Lauren Walsh: Through the Lens

Lauren Walsh: Through the Lens
Book Talk


Thursday

Jun 9, 2022 | 7:30pm

 

In-Person 7:30PM
Bronx Documentary Center, 614 Courtlandt Ave, Bronx, NY 10451 

Join the BDC for a conversation and book signing with author, and educator, Dr. Lauren Walsh, as she discusses her new book Through the Lens: The Pandemic and Black Lives Matter with visual editor Natalia Jiménez.

2020 was a period of groundbreaking social and political upheaval, in combination with a colossal epidemiological crisis—and it urgently redefined the working conditions of photojournalists. The historic 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and the devastating Covid-19 pandemic presented unique challenges for photojournalism, forcing photographers into a terrain defined by new ethical, technological, and safety (emotional and physical) concerns, as well as innovative attacks on press freedom.

Through a series of interviews—with top photographers who covered 2020’s biggest crises, as well as key photo editors who grappled with these unprecedented obstacles inside the newsroom—Through the Lens: The Pandemic and Black Lives Matter unpacks the industry’s most critical debates as it sheds light on the experiences and thought processes of the visual journalists themselves. Importantly, this book encourages readers to consider the efforts behind the camera lens: the challenges and risks visual journalists face to bring us the news in pictures.

Richly illustrated with evocative photos, Through the Lens is a timely and vital look at the role photojournalism serves in a world of crisis. It is a powerful follow-up to Lauren Walsh’s previous title, Conversations on Conflict Photography, which offers a crucial exploration of the visual documentation of war and humanitarian crisis.

 

 

Bios:

Dr. Lauren Walsh teaches at The New School and New York University, where she is the Director of the Gallatin Photojournalism Lab. She is also the Director of Lost Rolls America, a national archive of photography and memory. A leading expert on contemporary photojournalism, with a specialty in coverage of conflict and crisis, her books include: “Through the Lens: The Pandemic and Black Lives Matter” and “Conversations on Conflict Photography.”

Natalia Jiménez is a visual editor who works with photography, video and illustration to create thoughtful storytelling across a diverse range of platforms, from digital presentations to print and broadcast television. As a picture editor on the national desk at The Washington Post, she covered the Trump presidency, 2020 election, and January 6th insurrection. Before joining the Post, she managed the photography team at NBC News, where she also art directed and commissioned original illustrations. Her work has been recognized by Pictures of the Year International, NPPA's Best of Photojournalism and the Society of News Design. She has served as a juror for photography awards for the Overseas Press Club, American Photography 37, and NPPA’s Best of Photojournalism. Natalia was a member of the 2021 cohort for the ONA Women's Leadership Accelerator. She was faculty on the first Women Photograph workshop held in Latin America in 2019 and a mentor in their 2021 mentorship program. Natalia was drawn to editing while an assistant to photographers Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb as they developed longform visual narratives through book publishing. Though she has focused on digital storytelling for most of her career, she retains an appreciation for the tactile experience of photography books and aims to apply that sensibility to her everyday work.
 

HEADER IMAGE: Smoke rises from a burning police cruiser during the Justice for George Floyd Philadelphia protest, May 30, 2020. Photo by Yong Kim/Philadelphia Inquirer

INTERIOR IMAGES (L-R): During the Corpus Christi mass in Lima’s main cathedral, Archbishop Carlos Castillo swings a censer, spreading incense before more than 5,000 portraits of people who died from Covid-19, Peru, June 14, 2020. At this time, more than 225,000 had been infected in the country. Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP

Cover of Lauren Walsh's book. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images