Q&A with GWC Ambassadors (Part 2)

Welcome to Part 2 of our GWC Ambassador series, where we learn about the stories of the amazing young women in this program, and get a peek at all the exciting things they’ve been up to. 

We’ll be posting more of these blogs throughout this year. Check out Part 1 of the series here.

Featured in this blog

Alejandra Potter

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I was born and raised in Barcelona, a bustling big city, but my head was constantly daydreaming of far-away wild places. My way to connect with wildlife was through the TV screen. So anytime I had a chance, I would watch nature documentaries, which only fueled my passion. I was the type of kid who drove my mom crazy by always showing up at the house with an injured bird or a turtle, who always caught bugs to put them under a microscope and who was known as a ‘walking animal encyclopedia’.

I wanted to be a zoologist, but at the time it wasn’t a career per-se in Spain. I ended up getting a college degree in Audiovisual Communication, hoping to be able to get close to animals with a camera and bring them closer to the public. My motto has always been “if I got to care so much about wild animals through a screen, I can help others feel the same by bringing them closer to the public.”

Soon after getting my degree I joined Sea Shepherd Global, an ocean conservation NGO. I was a camera operator for the TV show “Ocean Warriors“, which aired on Animal Planet. The footage was then used to create the award-winning documentary “Chasing the Thunder“. After that, I decided to remain on board their ships as their photographer/videographer, where I traveled around the world and documented the NGO’s actions in the fight against poaching and IUU fishing, mostly around west Africa.

2. Why did you apply to the Ambassador Program? What are you hoping to achieve?

During a Sea Shepherd campaign in Liberia, I met Karine Aigner. She is one the mentors of this program. I heard about Girls Who Click through her and her Instagram page. She encouraged me to sign up for it, and I’m so glad I did! Girls Who Click has offered a sense of community I had never experienced before. Being part of this team of incredibly inspiring women is a privilege. 

I am pretty much self-taught when it comes to photography and filming. I have been a bit lost in how to continue to get involved in wildlife/conservation photography and videography, professionally. What pushed me to apply was feeling stuck in my career, not knowing how to take the next step, who to reach and how. I felt this program could help guide me through constructive criticism, bettering my skills, and connecting me with professionals in the industry. I hope I will be able to achieve my long-term goal of being involved with documenting wildlife and conservation projects. I am eager to find a project that I can collaborate or get involved with.

3. Who is your mentor? How has the program helped you so far?

My mentor is Susan McElhinney. She is an amazing editor. I have been learning a lot from her feedback and constructive criticism as she has offered a unique insight on certain technical things like my composition and post-processing, to make my images more appealing to editors. I had never had my images reviewed by an editor or gotten constructive criticism from one, so I am grateful for what I am learning with her.

4.  What are you up to now? Anything you’re really excited about?

I moved to the US two years ago and had to spend most of my time waiting to get a Green Card. Almost immediately after I got it, the pandemic hit. Photography and videography have been hard this past year, so at the moment I am trying to find a story to document, and trying to find wildlife/conservation professionals or organizations to get involved with. Other than that, I am always learning and taking online courses on things I find interesting.

See Alejandra’s work here.

Elie Gordon

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I grew up in a heavily concreted London suburb where nature and wildlife wasn’t always a given. Thankfully, I had a back garden and a mother who encouraged us to get outside as much as possible, and I was able to hold on to the childhood curiosity for nature that’s in all of us from a young age. 

I came to photography quite late after discovering a love for the garden birds that visited throughout the year. I started reading up on different species’ migration patterns, behaviours, and favourite foods, and used this information to attract them to the garden and share my photography from home. 

2. Why did you apply to the Ambassador Program? What are you hoping to achieve?

I was actually encouraged to apply by another ambassador. It was a brilliant opportunity to connect with other women in photography and hopefully broaden my horizons. Photography has been a hobby of mine and I want to be able to take it a step further and start to tell stories through photography. I use my social platform to encourage other POC to get involved in the outdoors, and hopefully photography can be another way to achieve this.

3. Who is your mentor? How has the program helped you so far?

My mentor is Ami Vitale, who has been an inspiration to me for years. I feel completely honoured to have her as my mentor as she’s had such an amazing career. Being in lockdown pretty much solidly for the past year has got me down, but she’s given me the confidence to get outside and ‘just do it’. To go and take photographs and be comfortable in the outdoors. 

4. What are you up to now? Anything you’re really excited about?

I work full time in digital media for Atmos, a climate and culture magazine, so I try to get out with my camera as much as possible on the weekends. I’ve just moved houses, so I’m excited to explore the local area, find the best wildlife spots, and to start working on the garden to turn it into a wildlife haven!

See more of Elie’s work here.

