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Meet the 2024 Ambassadors!

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We are thrilled to introduce the stunning roster of our 2024 Girls Who Click Ambassadors! Following an intensive selection process, we’ve carefully curated a collection of 16 outstanding New Ambassadors and welcomed 22 Continuing Ambassadors from a pool of over 160 fiercely competitive applicants. These adept photographers and videographers, representing diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, add a kaleidoscope of perspectives to our program.

Beyond their technical prowess and dedication to launching their professional photography careers, these creatives are also champions of conservation. We invite you to explore their captivating portfolios and follow their artistic journeys. Supporting these emerging talents not only nurtures their development but also fosters optimism for a luminous future. 

Join us in applauding these exceptional ambassadors.

  1. Alyson Yates, U.S.A.
  2. Astrid Novillo, Norway
  3. Brooke McDonough, U.S.A.
  4. Céline Bouquet, France
  5. Chelsey Shartz,  U.S.A.
  6. Chelsie Xavier-Blower, Canada
  7. Emily Baker, England 
  8. Francesca Page, Australia
  9. Guadalupe Ludmila Gardetti, New Zealand 
  10. Heidy Camargo,  Panama
  11. Jessica Hadley,  U.S.A.
  12. Maggie Seida,  U.S.A.
  13. Maureen Gathoni, Kenya
  14. Sudha Surendran, India
  15. Tiffany Taxis, U.S.A.
  16. Topo Gaesemodimo, Botswana
  1. Alejandra Rendón, Spain
  2. Alicia Hayden, England
  3. Anna Sapp, U.S.A.
  4. Andrea Sherry, U.S.A.
  5. Beth Hotchkiss, U.S.A.
  6. Chelsea Mayer, U.S.A.
  7. Emma Balunek, U.S.A.
  8. Hallie Cowan, U.S.A.
  9. Jo Davenport, England
  10. Karabo Magakane , South Africa
  11. Katie Waddington, France
  12. Laia Soler,  Norway
  13. Lana Tannir, Germany
  14. Lea Milde, Germany
  15. Maddy Rifka Brunt, U.S.A.
  16. Mya Van Woundenberg, Canada
  17. Neo Mokoena, South Africa
  18. Nicole Holman, Canada
  19. Ningjing Wang, England
  20. Rylee Jensen, U.S.A.
  21. Sadie Hine, U.S.A.
  22. Viktoria Pezzei, Germany

A Fruitful Year Ahead

Each Ambassador has been thoughtfully matched with one of our Partner Photographers, forming a dynamic duo poised to hopefully help take their careers to new heights. These amazing individuals, the backbone of the Girls Who Click Ambassador Program, generously contributes their expertise and mentorship, for which we are profoundly grateful.

Beyond personalized guidance, Ambassadors gain access to Girls Who Click’s nature photography workshops and portfolio reviews, chances to utilize the GWC Social Media platform for their own work, and peer-to-peer connection all over the world in Ambassador-Only virtual meet-ups.

Many of our Continuing Ambassadors, some with us since 2021, will continue into leadership roles, embodying the mission of Girls Who Click.

A heartfelt thank you goes to our program sponsor, Gitzo, who are ensuring our Ambassadors receive cutting-edge equipment, hopefully helping them in the field.

Gitzo and Girls Who Click: Empower young generations of female nature photographers

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This post was originally written and published by Gitzo. 

Girls Who Click

Gitzo has always been committed to nurturing and inspiring nature photographers to grow and take a step further. By collaborating with Girls Who Click, Gitzo extends its mission to empower the next generation of female wildlife photographers.

Beyond broadening Gitzo’s horizons, this partnership also paves the way for a more inclusive and diverse world within nature and wildlife photography.

Nature photography is a way to celebrate and explore the beauty of nature. It’s for anyone with a curiosity and passion for the natural world, who likes creative storytelling and being outdoors. Now, picture a nature photographer out in the field, skillfully planning their shot and 
maneuvering their gear.  

What do they look like? Who do you see? What kinds of stories are they telling about nature? 

@aledecoibri

The field of nature and wildlife photography is disproportionately male, and far fewer women than men enter wildlife photo competitions. What factors contribute to this phenomenon, why are the numbers of female wildlife photographers limited, and most importantly, is there potential for change soon?  
 
There is nothing inherently gendered about the skills or traits required to be a nature photographer, so why aren’t there more women? While this issue is complex with no simple solution, that doesn’t mean nature photography can’t become a more balanced field. Nature is incredibly diverse and the voices telling the stories of nature should reflect that. That’s where Girls Who Click comes in. 

