News Archives - Girls Who Click

Get Mentored by a Pro: Girls Who Click Launches the Ambassador Program

by Girls Who ClickJuly 31, 2020July 30, 2020 Leave a comment

A letter from Suzi Eszterhas, GWC Founder and Executive Director

To our wonderful Girls Who Click Community,

As you may have seen on social media and on our website, in addition to offering our free online workshops, Girls Who Click is launching a totally new program this fall. This program will supercharge our ability to empower young women in nature photography.

And I am SO excited to tell you about it.

The Ambassador Program is a dream come true for Girls Who Click. We have designed this program to propel diverse women into the professional arena and break the glass ceiling that has defined professional nature photography for too long. Through this new initiative, we will take a more personalized, long-term approach to supporting individual young photographers as they work towards their career goals and navigate the photography industry.

We are committed to reaching female or female-identified photographers from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, and, like all of our programs, the Ambassador Program is completely free for participants.

The Ambassador Program will guide young female or female-identified photographers/videographers ages 16-25 through a year-long mentorship. We pair each Ambassador with a professional photographer who will guide her in several key areas: developing a portfolio, breaking into the industry, and cultivating a network of supportive individuals. We welcome our Ambassadors to stay with us for years to come — even after their “official” mentorship has ended — and hope that one day they will join the list of Girls Who Click’s Partner Photographers as seasoned pros. GWC is in this for the long-haul!

Apply to be an Ambassador > > >

How do you become an Ambassador? It’s simple. Complete our online application and send us a portfolio of 40 images. We want everyone who is interested to be able to apply. You don’t need references, you don’t need anything fancy, we just want to see your photos (or videos), learn about you, and hear how this program will help you meet your career goals. And, if you have any questions or need any help, you can email us at info@girlswhoclick.org at any time.

Who are the Ambassador Program mentors? We have brought together a dedicated group of professional photographers and videographers, all women, who want to share their knowledge and skills with the next generation. Many of these women are also GWC Partner Photographers.

There’s more. In addition to being mentored by a pro photographer, Ambassadors will also get access to all Girls Who Click workshops (in person or online), a free camera bag from our sponsor ThinkTank, promotion of her work through Girls Who Click social media and website, and the opportunity to do a week-long takeover of GWC social media to highlight her photography or videography. What’s more, two lucky ambassadors will receive a complimentary year-long membership to our sponsor Wild Idea Lab.

I founded Girls Who Click in 2017 to empower girls to enter the male-dominated field of nature photography and use their work to further conservation efforts around the world. I am so moved by the diverse community that has built up around Girls Who Click. Without these amazing professionals, volunteers, donors, and of course our wonderful participants and families, the Ambassador Program would not have been possible. Thank you.

Here’s to the next generation of talented and strong women in nature photography!

With gratitude and excitement,

Suzi Eszterhas,
Founder and Executive Director, Girls Who Click

Girls Who Click featured in Four Seasons Magazine!

by adminMarch 20, 2020April 10, 2020 Leave a comment

GWC founder Suzi Eszterhas (Suzi Eszterhas Wildlife Photography) wrote “[The article is] about women in wildlife photography and why I founded Girls Who Click. With the current situation across the globe, it is doubtful that anyone will be in their hotels to read it. But I am still so pleased that this kind of magazine would be interested in the issue enough to ask me to write about it. That means that our awareness campaigns are making a difference, and though we have had to cancel recent workshops, I remain so hopeful and proud of this little organization and what we will continue to accomplish.”

You can read the piece online at Four Seasons Magazine’s website!

Workshop Participant’s Photo Published in New Jersey Monthly Magazine!

by adminFebruary 8, 2020April 14, 2020 Leave a comment

GWC workshop participant Annabel Weiman was surprised when she found out that her photograph was runner-up in New Jersey Monthly magazine’s cover photography contest.

We are very proud of Annabel and encourage all of our participants and followers to enter photographs into local and national contests: you never know what the results might be!

