Justin Carey is a photographic artist and curator based in the West Midlands, UK, whose practice explores the affective properties of the urban environment and the social and environmental determinants of identity. His work focuses particularly on night photography and the residual traces that exist within a place beyond what is immediately seen.

Justin has been associated with Shutter Hub since its first Open exhibition in 2014, showing work in numerous Shutter Hub exhibitions and leading acclaimed talks on night photography and its history. He later developed and curated Night Moods, published by Shutter Hub Editions, while continuing to build an extensive engagement with international festivals and conferences through his practice and research. His work reflects an ongoing commitment to thoughtful photographic practice, collaboration, and creative exchange.

justincarey.com

@justincareystudio

Dan Gaba is a photographer and photo editor at The Wall Street Journal, where he has spent more than fifteen years shaping visual journalism through thoughtful editing, storytelling, and collaboration with photographers around the world.

Drawing on extensive experience in editorial photography, Dan is passionate about the power of images to communicate complex stories with clarity, humanity, and impact. His work combines visual storytelling with a keen editorial eye, supporting photographers in developing compelling narratives and strong, purposeful bodies of work. Alongside his editorial practice, he regularly reviews portfolios and contributes to conversations around contemporary photography and visual culture.

Through his collaboration with Shutter Hub as a portfolio reviewer and award selector, Dan has shared his editorial expertise with photographers at every stage of their careers. He is committed to fostering photographic talent through constructive dialogue, mentorship, and the exchange of ideas within an international creative community.

@dangaba

Karen Harvey MBE is the Founder & Director of Shutter Hub. She is dedicated to creating fair access to photography and opening up opportunities for everyone, and founded the organisation in 2014 to create a supportive community for photographers and provide a platform for the development of ideas and careers.

Over the past decade Karen has brought photographers work to international audiences though awards, portfolio reviews, and exhibitions across the UK, Europe and Middle East, and established the specialist photobook publishing house Shutter Hub Editions.

Karen removed paid memberships in 2025 to make Shutter Hub open-access and available to photographers around the world at no cost, and in 2026 she committed further to the democratisation of photography by passing Shutter Hub into the control of the community it was built for.

As a social entrepreneur and impact founder Karen works to bring innovative ideas and fundamental kindness to every project. Amongst other business and community development activities, she’s also the founder of Toiletries Amnesty, the award-winning environmental and social NGO supporting 10 million people around the world each year.

karen-harvey.co.uk

@harveyhotdog

Francesca Hummler is a German-American photographic artist, educator, and curator whose practice explores identity, family, and belonging through photography, archives, and collaborative image making.

An award-winning artist with an international exhibition record, Francesca combines research-led practice with teaching, curation, and creative leadership. Drawing on her experience as the daughter of German immigrants in the United States, her work investigates self-portraiture, family archives, and generational memory, creating space for dialogue around identity, healing, and lived experience. Alongside her artistic practice, she develops exhibitions, publications, educational programmes, and international partnerships that champion emerging photographers and broaden access to contemporary photographic practice.

A longstanding supporter of Shutter Hub, Francesca has contributed as a portfolio reviewer, sharing her knowledge and experience while helping photographers develop their practice within an international community. Passionate about nurturing creative communities, she brings people together through education, mentoring, and collaboration, creating inclusive opportunities for learning, exchange, and creative growth.

francescahummler.com

Dr. Gemma Marmalade is the Creative Director of Shutter Hub and has worked in international photography, education, and creative leadership for nearly twenty years.

An award-winning photographic artist, curator, educator, and writer specialising in performativity and the image, Gemma has led photography programmes in higher education, directed galleries, developed global opportunities for photographers and artists, and championed inclusion and accessibility across the creative sector. She regularly serves as a panellist and judge for international photography festivals and competitions, and her published research, critical writing, and curatorial work have contributed to contemporary conversations around photographic practice and culture. Throughout her career, Gemma has worked alongside Shutter Hub in a variety of professional capacities, valuing the organisation as both a trusted peer network and a continual source of inspiration through its innovative and dynamic commitment to making photography more accessible to everyone.