About Girls Who Click

Girls Who Click is a nonprofit organization founded by Suzi Eszterhas, an award-winning wildlife photographer, that is inspiring and empowering girls to develop a lifelong passion for framing the nature around them and striving to protect it. Girls Who Click partners with full-time working professional photographers from around the world to offer free workshops, physical and online, for girls ages 13-18. It also runs an annual mentorship program, the “Ambassador Program”, for young female conservation photographers and videographers ages 16-30. 

@beth.hotchkiss.photo
@rylee_jay_photo

The Mission

Girls Who Click’s philosophy is based on the real-life experiences of nature photographers in the industry leading free photography workshops for teen girls, ages 13-18. In-person workshops include a full day of photography instruction, combined with hands-on practice in the field. For photographers who can’t make it to one of the in-person locations, Girls Who Click hosts frequent online workshops, which are accessible worldwide. All the workshops are led by Girls Who Click partner photographers able to share knowledge, experience, and advice about nature photography, from technical skills to artistry and professional development.

Through this collaboration, Gitzo aims to empower and inspire young women to pursue their passion for framing the natural world, breaking down barriers and stereotypes that may have hindered their participation in the past.

By supporting Girls Who Click, Gitzo is not only championing gender equality in photography but also ensuring that fresh perspectives and talents thrive, enriching the field of wildlife and conservation photography for years to come. 

@aliciahaydenwildlife
@_miss.v.m_

Ambassadors Mentor Program

Girls Who Click believes that the perspectives behind the lens should be as various as the nature in front of it. This is the reason behind the Ambassador Program, a hands-on mentorship project for female nature photographers and videographers ages 16-30 who seek to take their art to the next level. Ambassadors come from all over the world and different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.

What makes the Ambassador Program unique? How does Gitzo enter the game?

Each Ambassador is paired up with a mentor based on their professional and personal goals. 
During the year-long mentorship, they will virtually meet with their mentor to 
develop their portfolio, gain key insights on breaking into the industry, and cultivate a network 
of supportive peers in the photography industry.

Renowned for its commitment to excellence, Gitzo has gone above and beyond by offering top-tier professional gear tailored to support photographers during the educational program, thereby paving the way for their aspirations. Are you curious about Ambassadors’ works?  
Keep following us on social media to stay up to date on the partnership.  

@lea.milde
@the_halligator

Meet the GWC 2022 Ambassadors Based in Africa

by Samantha Stephens Leave a comment

Alexis Wangare

Alexis is based in Kenya and completed her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications, saying that “as much as I was pushed to being in front of the camera, hosting shows and fun interviews and stuff, I never really had an interest in that, but I always wanted to be behind the scenes along the lines of a Director of Photography.” It’s clear when talking to Alexis about wildlife photography that she has found a career path that she is truly passionate about. 

Alexis Wangare

On a trip to Virunga, Alexis met a group of photographers who were there working to spread awareness about conservation. “My heart just gravitated towards that, and I felt like, wow, this would be a really cool thing if I considered doing this because I already do love photography, and I like spending time in nature, so the two just merged—and I started doing it!” She adds that sunsets and elephants are two subjects that are inspiring her at the moment. In fact, it’s a special elephant named Craig—who is one of the few remaining ‘Super Tuskers’ —that Alexis had particularly connected with. She hopes to spend more time photographing Craig and perhaps use her photographs to help tell his story.

Alexis Wangare's Image of Craig
Image by Alexis Wangare

“Alexis has an artistic eye and a beautiful way of seeing the world. Her wildlife photos are particularly captivating, with elegant compositions and a strong sense of place,” says Suzi Eszterhas, Founder and Executive Director of Girls Who Click (GWC). It’s clear that Alexis puts a lot of thought into the compositions she creates in her images. 

Alexis’ goal is to use her photography to encourage people to have empathy for animals. She plans to develop her skills in fine art and publish a coffee table book that inspires people to care about wildlife. She’s also working towards developing her storytelling skills to be an assignment photographer for magazine features. Most importantly, she hopes to continue learning about conservation and aims to make contributions to conservation throughout her career.

Image by Alexis Wangare

Tay Belcher

Growing up in Kenya and spending lots of time in the bush, Tay has always had a love of nature. Near the end of primary school, her parents gifted her a camera to bring on field trips. “I got carried away. I couldn’t stop clicking the button, taking all these photos!” she says. Tay continued to use the camera to photograph flowers in her garden and to document her experiences attending a high school located in the bush on the outskirts of Kruger National Park. “My passion for nature was already there; it was just amazing that I now actually had the device to record and take photos and have the memories of everything I saw.” 

