#DeepBreath

Brian Otieno (born 1993) is a freelance photojournalist who operates an online photo project called “KiberaStories” since 2013. He was raised in Kibera – Africa’s most vibrant, biggest shantytown in Nairobi, Kenya. He is also a graduate from Multimedia University of Kenya with a Diploma in Journalism and Strategic Public Relations.

Brian’s passion and commitment lies in capturing the visual realities and documenting the norm of everyday life from the people around him, and sharing their stories.

His visual stories attempt to go beyond the chaotic appearance and to demonstrate the daily lives in Kibera from socio-economic, cultural, political and environmental perspectives. By doing so, Brian also tries to draw the attention of the public to understand the diversity, dynamics, and inequality of urban life as an observer with a unique point of view through photography.

In October 2016, Brian was among the 12 visual storytellers selected for the World Press Photo Masterclass East Africa Masterclass – the first in Africa, which took place in Nairobi, Kenya.

(b. SLP 1981) is an independent documentary photographer, cultural promoter and rancher who work mainly in North and South America. His work explores a variety of issues, which are strongly related to the effects of violence on migration and exile in the region due to political crises, gang violence, and drug trafficking and land conflicts. His first book My Perro Rano, Chronicles of Central America, was published in 2010 by Editorial RM and was recognized as one of the best photo books of 2011 by the BJP. He is currently producing his second book La Ley del Monte, an idea of ​​revolutionary Mexico from 1900 that investigates the power of the land and its relationship with the rural, political and social world in Mexico. He is a member of Boreal Collective and Director of Centro Cultural Tenexcalco Palos is one of the three grantees of the Foto Fria, visual traces of the Cold War in Latin America program, sponsored by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) of the United Kingdom on this year.

Chara, photographer and multimedia journalist based in Beijing, China.

Maria de la Guardia is an American, multi-awarded professional photo/video journalis based in Afghanistan. She has resided Africa, the Middle East and Asia for nearly a decade covering conflict and disasters with a humanitarian focus. She believes strongly in the potential to create change in the world and raise awareness through the power of storytelling – focusing largely on women’s issues, migration, poverty, and human rights. Her work has taken her to countries that include Sierra Leone, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Mexico and Mongolia. Be it photography, video or written articles, her work has been published by the Guardian, BBC, Al Jazeera, Upworthy, AFAR, the Diplomat, and Narratively among others. There is no where Maria will not go, though the more unexplored and in need of a voice the better.

French/Polish photographer distributed by Hans Lucas.
Born in 1993, I take my first steps in photography while studying sociology at Paris 8 Saint-Denis University. I begin by photographing the Parisian demonstrations before launching on the international news such as Ukrainian revolution and Nepal earthquake. In 2016 I get my Bachelor of Sociology and Political Science. I have since worked as an independent photojournalist, both in France and abroad, on social subjects and spot news.
Beyond photography as such, I am above all animated by the subject I am going to address. The fixed image is the best means through which I will be able to witness the human condition by capturing fragments of human life and telling their story.
Based in Kathmandu (Nepal), I am a member of Studio Hans Lucas since June 2015.

Mahmoud Khattab is a freelance photographer living in Cairo, Egypt. He works on impact of cities on people. Currently a contributing member of Everyday Africa.

Journalist, reporter, photojournalist and researcher. After graduating from high school, she decided to continue her education outside of Poland where she was born. She spent 5 years in Paris, France studying at the Paris 8 University (Performing Arts), at the Higher School of Social Science, Ethics and Philosophy, and at the Catholic University of Lublin (Philosophy, department abroad). Later, she received a scholarship and studied at the University of Vienna, Austria (interdisciplinary). She also studied at the University of Ramkhamhaeng (Mass Communication) in Bangkok, Thailand. She took courses and is trained in: photography (European Academy of Photography, Warsaw, Poland), international communication (Institute of Innovation, Warsaw, Poland), media and human rights (ULIM University, Chisinau, Moldova), HEAT, Cyber Security. She participates in conferences both as a speaker and as a listener. She has been living in and reporting from: EU, Southeast Asia, Balkans, GCC, Eastern Europe and Caucasus. Her photographs has been exhibited in Ukraine and Poland. She is a part of Hacks Hackers Warsaw team. Working languages: Polish, English, French, Russian.

Vishal Manve is a journalist who focuses on business and foreign policy. Based in Mumbai, he currently works for Agence France-Presse (AFP) as an economics correspondent. He is a regular contributor at Global Voices and writes on technology and human rights.