Virtual Photo Summit

UPDATE: We've extended the fundraiser until 31st May 2020. If you like what you're doing then please consider donating and get access to all the recorded videos on our private Facebook group. Also, going forward, we will be bringing some interactive Insta Live sessions as 'Raw Conversation' with your favourite storytellers.

The Coronavirus pandemic has caused devastation across the globe. Besides the tragic toll on human life, with countries shutting their borders and building quarantines, economies have taken a huge hit. The tragedy has just begun to unfold in India and the job losses are mounting, especially among the daily wage workers. Experts say the effect on this group will be catastrophic.

COVID19 is an international disaster on the scale of the Second World War. As it unfolds in India, millions of people left without any sort of income, team create4cause (C4C) is seeking to make a difference. We have launched a Virtual Photo Summit as an emergency response - to help provide a safety net to casual labour families and Indian Photographers. We are bringing some of the world's best photographers and storytellers together in one online platform which can be accessed with a 'donation ticket' of Rs. 1000/$13 to raise funds for vulnerable communities impacted by COVID-19 in India. Rs. 5,000/$65 will feed a poor family for a month.

We are collaborating with GiveIndia to keep the fund's distribution fully transparent as they manage 100% of this fund and transfer it directly to the benefactor NGOs account. The money raised will go towards helping two communities (50/50) as follows:

1. The first 50% to the Daily Wage Earners in India via GiveIndia's on-going campaign 'IndiaFightsAgainstCorona' to help COVID hit families through their network of trusted NGOs working on the ground like Waste Warriors, Oxfam, Project Potential, Seed India, Goonj, Vidya Poshak, etc. Check their due diligence process here https://www.giveindia.org/giveassured
2. The next 50% of funds are designated for awards & grant (assessed by income level, quality of work, and a statement of purpose) for professional photographers whose livelihoods have been severely impacted by COVID-19. We’re building an advisory board of industry leaders and editors to help facilitate this process.  
3. In case, we are unable to find a suitable partner to execute a grant for photographers before the launch on 24th April, then 100% of the fund will be utilised to support GiveIndia's mission to fight against corona

(more details in the FAQ section in the end)

How It Works:

The Virtual Photo Summit will be hosted on a private Facebook Page/Group from 24th to 26th April, 2020. An invite link (an “Event Pass”) will be sent to contributors who donate at least $14* / ₹‎1,000. All speaker videos will be viewable during the Summit dates via the Facebook Page/group, so please share your email address when you check out and we will share the link to join before 20th April.

We offer three donation options:

• Event Pass ($14** / ₹‎1000) — full access to all three days and the complete library of videos
• Suggested Donation ($7** / ₹ 500) ‎— for those who can’t join but want to support the cause
• Your choice — for anyone who wants to get involved (incl. Event Pass if over $14** / ₹‎1000)

** $ price is subject to $/INR rate at the time of checkout.

We're creating a rich mix of content for the Summit and the lineup will include RECORDED video interviews, audio interviews with photo slideshows, digital exhibitions, artist talks, etc. All storytellers listed below are confirmed, however if there are any changes then we will update you on social media. Please connect with us on:

Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/994003994328548/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/virtualphotosummit/

Featured Storytellers:

1. Abhinav Chandel - Abhinav left his job to dedicate all his time to his two passions — travel and photography. Today, he is one of the successful full-time travellers who has found the perfect balance between work and passion. Instagram
2. Alexa Keefe - Alexa is an Assistant Managing Editor at National Geographic magazine where she shapes the visual narrative for short and long-form stories related to natural history and the intersection between humans and wildlife, including conservation and wildlife crime and welfare. She first joined National Geographic in 2011 as a photography producer and then became one of the founding editors of Proof, National Geographic’s award-winning digital series highlighting the experiences of visual storytellers from around the world. NatGeo | Instagram
3. Ami Vitale - Nikon Ambassador and National Geographic magazine photographer Ami Vitale has travelled to more than 100 countries, bearing witness not only to violence and conflict but also to surreal beauty and the enduring power of the human spirit. Website | Instagram
4. Amit Vaidya - Author of Holy Cancer: How A Cow Saved My Life, a memoir detailing his dramatic recovery from terminal cancer. Amit also contributes regularly to Thrive Global, Huffington Post, The Speaking Tree, Man’s World, Rolling Stone, and Conde Nast Traveler magazines. Avid on Instagram, he has welcomed a global audience to follow his world - not just through photographs, he narrates a way of life, his lifestyle - offering inspiration by living his life the most authentic way he can. Nearing completion on the first of his cookbook series #foodismedicine while still advocating for the empowerment of patients everywhere through his NGO, Healing Vaidya Foundation, Amit is passionate to empower individuals to be in charge of their lives…no matter what. Website | Instagram
5. Dinesh Khanna - Dinesh has been working as a freelance Photographer for over 25 years with an eclectic blend of commercial and personal work. For advertising and corporate clients, he has been shooting food, people and interiors. Whereas his personal work has been published as acclaimed books like ‘Bazaar’ and ‘Living Faith.’ The latest books he has worked on are - “Right of the Line – The President’s Bodyguard” and “Life in Rashtrapati Bhawan’ which have been commissioned by the Rashtrapati Bhawan and Sahapedia. Over the years his work has also been shown in solo and group shows in galleries from Delhi to New York and Varanasi to San Francisco. Dinesh is a Managing Trustee of Nazar Foundation, and one of the Co-founders of the Delhi Photo Festival and also one of the Photography Curators for the Serendipity Arts Festival. He also teaches Photography in various institutions and also conducts workshops and is a Visual Consultant with Sahapedia. Website | Instagram
6. Esther Horvath - Esther is a Fellow at International League of Conservation Photographers, iLCP and science photographer for Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. She focuses on the work of multiple science groups involved in developing new research projects that are working to better understand the changing polar regions. Her main long-term documentary project follows ‘IceBird’ science expeditions researching the changing Arctic Ocean sea ice. She publishes at National Geographic, The New York Times, GEO, Audubon Magazine, Stern, The Wall Street Journal, TIME among others. Website | Instagram
7. Federico Rios - Federico has worked for the national press as for artistic publications around the world developing documentary photography on social issues. Federico’s work has been published worldwide in media such The New York Times, National Geographic, Geo, Stern, Times Magazine, Parismatch, El País España, Folha de Sao Paulo among others. www.federicorios.net
8. Jody MacDonald - An award winning photographer, Jody MacDonald is no stranger to adventure and exploration in the last untamed corners of the planet. Having spent her formative years in Saudi Arabia before sailing around the world twice over the span of a decade on kiteboarding, sailing, surfing and paragliding expeditions, she has traveled to over 90 countries in search of the unknown. From train hopping in the Sahara to paragliding in the Himalayas at 17,000 ft she is passionate about stepping off the beaten path in pursuit of documenting issues that blend insightful storytelling, big adventure expeditions and social change inspiration in the hopes of promoting the preservation of wild places. She has worked on prominent campaigns with companies such as Disney, HP, Ford and Leica and has had the opportunity to speak on the TEDx stage. Recently, Men’s Journal named her as “One of the 25 Most Adventurous Women in the Past 25 years.” You can see her images in many international publications such as National Geographic, Red Bull, Outside, BBC, Patagonia, Islands, and Men’s Journal among others. WWW.JODYMACDONALDPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
9. John Stanmeyer - John is an award-winning photojournalist, Emmy nominated filmmaker and field recordist dedicated to social and political issues that define our times. He is one of the founders of VII Photo Agency. John has received the World Press Photo of the Year, Robert Capa Gold Medal, Magazine Photographer of the Year from Pictures of the Year International, and a National Magazine Award for Photojournalism. Website Instagram | Website