Tay Belcher

“I love Tay’s work,” says Danielle Carstens, Tay’s GWC mentor. “I admire the dedication that she has given to her photography since a very young age. I can hear the excitement in her voice when she speaks about photography, and that alone is a strength that will take her far. It takes a lot of skill to get the images that she has in her portfolio so far.”

“Photography and nature in general have sort of helped me to slow down and appreciate what’s happening in the moment and connected me more to my surroundings,” says Tay. “It’s also just 100% increased my curiosity for nature, especially through bird photography. The more time I spend with one species, the more interested I become in learning about its habitat and surroundings.” 

Malachite King Fisher. Image by Tay Belcher.

Tay started out working as an underwater photographer in the tourism industry, where she would photograph people during their nature experiences. In the last few years, she has decided to get more involved with conservation—she’s realized that’s where her passion truly lies. “About three years ago, I got diagnosed with a severe case of scoliosis, and unfortunately, I wasn’t given the right information. I was basically led to believe that I had to completely change my career and only have a desk job. So, I didn’t take any of that very well.” Tay explains that the pandemic allowed her to slow down and spend time in nature. She has been able to seek better information about her diagnosis and no longer believes it is a barrier to her career goals. 

Image by Tay Belcher

Tay’s goals are to create positive images that inspire people to care about conservation. One day she hopes to open her own gallery that showcases these images as well as build a following for her work on social media platforms (follow her)! Alongside her own storytelling work, she aims to get others involved in this work as well. “I would live to get more Africans involved in photography and have them tell their own stories.”

After several minutes of groveling in the muck in an attempt to conceal myself, my presence was accepted by one of my favorite species—the Carmine Bee-Eater. Image by Tay Belcher

Karabo Magakane

Karabo is from Bushbuckridge in Acornhoek, South Africa. She first got into photography in 2020 when a friend invited her to take a two-week workshop offered by Wild Shots Outreach (WSO). “I gave it a try, and from the first day, from the first time I picked up a camera, I actually fell in love with it.” It was also Karabo’s first time becoming more involved in conservation. “[Photography] allowed me to actually engage more with nature because most of the photography assignments I get, or I go for, are basically to tell a story to communities about the conservation issues we have.” 

Karabo Magakane

“My favourite subject to photograph would have to be an elephant. I love that it always commands its presence,” says Karabo, adding, “I have so much respect for them.” Karabo’s GWC mentor, Helena Atkinson, says Karabo “is really excellent at taking unique photos and has a very good eye for editing her photos in a creative way. She definitely has the ability to see things in a very special way.” Mike Kendrick, Founder of Wild Shots Outreach agrees, saying, “she’s got a really, really good eye and that’s something that I find very difficult to teach.” 

Currently, Karabo is working on the media team for WSO and is now teaching workshops for WSO on her own. “I’ve also just gained my pilot’s license—it is my dream to combine my passions for photography, conservation and aviation.”

Image by Karabo Magakane
Image by Karabo Magakane
Image by Karabo Magakane
Image by Karabo Magakane

Queen Manyike

Queen comes from a small village called Tintswalo in Acornhoek, South Africa. “I started photography in 2016, the same year I met Mike Kendrick of Wild Shots Outreach, who gifted me with a 750D EOS Canon camera. He’s the one who taught me how to use a camera,” says Queen. Since then, Queen has been continuing to pursue photography alongside her career as a field guide at the prestigious Mala Mala Game Reserve in Sabi Sands. “I’m hearing all sorts of positive things from her guiding, from the people that she’s working for now, that she’s one of the best guides that they’ve got at the moment, which is just incredible,” says Mike Kendrick. 

Queen Manyike

It’s no surprise that Queen’s favourite subject to photograph is wildlife. “Queen brings her images to life, and I love her creativity and different perspective when she captures images. Queen has a very good eye; she is very creative and makes an ordinary scene seem magical. She has very good technical skills, and above all, she has amazing attention to detail,” says Angelica Mills, one of Queen’s GWC mentors. Janet Kleyn, who also mentors Queen through GWC, echos Angelica’s thoughts, adding, “she has a good understanding of light and she sees things differently which is lovely.” 

Image by Queen Manyike

“Nature photography has had a positive effect on my life because I have met other amazing young people who are doing great in photography, and they inspire me more,” says Queen. “My career goals are to be a professional female guide and a businesswoman.” Through her photography, Queen aims to inspire others to see the beauty of nature so that we look after it for future generations. Queen hopes that one day her daughter Erica will follow in her footsteps and be involved in conservation and wildlife photography. “But I’ll support anything Erica chooses to embark on!”