Annabel was a participant in our August workshop in New Jersey. The workshop was taught by Ashleigh Scully and Denise Ippolito. It took place at The Raptor Trust, a wild bird rehabilitation center in Morris County, New Jersey. Workshop participants were allowed to learn about these amazing creatures and photograph them outside of their enclosures. This was a rare treat for our participants: it is not often that we get to see these birds at a close distance. These birds can be dangerous and we were lucky to have Raptor Trust staff present to work with the wild birds. The Raptor Trust captured some great photos from all participants.

Annabel is a sophomore in high school. She’s loved photography since 8th grade because she’s “able to find unique things and capture them.” Her mother encouraged her to develop her skills and Annabel eventually invested in a nicer digital camera.

The GWC New Jersey workshop! Photo courtesy of Denise Ippolito and The Raptor Trust.

Annabel uses a digital SLR and zoom lens. Her winning photograph was taken when Raptor Trust handlers took out the Kestrel falcon from its enclosure. The striking aspect of Annabel’s photo is she was able to remove the background through zooming in on the subject while also capturing the falcon’s direct gaze. Capturing an animal’s direct gaze helps the viewer relate to the animal and creates a personal connection — one that can develop into a deep appreciation of nature, even at a young age! Conservation photographers depend on building these relationships between subject and viewer in order to create awareness about conservation.

We got the chance to ask Annabel a few questions after she won big!

What was your favorite moment during the workshop? My favorite moment in the GWC workshop was taking photos of the barred owl. When I used my zoom lens and looked at it, I got really excited because I knew the pictures would come out good. One of them was actually used in a Raptor Trust Facebook post!

Did Denise and Ashleigh teach you anything in particular that helped you improve your photography? Denise and Ashleigh were great teachers; they were nice and they let us work independently yet they were there for us when we needed some advice. Advice they gave me that made my photography more appealing was using the “rule of thirds” guideline in making our compositions.

What did you learn about raptors and conservation at the Raptor Trust? The Raptor Trust is a great place for injured birds of prey. They try to cure them so they can be released back into the wild.

Check out Denise Ippolito’s blog post about Annabel!

Wilderkids Podcast with Suzi

by adminMarch 21, 2019March 21, 2019 1 Comment

You don’t wake up one morning and decide to become a nature photographer. It starts with a passion – often stemming from childhood. And it includes years of practice, failed attempts to make beautiful photographs, and lots of frustration. But with persistence can come triumph, as it did for Suzi Eszterhas, founder of Girls Who Click. In this podcast, hosted by Wilderkids, we learn about Suzi’s journey and what inspired her to start Girls Who Click.

Ashleigh Scully – GWC Spokeswoman

by adminSeptember 12, 2018 1 Comment

We are beyond thrilled to announce that Ashleigh Scully has joined Girls Who Click as our spokeswoman. There is nobody better suited for this role of inspiring teens to join the male-dominated field of nature photography! As a teen herself, Ashleigh is passionate about both nature photography and conservation. You would never guess that she is only a high school sophomore – her work is sophisticated and demonstrates a keen eye for composure. She has mastered the art of telling stories through her beautiful photographs, many of which she captures near her home and on her travels. True to the Girls Who Click mission, she not only composes beautiful images, but she uses her work to educate others about conservation topics and wildlife preservation.

Ashleigh’s honors include the 2017 Nature’s Best Windland Smith Rice Youth Photographer of the Year and the 11-14 year old winner in London’s prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. She has been published in National Geographic Kids, Shutterbug, Outdoor Photographer and Amateur Photographer magazines. In 2017, Ashleigh was chosen by Adobe as one of the top young photographers in the world and selected for their “Adobe Rising Stars” campaign. In 2015, Ashleigh was one of five talented teenage girls selected for Ellen DeGeneres’ “GirlPower” campaign for The GAP. Her images have been exhibited in London’s Natural History Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. and in other top galleries and museums in more than 70 countries. Ashleigh is on the advisory council for Wyoming Untrapped and is an active contributing writer, photographer and youth workshop co-leader for The Canid Project.

Nature Photography – Where Are the Women?

by adminNovember 25, 2017March 7, 2018 22 Comments

It’s an undisputed fact; there are fewer women in the arena of nature photography than there are men. But why? Do men bring something special to the arena? Or is it simply a stereotype that this is a man’s profession? There doesn’t appear to be a clear reason for the disparity between the numbers of men and women in this profession.