10. Kedar Bhide - Though best known for being an expert on snake conservation, Kedar Bhide has many titles to his name — wildlife biologist, wildlife photographer, herpetologist, conservationist, founder of Nature Works (a printing venture in Mumbai), and his self-attested designation of nature entrepreneur. Website | Instagram
11. Loh Kok Hong - KH joined the TV industry at the age of 24, and in the next 22 years and counting, He has carved out an exciting career wearing many hats – as Executive Producer, Producer, Director and Writer. He started with ASTRO – Malaysian Satellite Pay TV in 1996. Since then, he has gone on to work with many other TV production companies in Singapore and has produced and directed over 100 hours of TV broadcast content for various broadcasting networks – from Discovery Channel, AETN, Mediacorp, DWTV, Disney, AXN, and many more. He has also won many TV awards – from New York Festivals, to Asian Television Awards.
12. Nirvair Singh Rai - Nirvair is an independent photographer with his work ranges from the documentary, fashion, wildlife, commercial, and believes in putting no tags to photography. He dictates stories through his images and is so easily able to connect us to the place and the people he captures in his pictures. Instagram
13. Michael Goh - Michael is a professional photographer located in Western Australia. The majority of his works shows the night sky. He continues to test and experiment to improve the field of landscape astrophotography. He has a focus on helping with the accessibility of photography and astrophotography by sharing knowledge through various means. Michael also photographs a variety of other subjects including commercial, event, portraiture, video and timelapses. He has received multiple awards including the international Photo Nightscape awards, and Western Australia Astrofest, and achieved an APOD. His work is shown in numerous books, newspapers and magazines. Michael has a focus on positive causes such as science, arts and many others. Website www.astrophotobear.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/astrophotobear/
14. Pooja Sharma - Pooja Sharma is the cinematographer of such acclaimed films as the multi award winning documentary, I Am, the short film Kaveri [Best Film, Kerala International Film Festival, 2011], The Man who Dwarfed the Mountains [National Award for Best Agriculture Film, 2015] and All Rise for Your Honour [Silver, Indian Documentary Producers’ Association Awards, 2011]. Trained in architecture at Delhi’s prestigious School of Planning and Architecture, Pooja went on to spend two years with the NGO TARAgyan (a division of Development Alternatives), where she worked in education and training. An abiding interest in photography led to a hard won seat at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, from where she graduated with a Diploma in Motion Picture Photography in 2006. Her diploma film Gadha Janam Safal won multiple international awards and was selected for the prestigious International Film Festival of India Panorama, 2006. She is based in Mumbai, India and travels widely. 
15. Rachael Strecher - Rachael is Senior Director of Media Innovation at the National Geographic Society, where she leads grantmaking to support photographers, writers, filmmakers, data visualization experts, cartographers and other storytellers. Instagram
16. Rory Doyle - Rory is a working photographer based in Cleveland, Mississippi in the rural Mississippi Delta. Born and raised in Maine, Doyle studied journalism at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont. In 2009, he moved to Mississippi to pursue a master’s in education, and he quickly fell in love with the region. Doyle has remained committed to photographing the Delta, with a particular focus on sharing stories of overlooked subcultures. He was a 2018 Mississippi Visual Artist Fellow through the Mississippi Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts for his ongoing project about African American cowboys and cowgirls, "Delta Hill Riders." He won the 16th Annual Smithsonian Photo Contest in 2019, the 2019 Southern Prize from the South Arts organization, the 2019 Zeiss Photography Award, the 2019 ZEKE Award for Documentary Photography, and the 2019 Michael P. Smith Award for Documentary Photography from the New Orleans Photo Alliance. Doyle has had solo exhibitions in New York City, London, Atlanta and Mississippi. His work has been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The Guardian, CNN and many more outlets. https://www.rorydoylephoto.com/about
17. Sarah Leen - Sarah is a founder of The Visual Thinking Collective and previously held Directory of Photography for National Geographic Magazine and Visual Media. She led a team of photo editors, photo researchers, freelance photographers, staff studio photographers, and a photo engineer. Instagram