Image by Queen Manyike
Image by Janey Kleyn
Image by Queen Manyike

Connecting with young women photographers in Africa

When GWC welcomed the first cohort of international Ambassadors in 2020, the photographic community was quick to ask, “where are all the African women?!” And they were right.

“In North America, women are underrepresented in professional nature photography, we know that; that’s why we started GWC, but it’s even more extreme on the African continent,” says Suzi Eszterhas. “So, when we started looking for applicants in Africa, we really got very little interest.” GWC needed to find a better way to reach young African women who might benefit from the Ambassador program.

Image by Queen Manyike

Then, while Suzi was in Africa on a photography assignment, she met Mike Kendrick over dinner at Mashatu Game Reserve. “I just realized that there was a lot of common ground between us and a log of synergy in what we’re doing trying to address these different imbalances,” Mike recalls. As a founder of Wild Shots Outreach, an organization that aims to engage young people from disadvantaged communities in wildlife and wild places through photography, Mike was right; there certainly is a lot of cross-over with GWC’s mission. After learning about the GWC Ambassador program, Mike shared it with Karabo and Queen, two graduates from WSO’s workshops, and encouraged them to apply. In 2022, both Karabo and Queen became GWC Ambassadors.  

“It was by partnering with these organizations like Wild Shots Outreach where we could actually reach those women, and that’s why I think programs like WSO are so powerful is that they’ve created this space for African women where there wasn’t a lot of opportunity before,” explains Suzi. 

In addition to WSO, Wildlife Direct has also been instrumental in getting the word out about the GWC Ambassador program to local women photographers in East Africa, including our 2022 Ambassador Alexis. “We are very grateful for that, and we will try to get the information out in future years so that we will continue to have applicants every year from the African continent,” says Suzi.

Wild Shots Outreach (WSO)

Mike Kendrick has always been involved in education. After working as an education specialist in Britain, he moved to South Africa eleven years ago. “I was really shocked to find that none of the young people in the Black community had been into the Kruger National Park or the private game reserves which are on their doorstep. You know, some of them live within ten, twenty kilometres of the gates to those wildlife reserves and they’ve never been in,” says Mike. “How will we protect Africa’s wildlife and wild places if there is a disconnect with the local communities?”

Mike from WSO, along with GWC Ambassadors and their Mentors

Alongside learning the reality of the local community’s access to wildlife, Mike also learned from helping his wife bring the international photography conference she had founded in Britain to South Africa. “We managed to find a few female wildlife photographers [to present], but they were always white. We ended up bringing people in from Botswana, and from Zambia and from Zimbabwe,” says Mike. “I wanted to change this, and with my previous experiences in social upliftment and conservation, and understanding the power of photography, I wanted to see if we could use photography as a vehicle for reconnecting, reengaging, young Black people with their natural heritage. And here we are six years later with over 100 courses competed and over 900 young people through the program. I’ve got a team of young people who have been through the program who deliver the program for me now. It’s no longer the strange grey-haired white guy that goes into the communities and teaches it; it’s young, cool, funky members of that community who can act as role models for the young people in those communities.” Rifumo Mathbila, a former WSO student, has now become the Programme Director with WSO, which involves running all the workshops and game drives. Mike explains, “I am so proud and delighted that Rifumo has just been named the international Young Environmentalist of the Year by the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management!”

WSO has won multiple awards, including South Africa’s National Parks Kudu Award for Environmental Education and Capacity Building. “And that’s great,” says Mike, “but the most important thing for me is what happens to these young people.” Indeed, it’s clear from WSO’s actions that this is true. Although WSO’s program delivery focuses on photography workshops, they also have a bursary fund to help provide opportunities for further training and employment to some of the most talented young people that they’ve come across, not just in photography but also in other careers, such as science, wildlife guiding or hospitality. WSO alumnus Wisani Ngwenya, will be the first from the bursary program to graduate, earning a Bachelor of Arts in film-making, with multiple bursary program participants on his heels.  

Now that past participants of WSO’s programs have been trained to run the WSO programs in South Africa on their own, Mike has been able to deliver pilot programmes in Kenya and Botswana and is expanding to the program to Namibia in 2023. “We’re scaling up, but we’re keeping a very close eye on the quality of our delivery. That’s the most important thing,” says Mike. 

Challenges and hopes for the future

“Black Africans are underrepresented in the professional wildlife photography community in Africa, and even more so, female Black African wildlife photographers are hugely underrepresented,” Suzi says, “There are a unique set of challenges that are very different from those in North America both in terms of the history and culture and also the modern-day. It’s been a learning experience for us working with organizations like Wild Shots Outreach to recognize the unique challenges that this continent has, and then, of course, our female partner photographers based in Africa are also wonderful at understanding and helping us navigate these challenges.”

