Spotlight: Black Women Photographers Executive Director Beth Wairimũ Irũngũ

This interview is part of a series celebrating the work of Black and African creators from around the world.

Photo by Hope Nicole

Established in July, 2020 by Polly Irungu, Black Women Photographers (BWP) is a global community, directory, and hub of over 2,100 Black and African creatives, spanning over 60+ countries and 35+ U.S. states. The organization is a home for Black women to receive proper recognition and, most importantly, get hired. We are thrilled to partner with Black Women Photographers on a new editorial series celebrating the work of its community members. Each month, Noun Project will be publishing an interview feature with a member of the Black Women Photographers community, shining a light on their incredible work, career paths, and more.

To kick off this new series, we spoke with BWP Executive Director Beth Wairimũ Irũngũ about the history of the organization, its community members, ways photographers can get involved, and more. BWP member work is showcased throughout the piece.

Hi Beth! To get started, can you tell us the founding story behind Black Women Photographers? How has the organization grown since 2020? 

Black Women Photographers was established in July of 2020 and it was birthed out of a need and desire to create a community for women and minority photographers, to provide them with the resources and tools to advance in their careers, help them get hired in a male-dominated industry that is difficult to break into, and connect them with industry gatekeepers and those in positions of power to hire them.

Polly and I are both creatives, but in different ways. Music is my passion and Photography is Polly’s passion. Photography has been a big part of Polly’s youth and adult life; it has carried her through difficult times, and shaped and matured her personally and professionally. When Polly decided to turn photography into a career as an undergraduate student, she struggled to find community, mentors and paid work. In many ways, we’ve created what Polly wishes she had as a young photographer starting out and trying to make it, and built the community and support Polly need to have as a woman and ethnic minority in an industry that lacks diversity.

We established BWP to provide members community, support, educational, career, and professional development resources. We also wanted to provide a curated list (what is now our global database directory) of talented photographers that industry leaders could utilize because we kept hearing that Black and African creatives weren’t hired because they were hard to find. In some instances, we felt that was more of an excuse to maintain exclusivity and the status quo.

Black Women Photographer's website home page

Explore the BWP website, programs, grant opportunities and more at https://blackwomenphotographers.com

We desire to bring diversity to the photography industry as a connector and conduit for change because it lacks gender equity and ethnic diversity. We have been working towards this by bringing education and resources to all women and minorities through our BWP initiatives. Many are not aware that we have classes and workshops throughout the year available to women and minorities of all backgrounds.

BWP is now a thriving global community, directory, and hub of over 2,100 Black and African creatives, spanning over 60+ countries and 35+ U.S. states.

  • We’ve provided over $185,000 in financial grants to Black and African creatives worldwide.
  • We’ve provided additional unrestricted grants and financial assistance to members and nonmembers to cover their business expenses and passion projects.
  • We’ve given thousands of dollars’ worth of free cameras and equipment to photographers.
  • Our membership is free, and all our resources, initiatives, and educational programming are free.
  • The collective offers free educational resources such as regular programming of virtual and in-person events, webinars, workshops, trainings, conferences, meet-ups, and exhibitions.
  • We also support our members by providing free portfolio reviews and promoting their work in an active database directory distributed to brands, photo editors, directors, curators, art buyers, and industry gatekeepers and those in a position to commission and hire them.
Images by DeLovie Kwagala

Photos by DeLovie Kwagala, The Quingdom – In Transition Series

If a photographer is interested in becoming a member, how can they get involved? 

Get involved by attending our in-person events. We regularly host workshops and meet-ups in multiple cities in America and abroad. You’ll get to know other photographers in your community and receive support and assistance that can help you along your journey.

Black Women Photographers Events Page Screen

BWP regularly hosts community events in cities all over the world. You can find their current event schedule and sign up here.

You can also get involved by attending our virtual classes, trainings, conferences, and annual summit. If you’re not able to attend, you can still benefit; watch the recording and replay on our website and official YouTube channel.