18. Siddharth Behl - Siddharth is an Indian documentary photographer based out of New Delhi, India. For past seven years Siddharth has been extensively shooting important documentary projects on climate change, women related issues, migration, children and has been covering multiple disaster events and post emergency works in India and South Asia. Siddharth has travelled extensively across thousands of villages all over India for multiple photographic assignments, understanding and capturing the landscape, culture and issues that people face. His personal body of works on factories, street children, Afghan refugees and the Ghats have been published both nationally and internationally. He has exhibited his works in the Indian Photo Festival and Maribor Photo Festival, 2019. In 2018, he received Foundry Photo Journalism grant and was mentored by VII Photo Agency Co-Founder and photographer Ron Haviv. He has been a recipient of the prestigious Neel Dongre Awards (2016 and 2018) followed by National Foundation for India Media Fellowship (2017) under the aegis of which he has put up group and solo exhibitions respectively. His works on disasters have also been published in a book named the ‘Face of Disasters 2018’ by humanitarian agency SEEDS. Siddharth loves to support his work with varied multimedia formats like creative graphic designing and audio visual filming. He has exhibited his works in the Indian Photo Festival and Maribor Photo Festival, 2019. In 2018, he received Foundry Photo Journalism grant and was mentored by VII Photo Agency Co-Founder and photographer Ron Haviv. He has been a recipient of the prestigious Neel Dongre Awards (2016 and 2018) followed by National Foundation for India Media Fellowship (2017) under the aegis of which he has put up group and solo exhibitions respectively. His works on disasters have also been published in a book named the ‘Face of Disasters 2018’ by humanitarian agency SEEDS. Siddharth loves to support his work with varied multimedia formats like creative graphic designing and audio visual filming. Website | Instagram
19. Shakun Batra - Shakun is an Indian filmmaker. His first film was a romantic comedy Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (2012). He followed this with the widely acclaimed family drama Kapoor & Sons (2016). Both of these films were produced by Karan Johar under his Dharma Productions banner. Instagram
20. Shantanu Sheorey - Shantanu has been at the forefront of creating and executing some of the most memorable advertising and marketing campaigns for over three decades, with several print campaigns & over 900 ad films to his credit. An alumnus of the J J School of Art and the Maine workshops, he recently founded The One School Goa | Instagram
21. Shivya Nath - In 2013, Shivya gave up her home, sold most of her belongings and embraced a nomadic life. She is an acclaimed travel blogger and author who aim to inspire and entertain with stories from the road and encourage her audience to think differently. Website | Instagram
22. Simon Roberts - Simon is a British photographer whose work deals with our relationship to landscape and notions of identity and belonging. Often employing expansive tableaux photographs, his approach is one of creating wide-ranging surveys of our time, which examine contemporary economic, cultural and political landscapes. He has published and exhibited widely and his photographs reside in major public and private collections. Website | Instagram
23. Smita Sharma - Smita Sharma is an independent award winning photographer whose work primarily focusses on human rights, gender, crime and social issues. Her work has been published in various international publications like The New York Times, BBC World, TIME amongst many others. Smita is a Getty Images grantee and an IWMF Fellow. She received the Indian Of The Year award in 2017 and Exceptional Women of Excellence award by Women Economic Forum in 2018. In 2019, she won the One World Media Awards for her film Rebels With a Cause at BAFTA, London. Smita has shown her work in various countries including the UN Headquarters in New York. She graduated in photojournalism and documentary photography from the International Center of Photography, New York and has a post graduate diploma in journalism from University of Pune. www.smitasharma.com
24. Swarat Ghosh - Swarat Ghosh is an Indian photographer based in Hyderabad. His photography has been published in several national and international magazines, including but not limited to - The Washington Post, Burn Magazine, National Geographic Traveller, and International Street Photographer. His work has also been presented in Brussels, London, Paris, Glasgow, Istanbul, Thailand, Pondicherry, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Currently, Swarat is part of Agency VII’s mentorship program. Furthermore, he was nominated for the Joop Swart Masterclass 2019, organized by World Press Photo. Instagram
25. Taha Ahmad - Taha Ahmad is a visual artist based in India. He was born in Lucknow, in 1994. He is represented as a part of VII Photo Agency’s mentorship program. His works are a visual representation of the shift in the pluralistic landscape of India, the traumatic past and the culture which is threatened by religious conflicts, social injustice, politics and the times we live in. VII Website | Facebook
26. Vicky Roy - Originally from West Bengal, Vicky ran away from his home and started working as a rag picker at the New Delhi Railway Station, before he was rehabilitated by the Salaam Baalak Trust, Delhi. He studied photography at Triveni Kala Sangam and then apprenticed under Anay Mann. In 2007, he held his first solo exhibition titled, “Street Dream” at India Habitat Centre; supported by the British High Commission. Website | Instagram