Janet Kleyn, General Manager of C4 Photo Safaris and partner photographer with GWC, explains that in South Africa and Botswana, the field of wildlife photography is very closely tied to nature guiding. “Many of Africa’s wildlife photographers come from a wildlife guiding background, which is how I started my journey in this industry [. . .] there are very few, it any, photographers making money as a wildlife photographer in Africa. Most of them that I know of are running photo tours and workshops, and that’s how they survive,” says Janet, adding that in Botswana, “there are only two companies that I’m aware of that permanently employ wildlife photographers. When you start out in the wildlife photography industry, often the best way to do it is freelance, but freelancing isn’t part of the culture in Africa in the same way that it is in North America.”

“The safari guide position is a bridge to wildlife photography, and that is largely male-dominated, and so that is also part of the issue, and in some countries, that position is largely white,” Suzi explains. Janet adds that breaking into the male-dominated field of wildlife guiding as a woman can be very difficult. “It can be a physically challenging job with skills required that are typically associated with men, such as off-road driving, rifle handling, etc.”

Other challenges include access to wildlife, the internet and camera equipment. “People don’t all have Wi-Fi in their homes as they do in the United States, particularly in these rural areas,” Janet says. “This makes attending online networking events and sharing photography online particularly difficult.”

Image by Janet Kleyn

“The nature photography community, to me, is already doing great work. It just needs more and more youngsters to be involved,” says Queen. Mike stresses the importance of having role models so that younger women or young Black people can “imagine themselves holding a camera and imagine themselves in a situation where they’re taking beautiful photos and understanding that it is for them. It is for them. You know, it’s something that they can pursue, and they can become outstanding at.” 

“In order for us to change the photography world, we need more organizations like GWC that try to bring women and embrace their potential and try to grow the photographer in us. Then we can say we are going in the right direction in trying to actually change the photography industry, trying to change the balance in the photography industry,” Karabo says. 

The GWC Ambassador Program

Connecting young women photographers from around the world through the Ambassador program helps build community within the field of nature photography. When the Ambassadors come together for virtual meetups, they can share challenges and experiences, help encourage each other and troubleshoot, and build friendships with other young women who have similar career goals. Tay says, “the group chats at the end of the month when we discuss what we’ve been going through and hearing about other people’s projects, that’s been super helpful.”

“I believe it’s building a good relationship with more photographers, more female photographers,” says Karabo. Alexis adds that joining GWC has helped her find more women photographers whose work she enjoys following and that it has helped her discover and connect with more photographers who are at the same career stage. 

One of the key aspects of the GWC Ambassador program is pairing each Ambassador with a GWC partner photographer to be a mentor. “I have to say Janet has been more than a mentor to me; she’s an amazing woman,” says Queen. 

A meeting of the minds

Mike Kendrick points out that mentorship is not easy to come by. “It’s just really cool that there are these people at Girls Who Click who are willing to give their time and share.” Alexis explains that understanding her mentor’s career path has helped inform her own. “It made me switch my way of looking at things. I’m seeing that it’s more about the quality of work and the experiences than it is about just posting content.” 

This past May, mentors Helena, Angelica and Janet were able to meet up with their mentees, Karabo and Queen, in person for a weekend of wildlife photography alongside other local photographers from WSO, who funded the trip. “What we really wanted was to get to know each other better,” says Helena. “It was a wonderful experience to meet the young ladies we work with and to learn more about them. It was good to assess as well what their skill levels are so that we can adjust the programme to suit their needs. But most of all we had good laughs and good fun! I am so proud of the connection I now have with the GWC programme and with my mentee Karabo.”

GWC Ambassadors and Mentors

“Personal connections are so valuable to ensure that my mentee knows I am here to support and readily available to assist her not just with photography but in general,” Angelica says. She adds, “it motivates me to know that I am making a difference in my community by being there to support and encourage mentees through their journey as nature photographers.” Angelica was part of GWC’s first cohort of Ambassadors, and she is now paying that forward to mentor other GWC participants. 

“It’s a lot about confidence building,” says Janet. “[As Africans], we tend to think about ourselves as not up there with everyone else. But we are, we just do it differently. We have different issues, like connectivity, but we have our way of communicating.”  

Image by Janet Kleyn

How you can show support

Follow our Ambassadors and support their work: Follow Karabo, Queen, Alexis and Tay on Instagram. 