Beth Hotchkiss

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Throughout my life, I’ve been constantly “learning by doing”, seeking opportunities to engage in engineering projects, cultural dialogues, and even improv comedy! What drives me is my desire to create an impact, because I believe the best way to tackle today’s wickedest problems is through an interdisciplinary, collaborative, approach.

After graduating from college, I’ve spent the last couple of years working for the State of California, supporting equity and environmental resilience efforts across the state. Through my job, I’ve seen how the stories we tell can shape policies and practices. Moving forward, I would like to leverage my photography skills to affect positive change in California and beyond. I am particularly interested in environmental storytelling since the health of the land and water systems we are collectively supported by will greatly influence the ability of current and future generations to thrive. 

2.  Why did you apply to the Ambassador Program? What are you hoping to achieve?

One day, as I was scrolling through my instagram feed, I stumbled across a post that caught my attention. It featured a girl on a mountain, focused on her camera, with a sunstar shining across her pack. It read “Become an Ambassador. #GirlsWhoClick“

I don’t know whether it was the sense of adventure that drew me to the photo or perhaps the camera set on the tripod. Maybe I was just power hungry and the word “Ambassador” sounded pretty neat to me. Either way, something resonated and I just had to learn more.

As I read up on the program, I realized that this opportunity could help me strengthen my voice, photography, and impact. Also, perhaps more importantly, it could provide a venue for connecting with other women who believe in the power of visual storytelling to improve our collective environment. As I participate in this program, I hope to engage with the Girls Who Click community and grow into a more thoughtful change-maker.

3. Who is your mentor? How has the program helped you?

My mentor is the amazing Cathy Hart! She has been instrumental in helping me understand how to craft a photo-story and connecting me with folks in the photography world. I am very inspired by her ability to build lasting relationships with others and hope to mirror that in my personal and professional life. Cathy’s guidance, in addition to the amazing work I’ve been exposed to by fellow GWC ambassadors, has accelerated my growth and motivated me to work toward my goals. 

4. What are you up to now? Anything you’re really excited about?

Right now, I am on a three month journey traveling along the Pacific Coast (California, Oregon, Washington). At each spot, I’m learning about the local environment and conservation activities. I am excited to compare and contrast the issues and solutions I see happening across state lines. With Cathy’s guidance, I plan to share my insights through photo-stories and blog posts. 

See more of Beth’s work here.

Katie Waddington

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m a wildlife photographer and videographer with a keen eye for detail, specialising in macro and micro photography. I was born and raised in France, where my fascination for smaller creatures began. I moved to England a few years ago for my photography studies. It has allowed me to learn new skills and use specialised equipment for my images. Most of my projects revolve around capturing visually striking and vibrant photographs of insects up close. It is hard to get people to engage with insects, I therefore use my images as conversation starters to discuss the undeniable importance of  insects for our ecosystems. 

2.  Why did you apply to GWC? What are you hoping to achieve?

I applied to be a GWC Ambassador because, as much as my studies have helped with my technique, I wanted to learn more from professionals in the field as to how I could establish myself as a woman in the world of nature photography. Having a mentor that can guide you and motivate you to do the best work you can is invaluable. I hope that by being a GWC Ambassador, I will grow in confidence and start networking with people that are just as passionate as I am about our wildlife. 

3.  Who is your mentor? How has the program helped you?

My mentor is Alyce Bender. She is extremely talented and easily approachable. I can send her any questions I have about what I am working on and she will get back to me quite quickly. We have monthly zoom meet up sessions where we discuss anything from how I am feeling during these hard times to how my photography can improve. She also sends me useful links to other wildlife photographers I should look at, as well as competitions I might find interesting. It is an incredible feeling that there is someone I can rely on to support me and my photography ambitions.  

4.  What are you up to now? Anything you’re really excited about?

At the moment I am in the process of creating a book called “Our Hidden Neighbours”.  It is based around the wildlife I found in my garden and nearby meadow. I have spent every summer for the past 2 years travelling home to see my family in the South West of France and going out under the blazing heat of a summer’s day to photograph the animals that are hidden in plain sight. 

The book is in the ‘Meet Your Neighbours’ style of photography. I’ve fallen in love with this style as it is a way of capturing an image of the natural world without destroying it and also placing the wellbeing of the animals first. Instead of taking the animals and placing them in a studio, I take the studio to them! This allows me to represent what these fascinating creatures look like in their natural habitat whilst keeping the focus solely on them. It feels extremely rewarding to see all my hard work start to pay off. The beauty of the images do justice to these intriguing animals.

I’m also now in charge of the Meet Your Neighbours’s Instagram account. It allows me to keep promoting the technique and showcasing other people’s work from around the world. I’m really keen on continuing to connect people through the love of wildlife and photography. 

See more of Katie’s work here.

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Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the next installment of this series.

Responses have been edited for length and clarity