ROUND TABLE / PHOTOJOURNALISM / STATUS QUO

Where is the journey going?



How has the scene changed in recent years, what are the challenges and what are the experiences of photographers of different generations? How does the changing market influence the way of working? What changes do magazines and publishers have to face? What role do commissions play compared to freelance work? And how can projects be financed on the one hand and made visible on the other? How should socially relevant topics be implemented? Is it still justified that "western" photographers are sent out into the world and bring back pictures with an outside view? And what do we actually want from journalistic images and photojournalism in 2021?

We explore these questions together with Natalia Kepesz, Now You See Me Moria, Dr. Ali Shobeiri and Matthias Ziegler. The discussion is moderated by Nadja Masri.



The polish photographer Natalia Kepesz lives and works in Berlin. After graduating in cultural studies and art history at the Humboldt University Berlin, she studied photography at the Ostkreuzschule Berlin. She use photography as a means of self-expression to identify with hidden qualities of her character, to better understand her reality, and to express her interpretation of the world around her. By photographing, she transforms her own childhood memories. Growing up was always accompanied by the urge to discover something else. http://www.nataliakepesz.de/



Now You See Me Moria Initiated by Dutch photographer and photo editor Noemí in 2020, the activist project and collective Now You See me Moria was founded due to the lack of media coverage and a growing dispair about human rights violations at Camp Moria on the Greek island of Lesbos. The group members – besides Noemí there is Qutaeba from Syria, Ali and Amir from Afghanistan - want to spread awareness for the humanitarian crisis in the EU, in particular at Moria refugee camp. https://www.instagram.com/now_you_see_me_moria/



Dr. Ali Shobeiri (*1984) is Assistant Professor of Visual Arts Theory and Photographic Studies at Leiden University, Netherlands. His current research and publications are in the area of aesthetics, phenomenology, visual culture and spatial studies. Among his more recent publications are Place: Towards a Geophilosophy of Photography (2021) and Animation and Memory (2020) https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/staffmembers/ali-shobeiri#tab-1



Nadja Masri works as an independent photo editor, lecturer and visual consultant. Her time as senior photo editor and bureau chief at GEO magazine and lecturer at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in the open-minded and vibrant metropolis New York has had a huge impact on her career. Nadja Masri, who has an MA in communication science has been head of the one-year certificate course for photo editors at Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie in Berlin since 2011. She also teaches at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts, at ICP, conducts workshops, gives talks and judges photo contests. http://www.nadjamasri.com/



Matthias Ziegler (*1964) studied at the Bayerische Staatslehranstalt für Fotografie in Munich and has been working on assignments for various editorial and commercial clients ever since. He is best known for his unique emphatic style juxtaposing epic landscape with often overlooked details, sharing his own subjective experience in his imagery. https://soothingshade.com/artist/matthias-ziegler/



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Music: The Garvey Train

Speakers: Antonio Brunetti (english) & Irina Salkow (german)