Offer an opportunity to a local photographer: Are you an organization with a work or sponsored training opportunity related to wildlife tourism or photography in South Africa? Get in touch with Wild Shots Outreach. They have 1000+ talented young people who have graduated from their program that they can recommend. 

Share the GWC program with your network: Share the GWC Ambassador Program and the Wild Shots Outreach program with local youth, or share our work with organizations that work with youth in Africa who can help spread awareness of these programs. 

Provide support to GWC and WSO: There are several ways you can help GWC and WSO continue to grow their programs. Visit the GWC Support Us page to see multiple ways you can provide support. You can support WSO by directly donating funds or by getting in touch to donate used camera or computer gear. 

Become a Partner Photographer: Are you a female or non-binary professional photographer located in Africa? Inquire about joining GWC as one of our Photographers and help us lead workshops in your community or become a mentor for our next Ambassador cohort. 

Photography workshop at Kukula Kids’ Club! 

by Girls Who Click Leave a comment

This post was originally published by the Sloth Conservation Foundation. Written by Sarah Kennedy

Photography workshop at Kukula Kids’ Club!

The Kukula Club, a new initiative for The Sloth Conservation Foundation, aims to enable and empower children with additional educational classes, gain new skills through workshops and provide them with fun activities they may not usually have access to due to geographical or financial barriers. 

Recently we teamed up with the amazing Girls Who Click foundation to arrange a week-long photo workshop for the 11 children in our Kukula Club. 

The Kids of the Kukula Club

All of our children in the club, aged 7-12, also participate in the El Puente – The Bridge project. This incredible organization has been serving the indigenous community for decades, they give space to hundreds of indigenous families, helping to provide; food, cultural events, classes, clothing, and school supplies, among many other things. 

We wanted the Kukula club to serve the indigenous communities of the area so we were so grateful to team up with El Puente for this. One of the pillars of SloCo’s mission is to actively have a huge impact. El Puente worked with us to choose 11 children that attended their project to be our first group of the new Kukula Club. 

Girls Who Click

We also teamed up with Girls Who Click (GWC) to bring photography to our Kukula Club kids, Girls Who Click is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded by Suzi Eszterhas, an award-winning wildlife photographer, she sought to create a foundation to inspire young girls to join the nature photography industry.

In a heavily male-dominated field, they aimed to bridge this gap and, to do so, partner with full-time working professional photographers around the country to offer free nature photography workshops for teen girls. Girls Who Click inspires girls to develop lifelong passion for capturing the nature around them and strive to protect it 

They kindly offered to send one of their partners, the amazing Diana Caballero, to give a free week-long workshop to our kids. Diana, from Mexico, is an amazing photographer in her own right, and we couldn’t wait to host her here and give the children this amazing opportunity. 

The Initiative:

For the workshop, we wanted to provide the kids with the necessary tools and knowledge to learn to use the camera as a means of photographic expression through play and experimentation. Through the activities, we wanted to show them how our gaze is a very powerful instrument to share what we are and what surrounds us. 

The cameras

Most of the children do not have access to cameras or phone, so when we decided to do a workshop with them, we knew we wanted to be able to provide them with their own cameras. We used this digital camera and they ended up being the perfect little cameras for the kids. Thank you to everyone who helped support this project so that we were able to provide this item for the children to use. 

What we did:

During our 4-day workshop, Diana set a variety of activities for the children to do so they could learn how to use their cameras and also understand different methods for taking photos. We also set them homework each day to do specific photography assignments at home. Some of the activities and assignments included: 

  • We explain what the camera is, the elements that make it up, how it works, who invented it, and its evolution to this day. 
  • We play and explore the multiple possibilities of looking through a rectangle made with a piece of cardboard that simulates the viewfinder of a camera. 
  • We observe our pet, we follow it everywhere and we take pictures of it. We share and exchange experiences of our pets during the workshop. 
  • We take our favorite toy and imagine a normal day in the life of the toy. We take 10 photographs recounting its life. At the end of the activity, we tell how its life is. 
  • We take photos representing different emotions, for example, joy, sadness, anger, fear, and surprise. 
  • We imagine that we are very small beings, like an ant, a beetle, a dragonfly, a bee… We become that being and we seen many things that we could not see with the naked eye; details and textures, what used to be small can now be something huge. 
  • We incorporate the latest images, review all our photographic work and make a group selection to present an exhibition. 

An unexpected visit

We were so lucky to be visited by a sloth on day 3 – this was amazing and it came down so low that we were able to get an amazing photo of the sloth – the perfect gift for our Kukula Club kids! 