Everything we offer as an organization is free, including membership. You can join our membership by applying on our website. We accept applications throughout the year and add members on a quarterly basis. Education and development are core values that are extremely important to us, personally and as an organization, so we accept 99.99% of applicants. We are deliberately inclusive because our industry is so heavily gatekept. Many organizations and collectives that exist to help women and minorities in the industry have membership acceptance requirements, portfolio standards, or professional experience requirements that new artists, developing photographers, and even established professionals don’t have or cannot reasonably acquire. So, it’s a frustrating position for some, who desire to improve and advance but can’t even join the organizations that are supposed to help them do that.

BWP Atlanta Studio Meetup 2021; Photo by Immaculate Lens

I make it a point to explain how inclusive we are because some creatives assume that they can’t apply for or be admitted to BWP membership, based on what’s common in our industry. Nope. Apply and join our collective because BWP is dedicated to assisting visual artists at all stages of development.

Inclusive is a word and cultural concept that gets thrown around a lot. For us, being inclusive means that we accept artists at all stages of development and all levels of technical skill. We don’t make photographers wait, as some other organizations do and have done in the past. I’ve noticed that now some of those organizations have relaxed or modified their membership requirements, and I’m proud that BWP has led the way in this cultural shift.

You don’t have to be a member to participate in BWP events or to apply for our grants and other initiatives, but membership has several benefits:

  • Many of our opportunities are announced and made available to members first.
  • Membership gains you access to our Slack and other support pages. 
  • Most importantly, membership gets you added to our global directory that is distributed to brands, photo editors, directors, curators, art buyers, industry gatekeepers, and those in a position to commission and hire. In the last four years we’ve had countless hiring directors let us know that hey searched and hired from our directory, members who have never received paid work or brand partnerships tell us that someone hired them from the directory, and several members have gotten huge breaks and career-launching opportunities in the photography industry from joining our membership directory.
  • I, and the BWP Team also utilize the database to hire for various local, national, and international assignments. We get requests from everyone and everywhere – publications, news outlets, organizations, businesses, national brands – that need to hire a photographer, sometimes urgently. That’s how one of our members ended up going on tour with a recording artist – she wasn’t expecting it, and it was the highlight of her year.

Photos by Sandy Adams (Top to Bottom, Left to Right): Good Morning Sun Star, Break Through, Blowing My Own Horn, Sweet Memories

Can you tell us more about the educational opportunities BWP provides, like the annual Summit? 

Educational programming is the core of what we do because it’s essential for development as a professional and a photographer. The best part is that all our programming is free, and you can watch the recordings and replays on our website or YouTube channel, including workshops, classes, and summit sessions.

Every year, towards the end of spring, through our partnership with Adobe, we host a free summit where we bring photographers and other industry leaders together to teach and speak to our community. We usually have 13 – 20 speakers addressing various topics. Some of our past speakers include the most influential photographers of our time like Dana Scruggs, Audrey Woulard, and Raven B. Varona.

Because BWP is dedicated to helping photographers at all stages of development, we have something for everyone – whether you’re a novice or a seasoned photographer. We tackle every aspect of being an artist, creative, photographer, and paid professional.

  • We cover technical aspects of our discipline like lighting, color grading, and other skills-based how-to guides.
  • We cover the business aspects of photography like pricing your services, budgeting, contracts, licensing, etc.
  • We have presentations on how to navigate social, cultural, or personal challenges.

Every year, in the fall, we host a series of workshops and classes called The Essentials in collaboration with The Everyday Projects. Like the annual summit in the spring, there is something for everyone and we cover the technical, business, and personal aspects of working as a photographer or creative.

In addition to our annual Summit and The Essentials series, we host workshops throughout the year. Currently, we are doing a lighting workshop tour with Profoto; recent workshops have been held in Dallas, New York, and Atlanta.

BWP lighting workshop tour with Profoto; Photo by Hope Nicole

We host many other classes and workshops throughout the year, and I always encourage our members to go back and watch recordings or replays. Our YouTube channel even has topical playlists: pitching, grant writing, website creation, business formation, lighting, color grading, etc. Our discussions with industry leaders and professionals are also made available on our website or YouTube channel; learn from the NFL’s Photo Team, Bloomberg’s Photo Team, Capture One, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, and glean insights from Photo Editors and Photo Directors.

