© Alishia Farnan
We have always worked really hard to make sure that things are as affordable and attainable as possible for photographers, and that we work together as a community to support and share. In response to the COVID-19 situation we pulled together everything we could so we could offer 20 Shutter Hub memberships.
We’d like to introduce you to some of the photographers who were recently successfully awarded our membership bursary, and some of them share their feedback on how they’re going to make the most of it, below.
Heather Agyepong, Jordana Barale, Emma Boyns, Georgina Cook, Yolanda Crisp, Zak Dimitrov, Alishia Farnan, Nicolette Clara Iles, Ellie Laycock, Michaela Nagyidaiová, Michiru Nakayama, Justine Ritchie, Dan Rubin, Nicola Stead, Mike Sutton, Misha Vallejo, and Francesca Wilkinson have all been welcomed into the Shutter Hub community.
© Heather Agyepong
‘I have been dying to connect with other photographers in a non competitive but collaborative way and when I had a membership a few years back the events and online collaborations were brilliant. I have felt a little deflated about the art world during this time but the bursary will help me push myself, get advice, be proactive and stay motivated.’
© Jordana Barale
‘When I decided to come to London, I had my business in a strong position in my country. I stopped using my camera for a while and put all my willpower in learning the language, the culture, the life. I believe in a photograph that exchanges experiences, and for that, I really needed to understand a lot of things first.
I discovered Shutter Hub when I was researching the photography community in London, and always visited the site to know what was going on in photography in Europe, to know the best photographers and learn the English photography vocabulary.
When Shutter Hub wanted to help photographers during quarantine time I was blessed with my membership! I felt at home.
And now, what I want to do? I am already working as a photographer based in London, so I will promote my portfolio through Shutter Hub and use the logo on my website to show people my connections. I would love to join in the exhibitions and learn with the Shutter Hub Surgery. I think the opportunity to acquire knowledge from experts is a gift, and an inspiration to be better always. I look forward to the awards and networking because I am sure that I will meet incredible people, a strong community and find singular opportunities too.
I have no regrets for the time when I closed my shutter, but I am so grateful to open it again!’
© Emma Boyns
I’m delighted to have been chosen as a recipient of the Shutter Hub membership bursary. The online resources available on the Shutter Hub website, including the ‘Opportunities’ and ‘Call for Entries’ pages, will be an invaluable tool, especially during this time where finding motivation and opportunities is all the more difficult. The platform is great for featuring my own work as well as finding inspiration in other photographers’ portfolios, and being able to easily curate my own on the website is really helpful. Having the opportunity enter work into exhibitions and view upcoming events is a great way to be more involved in the photographic community, and I’m looking forward to networking at meet-ups and events in the future. It’s great to feel supported and inspired!
© Georgina Cook
‘I’m so grateful for the bursary! It hasn’t quite sunk in yet that I am part of the SH community but I know that it will as time goes on! I’m already really excited and inspired by the work of other Shutter Hub photographers that I’m seeing and look forward to meeting some of you at networking events.
One of my main objectives of the membership is to refine my portfolio so my different projects and bodies of work make sense to other people. I’d also like to be better at talking about and contextualising my work. I’m sure this is something that the portfolio review and monthly surgeries will help with. That’s such an invaluable resource that will definitely help me gain new perspectives and hopefully a bit of extra confidence that will help me on a day to day basis.’
© Yolanda Crisp
‘After being awarded one of the membership bursaries I plan to make as much use of my Shutter Hub membership as possible by entering the open calls & making use of the surgeries and portfolio reviews. As well as the opportunities for exhibitions etc it’s belonging to the community of artists and photographers which I am also looking forward to.
Photography can be very solitary and occasionally lonely so knowing I’m part of a network of fellow creatives and seeing the work being created will drive me on to keep working and pushing forward with my projects. Seeing the “Good News” posts on social media are a great motivation.
The team behind Shutter Hub have created an organisation that provides opportunities, promotion and connections in a supportive environment. I’m very pleased to be part of it and hope to be able to make a contribution to the community too.’
© Zak Dimitrov
‘I’m delighted to receive the Shutter Hub bursary which I hope will motivate me to not only create new work but also meet new likeminded people. Shutter Hub is an incredible community and after finishing my MA, but especially during lockdown, I have missed the daily interaction with other photographers and creative individuals.
The regular exhibitions and competitions are great opportunities, and so are the portfolio reviews – it helps you get feedback and a fresh pair of eyes on your work. I’m currently working on some new projects which use techniques that I haven’t worked with before so I think I’ll also find the Surgery quite helpful when it comes to technical know how.’
© Alishia Farnan
© Ellie Laycock
‘I’m really thrilled and very grateful to receive the Shutter Hub bursary and I look forward to connecting with and discovering more about the other members of the Shutter Hub community. As I begin to rebuild my artist career after a long absence for motherhood, I am particularly excited about the opportunities for portfolio reviews and surgeries as tools for professional and artistic development, as well as having access to the latest opportunities and of course the open calls for the exhibitions. Being a photographer can often be a solitary pursuit so it’s very exciting to connect with a new community like Shutter Hub where we can all support each other and share our creativity.’