About the Team & create4cause

Saurabh Narang (Summit Founder & Host) - Saurabh is an award-winning photographer and International Day of Light speaker. He was working on a smaller version of this project when the world got upside down and social distancing became our new normal. All of a sudden, millions of people lost their work and became vulnerable. Saddened by the current situation, he thought of this creative experimentation to bring around 20 storytellers to raise funds for photographers and daily wage earners impacted by COVID-19 in India. Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

His message below:

"We all know how badly the world is getting affected by the pandemic quarantining and social distancing right now. But everything plays out in our mind, so much to navigate in these trying times and having a POV of optimism is essential. This is a time for perspective to realise how we can stand for and support each other. My thought is with people who have lost their livelihood. I feel extremely overwhelmed by the response from all the storytellers from across the world. They are all amazing and kind to support this idea. Also, we're able to set up everything within a week is incredible. All credit goes to some amazing people who are offering their time to execute this online summit - Thank you so much, everyone. We're all in this together."

Christopher Larson - Chris is a documentary and travel photographer born in Colorado but based in Berlin. He is a co-founder at Follow Our Steps and is passionate about helping people explore the world. Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

Divya Pinge - Divya has been part of the Banking industry for over a decade, and is now looking for ways to give back to society. She considers herself fortunate to have gotten this opportunity to be able to help those who are less privileged. LinkedIn

Her favourite quote "The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away." - Pablo Picasso

Pallabi Ghosh - Pallabi is working towards creating a better society, through a revamped education system. Also, she has been involved in the performing arts scene in Bengaluru, and have led anti-trafficking efforts across India. She is actively associated with several NGOs and help many of them in campaigning and fundraising. LinkedIn

Sandipan Datta - Sandipan lives in Bangalore, is an avid traveller and scuba diver with with keen interests in Wildlife, Landscape and Underwater Photography. Instagram

Schmoo Theune - Documentary photographer and visual artist originally from the USA, now based in Germany. Schmoo left a career in marketing & communications to pursue visual arts, and now focuses on projects centered around themes of migration, identity, and inclusion. Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

About create4cause

Create4Cause is an innovative social experiment to challenge the status quo in order to support the unnoticed causes through creativity.

So stay home while listening to and learning from your favourite storytellers while we do our bit for the community.

For questions, please write to us at virtualphotosummit@gmail.com

We're all in this together!

Team create4cause

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Follow us on

@virtualphotosummit

Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/994003994328548/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/virtualphotosummit/

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FAQs

Q: How is the Virtual Photo Summit connected with International Day of Light (IDL)?

The Virtual Photo Summit is an official IDL 2020 event registered here https://www.lightday.org/events, however the fundraiser is independent of IDL and we (create4cause) are doing it as a creative experiment to provide a solution for communities impacted by COVID-19.

Q: Where will the funds be donated?

The first 50% of the funds will be routed by GiveIndia to nonprofits that it supports through its network. GiveIndia does a due diligence on all programs before releasing funds raised by the public. Pls refer the following link: https://www.giveindia.org/giveassured

The next 50% will be reserved for a grant for photographers who have found their livelihood impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. We're actively looking to partner with an existing organisation for this step, so if you work with an NGO or group that wants to help, please email us: virtualphotosummit@gmail.com

In case, we are unable to find a suitable partner to execute a grant for photographers before the launch on 24th April, then 100% of the fund will be utilised to support GiveIndia's mission to fight against corona

Q: Does Virtual Photo Summit or create4cause charge any fee towards the donation made?

No. Virtual Photo Summit or create4cause is only facilitating the donation process. 100% funds will be managed by GiveIndia. 

Q: How will I know my funds are being put to good use?

Visit  https://www.giveindia.org/aboutus#whatwedo, which outlines the process followed by GiveIndia towards utilisation of the funds.

Q: Will my donation be exempt under the Income Tax structure? 

Yes. https://www.giveindia.org/aboutus#whatwedo states that you will receive a tax exemption receipt as soon as your donation transaction is complete.

Q: When can I access the event and where?

The event will happen on the 24th-26th of April 2020 on the Virtual Photo Summit Facebook Page/Group. You can join in advance as we plan to host free talks in the days leading up to the launch, but only ticket holders will be able to view the speaker content on the event dates. Join here: https://www.facebook.com/Virtual-Photo-Summit-108033597517591

Q: Is there a minimum amount that I need to donate to view the VPS event?

We’re asking a minimum donation of INR 1000 for a ticket. If you wish to donate an amount over this, you can do so on the GiveIndia site by checking the third option.