Photos by Nia Ross (Left to Right): Feminine Nature, IT Girl Icy Edition, Let Them Eat Cake

In addition to incredible education opportunities, BWP has engaged in some outstanding partnerships with organizations like Live Nation and TrackTown USA. Can you tell us more about how BWP partners with organizations and the opportunities for BWP community members through these initiatives?

BWP is committed to advancing visual artists at all stages of career development, and with a focus on partnerships that provide our members with professional and paid opportunities. For many photographers, there has never been a lack of talent or skill – just a lack of opportunity. This is a difficult industry to break into. Through our open-call application process, we select and provide photographers with unique opportunities to develop and showcase their skills at an elite level. Throughout the year we announce various partnerships and BWP members and nonmembers can apply to be selected for the opportunity – sometimes it’s an individual assignment and sometimes we send a team of photographers or videographers to an event.

As we aim to provide to opportunities for photographers at all levels of development, technical skills, and experience, we also strive to offer opportunities for photographers of all specializations and genres. We try to not just focus on news or photojournalism, which is the most popular and populated division of our membership/organization. We’ve got a place for you – whether you’re a pet, portraiture, landscape, nature, wildlife, architecture, real estate, fashion, sports, documentary, food, product, wedding, or street photographer, etc.

That’s why our partnerships with organizations like TrackTown USA and Live Nation are so vital because it gives opportunities to different types of photographers, and in this case our sports and music photographers. Even if your niche or type of photography is less common or popular, we are actively seeking opportunities and partnerships that benefit you and all our members.

Why is community so important for photographers and artists? 

First, I’d like to note that community is essential for all, not just photographers. Everyone needs community, both personally and professionally. Community provides us with a place to belong – a place where you can bring your whole self, unfiltered and unvarnished, without reservation or pretense. Some growth cannot occur in isolation.  Some aspects of development cannot be done independently but are dependent on the interactions you have with others and the contributions of others. Community provides us a space to nourish and be nourished – simply – a place where you learn and grow and help others learn and grow. There’s a time and place for this, but you can’t do everything or be everything for yourself – you can’t always build-up, empower, equip, and encourage yourself. Your community is your chosen family and selected support system.

Photos by Katie Sterlin, Los Angeles, California

The biggest mistake you can make as a photographer is attempting to do it alone. What do I mean by that? After all, photography is an art form and one of the few disciplines that is primarily exercised and executed individually or independently, rather than with a group or a team. Photography – the industry and the craft – is often an isolating, lonely, and solitary endeavor. However, your journey to growth, success, and satisfaction will be enhanced by making connections, cultivating community, and receiving mentorship and support in community.

Photos by Alisa Speese, Panama City, Panama

Community is so important for photographers and artists because other photographers and visual artists understand you, your challenges, and the different hurdles you face every day. They understand you; they understand your work and because of this they are best suited to give you answers you can’t get anywhere else – you can learn industry-specific knowledge. Beyond that, even common situations that come up that you’re not sure how to handle. Am I being shortchanged? Is my pricing fair? How do I approach this issue or problematic customer? Etc.

Again, it’s difficult to learn in isolation. It’s unnecessary and tough to always have to learn things the hard way – through trial and error. And most of the time it’s not trial and error, trial and error, trial and error – until you find a solution. It’s more like – trial and error, error, error, trial and error, error, error; try something 100 times and it doesn’t work 100 times. You can save a lot of time, money, energy, effort and even save yourself from tears and hours of frustration by just getting knowledge, guidance, and mentorship from others who know what you don’t or are more advanced in an area where you are lacking.

Photo by Sherie Margaret Ngigi – Nairobi, Kenya: Murky Waters V

What advice would you give to people just getting started in the world of photography? 