Photo by Nash
Photo by Jorge
Photo by Gabriel
Photo by Ester
Photo by Daishy

The future of the photography workshop:

We exhibited the children’s photos at El Puente over the weekend so that during their soup kitchen that Saturday, the families who visit El Puente, would be able to see all the kids’ hard work. Now that the children have been taught how to use the cameras we plan to continue working with them and having them photograph different experiences. We have met twice since the workshop and they have worked on getting the following photos: 

  • A beach landscape photo
  • A photo of movement i.e. dancing, running, jumping
  • Photos of the great green macaws

We want to be able to continue to nurture the children’s passion for photography and capturing the world around them. In October, for international sloth day, we are also planning on doing a huge exhibition with the kids’ photos to showcase their talent at the event. 

In the future we hope to give this workshop to more children in the area, continuing to work with Girls Who Click to do so. 

– Sarah Kennedy

Director of Education & Outreach

Sloth Conservation Foundation

Meet the 2022 Ambassadors!

by admin Leave a comment

We are thrilled to introduce you to the 2022 Girls Who Click Ambassadors. This group was selected from over 160 competitive applicants and includes 14 Ambassadors who are new to the program and 14 Continuing Ambassadors. They are young, talented photographers and videographers that come from many different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Along with a special drive to launch their professional photography career, they are also fierce advocates for conservation. Please take the time to look at their work and follow them. They are a worthy investment and they make us more hopeful than ever about the future. WOW.

The Ambassador Program is one-of-a-kind: a professional mentorship that launches diverse women and non-binary individuals into nature photography, an industry that is heavily male-dominated and white. Girls Who Click is committed to making changes happen. 

Click on the links below to learn more about each amazing Ambassador!

 

Alexis Wangare Wachira, Kenya
Elizabeth (Lilah) McCormick, USA
Emily Harwitz, USA
Fiona Wardle, New Zealand
Halie Saferstein, USA
Karabo Magakane, South Africa
Lana Tannir, Germany

Liseth Tapasco, Colombia
Maddy Brunt, USA
Mariana Rivera Uribe, Colombia
Queen Manyike, South Africa
Sitara Karthikeyan, India
Sofia Lopez, USA
Tay Belcher, Kenya

2021 Continuing Ambassadors

We would also like to re-introduce you to our Continuing Ambassadors who are staying with the program to continue developing their work! The Ambassadors exemplify Girls Who Click’s mission and values and have demonstrated leadership and passion in the Ambassador Program. 

Daphne P, USA
Stephanie Foote, UK/Kenya
Evelyn Smalley, UK
Samantha Stephens, Canada
Emma Balunek, USA
Lianna Nixon, USA
Lea Milde, Germany
Aishwarya Sridhar, India

Beth Hochkiss, USA
Kate Vylet ,USA
Angelica Mills, South Africa
Sadie Hine, USA
Jo Davenport, UK
Chelsea Mayer, USA
Alena Ebeling-Schuld, Canada
Katie Waddington, France

Each Ambassador has been paired with an established professional photographer who will help her take the next step in her career. These exceptional Girls Who Click partner photographers are the backbone of the Ambassador Program and we are deeply indebted to them for their mentoring and generosity. 

In addition to mentorship, Ambassadors have access to all Girls Who Click nature photography workshops. The Ambassador Program is sponsored by ThinkTank, LEE Filters, and Wild Idea Lab, who will provide special benefits to Ambassadors.

Thank you for being a member of the Girls Who Click community. If you love what we do, please consider donating to support these programs!

Get Mentored by a Pro: Ambassador Program Application Open for 2022!

by Margot Moore 1 Comment

To our wonderful Girls Who Click Community,

We are so excited to announce the second year of the Girls Who Click Ambassador Program. The application window is NOW OPEN! Complete your application until October 31,2021.

Click here to Apply!

The Ambassador Program guides young female and female-identified+ photographers/videographers ages 16-30 through a one year (at minimum!) mentorship. We pair each Ambassador with a photographer who will mentor her in fundamental areas: developing a portfolio, breaking into the industry, and cultivating a network of supportive individuals.

Girls Who Click is committed to creating an inclusive program for participants from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identities. Each photographer will learn and grow from her mentor as well as from our bigger Girls Who Click Ambassador community. Like all of our programs, the Ambassador Program is completely free for participants. 

How do you apply to become an Ambassador? It’s simple. Complete our online application and send us a portfolio of 40 images. We want all who are interested to be able to apply. If you have any questions or need any help, you can email us at info@girlswhoclick.org at any time.

This last year, we’ve had bright, amazing photographers and videographers in the Ambassador Program. We are thrilled to continue the trend and welcome more Ambassadors in 2022, helping them work towards their career goals and navigate the professional photography industry. 