© Michaela Nagyidaiová
‘As a documentary photographer, I really miss not having the opportunity to get my work reviewed as much as I used to when studying at university. Once the stress and deadlines of my MA degree had slowly vanished, I began to plan new ideas and project but did not have the support of tutors or their feedback to rely on anymore. Shutter Hub membership will definitely help me in terms of reviewing my work, hearing new ideas and thoughts from the reviewers as well as being a part of an international photographic community. Apart from all of this, Shutter Hub is a great source of information, from posting about open calls or features to sharing many other photo-based opportunities, which is something that I will keep an eye on!’
© Michiru Nakayama
‘Here in Paris, beautiful images can be found easily however I’ve found difficulties to make image beyond those surface. I would like to learn again just not look at things but look into them. Since I have started freelance photographer, I realized that sometimes photographer must work alone. Then I thought that I should learn from other photographers and specialists in Shutter Hub.’
© Justine Ritchie
‘I’m absolutely delighted and feel very privileged to have been awarded one of the Shutter Hub Membership Bursaries. I am a photographer based on the Isle of Eigg in the Inner Hebrides. My work is very much inspired by the wild, elemental landscapes and seascapes of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and reflects not only the natural world but also man’s interaction with the environment.
Photography is how I can best express my way of seeing and my passion for the outdoors while also drawing attention to the fragile beauty of the wild, remote and often inhospitable places that remain threatened by climate change and the unprecedented global emergency our planet is now facing.
This membership bursary will enable me to be part of a supportive community of other photographers where I can share my work via a respected international platform and access a wealth of resources to help develop my own photographic practice. I think by being part of this creative community it will also give me the opportunity to make new connections and open up opportunities to enable me to further develop my mindful photography workshops and the work I am creating using alternative photographic processes. I think that this membership bursary will also give me greater confidence to submit my work to competitions and seek out future exhibition opportunities that I would otherwise have shied away from, but with the support of Shutter Hub I feel that this will be a new area for me to venture into.
Having looked at other photographer’s portfolios, I already feel more inclined to step outside my own comfort zone and explore new ways to connect, research and apply that shared knowledge to the projects I am working on. I hope too that I will be able to give something back by sharing my own approach to photography and the work that I do and by supporting others in the community with their own photographic projects.’
© Nicola Stead
‘I am delighted to have been awarded a Shutter Hub membership bursary as it is an organisation which offers excellent support to photographers. I believe that being part of Shutter Hub will greatly contribute to my professional development and raise my profile as a photographer. I am excited to have the opportunity to present my portfolio through their website, allowing me a professional platform to promote my work.
I intend to take full advantage of their exhibition and competition opportunities as well as their portfolio reviews and surgeries to gain expert advice. I am looking forward to being part of such a vibrant and passionate photography community and I am sure I will be inspired by the fantastic work being created by my fellow members.
Receiving this membership bursary is such a positive boost for my photographic practice and I look forward to making connections within the wider photographic community.’
© Mike Sutton
‘I’m so grateful to be chosen, and what I want to make the most of is the opportunity to be part of a supportive community, I’ve worked independently since graduating almost five years ago and I’ve always found it incredibly difficult to become part of a community since, studying Photography at university and college were some of my best experiences in my career. Working alone for so long can eventually lead to a lot of uncertainty and even procrastination, and it’s great that I am able to get guidance in areas I’m less knowledgeable or unsure, and to push my work further.
Every facet of what Shutter Hub offers is something I feel I’ve been missing in my own progression, a place to show my portfolio alongside PR opportunities, and intensive mentorships that can push projects I’m working on to completion.’
© Francesca Wilkinson
‘I am really excited to have received the bursary for the Shutter Hub membership. For me, having this membership is going to open the door for peer support and discussion about my projects and ideas which is something that I have felt lacking in since I left an educational institution. I will definitely be making the most of the annual portfolio review and Shutter Hub Surgery slots!
I am also very excited to have easy access to genuine and good quality photography opportunities that I can trust, rather than spending precious time scouring the web for the ‘right things’ to apply to. The financial cost of applying to many competitions and exhibition opportunities can also be off-putting so it will be great to be able to apply to the opportunities that Shutter Hub advertises but at the lower member’s rate. The fact that Shutter Hub also publicly promote their member’s work is also going to be a great help because one of the main struggles I am having with my work is getting it out to a wider audience without sacrificing too much financially.’
Our membership has always been heavily subsidised by our own income* (we receive no external grants or funding), allowing each member to access over £1000 worth of services, it’s something we are really proud to be able to offer.
For those who aren’t Shutter Hub members we have, and always will, provide free content on our award winning blog – we share knowledge, opportunities, advice, behind the scenes projects, and much more. We also send out regular newsletters to our mailing list (sign up here), and you can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter.
In 2016 we set up the Camera Amnesty, our appeal to help homeless photographers get hold of your unwanted cameras and photography equipment. We’ve created free exhibitions, free opportunities, and freedom to share, wherever we can. We believe in collaborating and making a positive impact within the industry.
We will continue to do what we can, and hope these bursaries, along with everything else we do, will be of some help and support in this unsettled time.
*This bursary is funded by Shutter Hub income, sponsorship and donations. We receive no externals grants or funding.
Not a Shutter Hub member yet? Join here for opportunities to promote your work online and in exhibitions, access selected opportunities, events, seminars and workshops, meet up and share photographic experiences, and become part of our growing community…