Several nuggets of advice that are so practical and basic, that I find they’re often overlooked, especially with those just starting out:

  • Maintain your relationships with those in the industry, peers, and other photographers you work with, because breaking into the industry is difficult, and even as an established professional photographer, it can still be a grind to make a living. Networking is important because many opportunities are not advertised and are first offered to those within known personal and professional proximity. Not fair, and not saying that it’s right, but understand and navigate the world as it is, and not just as you think it should be or want it to be. You don’t have to culturally capitulate, compromise yourself or your standards – to get a job, gig, make money, or land a brand or corporate deal – but understand how the world of photography works, and know your industry so that you can prepare and position yourself accordingly
  • You don’t need a camera to be a photographer. Paradoxical but not nonsensical. Paradoxical and true. This is grating and annoying to most professional photographers who hate that anyone and everyone who now has a phone, or just takes pictures as a hobby, can call themselves a photographer. Now when you reach a certain technical level of skill, you will need equipment that will allow you to produce the work/art you want at that level. But just starting out, it’s okay if all you have is your smartphone. And once you learn how to edit, and master lighting, you’ll be amazed by how much you can do with less, or what you might perceive to be so little/not enough.
  • You don’t need the best at latest equipment. Work with what you have. If you don’t have anything – that’s okay – borrow loaner equipment from local schools and colleges if that’s something you have access to. Many photographers – even in America – don’t own their own camera or can’t afford to purchase one. Start off with a smartphone or loaner/rental camera.
  • Before you go out and purchase the best and latest equipment – learn your camera; really learn how to use the camera you have. Many new photographers think that they need a new camera, and they don’t – they actually just need to learn how to use what they already have.
  • Shoot consistently – every week. No excuses. Don’t try to shoot more – go and do it. Be militant about it. If you don’t have the time, make the time. Rearrange your priorities. Restructure your schedule. Cut things out of your life or drop things you need to drop so that you have the time in your life to shoot. Some things just take time. Learning a skill takes time. Developing a craft takes time. You don’t have unlimited hours in a day, so figure out what you need to do to prioritize your photography. Dedication is deliberate.
  • Learn how to receive constructive feedback.
  • Learn how to listen to others, be considerate and intentionally mindful of those around you, especially if you were raised in a Western culture.
  • Learn to verbalize your needs and wants, express your boundaries, and practice self-advocacy, especially if you were raised in an Eastern culture.

Photos by Anouchka Ophélie Agbayissah, Lomé, Togo

When you look to the future, how do you hope the organization and community continue to grow? 

First, we’ll continue to ensure our programs remain free and accessible for all.

We will continue the work we’ve been doing; providing community, mentorship, financial assistance, and free educational and professional resources to aid women and minority photographers in their development and maturation.   

As a director, there are several ways I measure organizational growth and community progress. We’ve gotten attention for how quickly we’ve grown numerically and what we’ve offered our members and nonmembers financially through our grant programs and other initiatives. Steady growth and sustainability are important for any nonprofit, as are other measurables and metrics.

However, as we scale and increase the scope of our offerings, growth will not come at the expense of our members – in terms of affordability and quality. Free membership, programming, education, and development for photographers at all levels and stages is supremely important to us as is keeping everything we do free. This is a challenge, but we are committed to this because affordability and accessibility are paramount when serving women and minorities in the photography industry who lack resources, education, access, and opportunities to develop their talent and skills. 

Education is a core value – and I don’t believe in charging for that. In an industry where gatekeeping is the norm, I don’t believe in pay-to-play, pay-to-participate, or pay-to-learn. For many, industry elitism, cultural gatekeeping, and the economic expense of pursuing photography as a passion or profession have kept it out of reach. Breaking barriers in photography and the visual arts means addressing cultural and economic hindrances in our industry.

BWP community event in Baltimore, Maryland; Photo by Ashley Esposito

We all know that financial circumstances can help or hamper your growth, especially for those who would be considered traditionally underserved, historically underrepresented, economically disadvantaged, marginalized, etc. Additionally, many of our members are international and lack the means to reach their full potential.

We believe in building an organization that prioritizes creating opportunity and access for women and minorities who lack the support, community, education, resources, and finances to pursue this discipline and art form. Additionally, we serve those who need the mentorship we offer to progress in their professional and personal development and maturation as confident women and artists with much to contribute to a world that often undervalues their contributions.

