special projects. She was previously the lead Picture and Visuals editor at the Guardian US. Jehan has also worked as a photo editor at National Geographic and The New Yorker. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Publication Designers and American Photography, and she has spoken about photography at numerous educational institutions. Jehan is a graduate of Smith College and is based in Brooklyn, NY. You can follow her @jehanjillani.
Olivier Laurent is a foreign photo editor at The Washington Post, with a specific focus on Africa, Asia and the Middle-East. He also edits the Climate & Environment section, assigning photographers to cover the climate emergency. In 2019, he was part of the climate team that won the Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting for a series that "showed with scientific clarity the dire effects of extreme temperatures on the planet." In 2018, he coordinated the newspaper's visual coverage of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, working with Lorenzo Tugnoli, a contract photographer with the Post. The photo essay won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Photography. You can follow him @olivierclaurent.
Building a Narrative with Kiana Hayeri
May 5
Kiana Hayeri is known for her visual storytelling that is intimate, personal, and lyrical. In this class, she will discuss how to build a narrative from start to finish, including how to pitch a story to an editor and how to break down a story while photographing on assignment.
Kiana Hayeri is an Iranian-Canadian photographer based in Kabul, Afghanistan. She is a Senior TED fellow and a regular contributor to The New York Times. In 2020, she received the Tim Hetherington Visionary award and was named as the 6th recipient of James Foley Award for Conflict Reporting. In 2021, Kiana received the Robert Capa Gold Medal for her photographic series “Where Prison is Kind of a Freedom,” documenting the lives of Afghan women in Herat Prison. You can follow her @kianahayeri.
Anatomy of a Story with Andrea Wise
May 12
In this session, Andrea Wise will deconstruct a couple of published stories to demystify how stories come to be from the editor’s perspective. She will talk about story origination, including assignment work and stories pitched by photographers, getting ideas and budgets approved, creative planning/art direction, working visually in harmony with text, selecting and sequencing images, and laying out stories for publication. You will learn more about what visual editors do, how to get on their radar, how best to work with them on assignment, and how to maximize the chances of getting your pitches picked up.
Andrea Wise is co-founder of Diversify Photo and a visuals editor at ProPublica where she ideates and commissions photography, illustration, and other forms of visual journalism. She was previously a contract photo editor on the history & culture desk at National Geographic. She has also worked with Newsweek, BuzzFeed News, The Intercept, Open Society Foundations, among others. Her work has been recognized by The Telly Awards, The National Press Photographers Association, College Photographer of the Year, and The Student Academy Awards. Andrea earned her M.S. in Photography from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and her B.A. with Honors in Studio Arts from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and is an alum of the Eddie Adams, Kalish, and Mountain Workshops. You can follow her @andreawise_
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The Essentials: Honing Your Skills with Nicky Woo
Nicky Quamina-Woo has a career as both a commercial and documentary photographer. In this class, she will touch on the basics of portraiture lighting, marketing your work, and tailoring your portfolio to fit the client. She will review the portfolio of 1-3 students for the class to learn from, as well as show examples of successful images, investigating why each works (or doesn’t) from a lighting perspective.
Nicky Quamina-Woo is a Black + Native Hawaiian photographer who divides her time between the African continent, South East Asia, and New York City. Her fascination with the tenacity of the human spirit deeply influences her approach to image-making, working on documentary imagery that explores human rights issues, health, culture and breaking news. Initially a commercial photographer, she became an art director & producer with brands such as Ralph Lauren, Ann Taylor and Target, before getting back behind the lens with a shift to journalism. Nicky is also a university professor at Parson’s School of Design in NYC, where she teaches lighting when not reporting internationally. Nicky is a winner of American Photography 37, a recipient of the Nikon-Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage grant in 2020, and an awardee of the Reuters Storytelling grant in 2018. Her clients include CNN, The Washington Post, Human Rights Watch, BuzzFeed, Apple, Reporters Beyond Borders, Reuters, The Guardian, and Vogue Italia magazine. You can follow her at @nickywoophoto.
Finding Support for Your Projects – Grant Writing with Danielle Villasana
Danielle Villasana will share tips on preparing grant applications for new or ongoing projects. She’ll cover the do’s and don'ts as well as various funding organizations within the visual media industry.
Danielle Villasana is a photojournalist based in Istanbul whose documentary work focuses on human rights, gender, displacement, and health around the world. She’s a National Geographic Explorer, Magnum Foundation awardee, and an International Women's Media Foundation fellow. Danielle strongly believes in pairing photography with education and community. She’s co-founder of We, Women, an Authority Collective board member, on The Everyday Projects’ Community Team, and a Photo Bill of Rights co-author. She’s also a member of Women Photograph and Ayün Fotógrafas. Ultimately, Danielle works by the words of Donna De Cesare: “You are a human being first and a journalist second.” You can follow her at @davillasana.
Be Your Own Manager – Finances and Self-Promotion with Yagazie Emezi
June 2
Yagazie Emezi will draw from her personal experiences of utilizing social media for self-promotion, managing finances as a freelancer, understanding contracts, and finding opportunities. She will speak to the challenges photographers regularly face, including setting a day rate and understanding usage and copyrights. Her session will be rooted in practical tools and strategies, and in understanding the overall value of one’s work.
Yagazie Emezi is a Nigerian artist and self-taught photojournalist focused on stories surrounding African women and their health, sexuality, education and human rights. Having worked extensively across Africa, Yagazie also covers stories on identity and culture, social justice, climate change and migration. Her art practice uses photography and sculpture to construct visual critiques of Nigeria's socio-political state and the roles media play in it, pulling from history and current events. You can follow her @yagazieemezi.