How Polly Irungu Created Space For Black Women Photographers

Feb. 23, 2023 To read about the other Culture Shifters, return to the list here. There’s no reason.” Today, Black Women Photographers — a global community and database of Black women and nonbinary photographers — has grown to over 1,500 members in over 60 countries. Kreshonna Keane for HuffPost Polly Irungu The organization’s work has impacted many photographers’ careers and skills already: A photographer in London got an opportunity to go to Copenhagen to talk about her work on a major photo editing brand; a Chicago photographer couldn’t take on a gig, so she passed it along to another photographer in the organization; a grad student got an assignment after a portfolio review with The New York Times; another London photographer shared a progress report of sorts with the group, documenting how much her technique, lighting and composition had improved over six years. “I never want to overstep or cause harm with anything that I do.” Since the organization’s inception, Irungu’s work with Black Women Photographers has always been more of a passion project. Kreshonna Keane for HuffPost “For me, it’s always just being able to pass down what I know and really just inspire somebody along the way because I was taught and inspired by somebody else.” Last year, Black Women Photographers held its first exhibition in New York in partnership with Hi-Arts, a nonprofit for artists.