We’ll also continue to focus on programs for our members and photographers to advance their skills and abilities.

Another way I measure growth and hope to see the organization and community continue to grow is by nurturing the growth of our member photographers – advancing their skills and abilities. Through our partnerships with Capture One, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, and others, some of our members have received free software and subscription licenses paired with instructional training. Seeing our members grow in their technical abilities is especially rewarding. One that comes to mind is London-based beauty and fashion photographer Tobi Sobowale. Observing her progression and others after providing them with the tools and resources they need motivates and reminds us of why we do what we do. 

Finally, we’ll continue to grow our impact in the industry.

I also hope to see the organization and community continue to grow through our impact in the industry. Other women have told us that we’ve inspired them to start their own organizations or projects to help their communities. 

As noted earlier, our partnerships with organizations like TrackTown USA, where we give photographers professional opportunities, often leads them to getting the experience and exposure necessary to get noticed and hired for future projects. One of the photographers we selected to work The Prefontaine Classic in May and the Olympic Trials in June was Ashé Davis. She told us that after seeing her work at TrackTown USA this year, PUMA hired her for one of their events. 

We are proud to be a launching pad for those who have never received major opportunities and/or be a gateway for photographers to get hired by national organizations, corporations, and other industry leaders. One way we’ve done this is through our free portfolio reviews. One of our partnerships has been with The New York Times. Four of our members were hired and published by the NYT after participating in one of our free portfolio reviews with NYT editors. Documentary photographer Taiwo Aina is one that comes to mind. We have the same partnerships with industry leaders at other publications, news organizations, agencies, businesses and brand ambassadors.

We also help our members get hired. A few of the brands and organizations who have directly partnered with BWP and hired using our directory and membership database include: 

  • Twitter / X
  •  Adobe 
  • The Washington Post  
  • The New York Times    
  • The Associated Press   
  • The Guardian   
  •  Nike   
  • Red Bull   
  •  Peloton   
  • American Airlines    
  • TrackTown USA  
  • WNBA’s Atlanta Dream
  • BET   
  • Essence Magazine 

How can people support the work you’re doing?

  • Contact us if you need a photographer! Let us connect you to a great photographer. Hire from our global database and directory. 
  • Attend events that are open to the public. We host exhibitions featuring the work of our members and various other artists in the community. Support artists by coming to view and appreciate their work.
  • If you see photography or any artist’s work that you appreciate, please take the time to share or express your appreciation to the artist. Write them a quick note on social media or the comments section of their blog/profiles. There are so many artists and creatives that do great work, but don’t receive acknowledgement, recognition, feedback, or commentary on what they often spend many painstaking hours to produce.
  • Consider supporting our organization financially. Everything we offer as an organization is free to our members and nonmembers, but it’s not free to provide it. Your donations help support our grants, services, programming, initiatives and help sustain our organization.
  • Donate unwanted cameras, gear, and equipment. Please contact us to coordinate shipping, drop-off, or pickup. 
  • Volunteer. Donate your time and your talent. There are so many ways you can help a nonprofit, an organization or a cause you care about. Leverage your knowledge and your skills. For example, do you know how to build a website or are you social media savvy? Offer to do that for free.
  • For established or more experienced photographers, volunteer your time and expertise by providing portfolio reviews or ongoing mentorship to our members. 
  • In-kind gifts and nonmonetary donations also make a difference. Even something as simple as donating plastic tote bins and office supplies can help. If you donate it, then members don’t have to purchase it, and that saves them money. There are sponsors and partners that have assisted us by offering free or reduced services and we greatly appreciate it. There are businesses that have also offered products like licenses and editing software for free or at a reduced price to our members, and that is also immensely helpful and appreciated.

Thank you for sharing with us Beth! To learn more about Black Women Photographers, get access to their outstanding database of visual artists, or to join the organization, visit their website and follow them on Instagram and Twitter.

*All images courtesy of Black Women Photographers

Subscribe to Our Newsletter for More Inspiration

Noun Project Team

Related Articles