By building meaningful connections through photography, Gemma creates vibrant communities, networks, and platforms that help image makers around the world connect, collaborate, and thrive.

@gemmamarmalade

Rosita McKenzie is a photographic artist based in Edinburgh, Scotland, whose pioneering practice challenges conventional ideas of vision, perception, and image making through an inclusive and accessible approach to photography.

A self-taught practitioner working alongside a sighted assistant, Rosita has spent more than twenty years developing an internationally recognised body of work that spans documentary and abstract photography. Her exhibitions have been presented across the UK and internationally, and her work has become an important contribution to conversations around accessibility, representation, and creative practice. As the recipient of the Shutter Hub Solo Book Award, her publication Touching Light continues her exploration of photography beyond traditional expectations of sight and image making.

Rosita champions inclusive creative practice, mentors emerging artists, and advocates for greater opportunities for blind and visually impaired photographers, helping to build a more accessible and representative photographic community.

rositamckenzie.co.uk

@rosita_mckenzie

Marisol Mendez is a photographer, researcher, and curator from Cochabamba, Bolivia, whose practice explores the intersections of documentary, fiction, memory, identity, and representation.

Through research-led and self-initiated projects, Marisol works across photography, archives, and installation to examine how images shape our understanding of lived experience, collective memory, power, and desire. Her work creates layered visual narratives that challenge conventional forms of representation, inviting audiences to question the relationship between photography, imagination, and truth. Alongside her creative practice, she has collaborated internationally as a curator, including co-curating exhibitions that explore identity, embodiment, and diverse perspectives through photography.

Marisol had her first exhibition with Shutter Hub, going on to co-curate Your Body Belongs to You with Karen Harvey in St Gilles Croix de Vie, France. Her longstanding dedication to Shutter Hub illustrates her commitment to creating spaces for dialogue, collaboration, and critical exchange, supporting photographers and artists to connect across cultures through thoughtful and inclusive creative practice.

marisol-mendez.com

@marisol__mendez

Grant Simon Rogers is a photographer, artist, educator, and writer based in Berlin, Germany, with a multidisciplinary practice spanning photography, painting, drawing, and animation.

An accomplished visual artist and founding member of the artist-led organisation Cubitt Artists, Grant has dedicated much of his career to arts education, visual literacy, and lifelong learning. For nearly thirty years he was a visiting lecturer at the National Gallery, London, contributing to its public programmes and working extensively with museums, galleries, universities, and art schools. He continues to lecture internationally, leading seminars on visual literacy, perception, and portfolio development across Europe. Grant has been part of the Shutter Hub community since taking part in the now legendary OPEN 2018 exhibition at the Truman Brewery in London, beginning a longstanding relationship with the organisation.

Driven by the transformative power of creative education, Grant champions thoughtful dialogue, critical engagement, and the exchange of ideas, encouraging artists and audiences alike to deepen the ways they see, understand, and connect through visual culture.

grantsimonrogers.com

@grantsimonrogers

Vanessa Vincent is a photographic artist based in Newfoundland, Canada, whose practice celebrates the quiet beauty of everyday life through mindful observation and a deep appreciation of place.

Working across a range of photographic approaches, with a particular passion for analogue photography and traditional darkroom processes, Vanessa creates intimate images that explore light, texture, atmosphere, and the subtle details that shape our experience of the world. Inspired by Newfoundland’s dramatic landscapes, quiet back roads, and everyday encounters, her work invites moments of reflection and reveals the extraordinary qualities found within the seemingly ordinary. Discovering Shutter Hub opened a window to an international community of photographers and wider creative perspectives, inspiring her to share her own work as part of the organisation’s growing global network.

Vanessa encourages thoughtful image-making that celebrates authenticity, presence, and the shared human experience through visual storytelling.

@vanessavvincent