And, we couldn’t do it without our amazing sponsors: ThinkTank, LEE Filters, and Wild Idea Lab.

Here’s to another year of the Ambassador Program!

With gratitude,

Suzi Eszterhas 
Founder & Executive Director, Girls Who Click

GWC featured on Cal Academy of Sciences’ Breakfast Club Show

by admin 2 Comments

Don’t Miss this Bold Conversation about Women in Conservation Photography!

GWC Founder & Executive Director Suzi Eszterhas, GWC Board Vice President Susan McElhinney, and GWC partner photographers Jaymi Heimbuch and Morgan Heim sat down with Cal Academy’s Breakfast Club for an honest conversation about women in wildlife photography.

Watch Cal Academy’s conversation with Suzi, Susan, Morgan, and Jaymi!

In this courageous discussion, Suzi, Susan, Morgan, and Jaymi shared the personal challenges they have faced in the field as a female photographer. 

The conversation drove to the heart of discrimination in the industry, and included important and controversial topics:

  • Gendered language in photography articles
  • Photography gear advertisements and sizing
  • Types of imagery receiving preference in photography contests
  • Harassment and violence in the field
  • Pay inequality
  • Lack of transparency in hiring and pay scales in the industry
  • Advantages of being a woman in the field
  • Exponential importance of finding your own voice as a woman

The conversation was brutally honest and at times painful as the talk turned in particular towards sexual harassment and incidents of physical violence while in the field. But there is hope for future generations thanks to the work of women like Suzi, Suan, Morgan, and Jaymi, as well as organizations like Cal Academy that put the spotlight on these issues. 

One of the most important steps in getting more women into the professional industry is removing obstacles to getting them hired. Morgan and Jaymi are founders of Her Wild Vision Initiative. Through an online, international directory, the project makes it easier for notoriously busy photo editors to find female and female-identified conservation photographers and videographers. As the project boldly states: “No more excuses for not being able to find us.”

Next up – stay tuned for a future Breakfast Club show about the lack of diversity in nature photography. 

Thank you all for supporting female and female-identified professionals!

Meet Our Ambassadors!

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We are thrilled to introduce you to the 2021 Girls Who Click Ambassadors. Selected from over 150 applicants, these 24 talented female-identified nature photographers and videographers have skill and grit that humbled our selection committee. They range from age 16-30, come from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and they hail from all over the globe. These Ambassadors are motivated to break into the professional industry while advocating for conservation efforts worldwide. We cannot wait to see what they accomplish during their year as Ambassadors!

Click here to learn more about each Ambassador!

2021 Girls Who Click Ambassadors

Cherrisse Adlawan, PHL
Emma Balunek, USA
Tamara Blazquez Haik , MEX
Celina Chien, CAN/NDL
Jo Davenport, GBR
Alena Ebeling-Schuld, CAN
Stephanie Foote, GBR
Elie Gordon, GBR
Sadie Hine, USA
Beth Hotchkiss, USA
Chelsea Mayer, USA
Irene Mendez Cruz, FRA/VEN/GBR
Lea Milde, DEU
Angelica Mills, ZAF
Lianna Nixon, USA
Daphne P, USA
Alejandra Potter, ESP/USA
Evelyn Smalley, GBR
Aishwarya Sridhar, IND
Samantha Stephens, CAN
Alice Sun, CAN
Alex Traugot, USA
Kate Vylet, USA
Katie Waddington, FRA/GBR

We cannot wait to see what these talented young photographers accomplish in their year as Ambassadors!

Each Ambassador has been paired with an established professional photographer who will help her take the next step in her career. These exceptional Girls Who Click partner photographers are the backbone of the Ambassador Program and we salute them for their dedication and service to the next generation of female-identified photographers. 

GWC partner photographer Katie Schuler and her mentee, Ambassador Stephanie Foote, have already gotten started!

2021 Ambassador Mentors

Karine Aigner
Diana Caballero Alvarado
Inka Cresswell
Suzi Eszterhas
Melissa Farlow
Cathy Hart
Morgan Heim
Jaymi Heimbuch
Esther Horvath
Karen Kasmauski
Janet Kleyn
Jennifer Leigh Warner
Stephanie Manuel
Amy Marquis
Mary Ann McDonald
Susan McElhinney
Joanna Pinneo
Erin Ranney
Lynda Richardson
Katie Schuler
Brenda Tharp
Ami Vitale
Michele Westmorland

Thank you for being a member of the Girls Who Click community. If you love what we do, please consider donating!