MAYE- E WONG

For the past two decades at the Associated Press (AP), Maye-E was one of the agency’s go-to photographers for a remarkable range of assignments across the world, including more than 35 trips to North Korea. Her career highlights include stories such as Rohingya women fleeing Myanmar, political unrest in Thailand and Hong Kong, the devastation of typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, Bangladesh’s garment factory collapse, and Black Lives Matter protests on the streets of New York.Her own work has won an Overseas Press Club Hal Boyle Award and the 2018 Ancil Payne Ethics in Journalism Award, as well as a Picture of the Year award from the Reynolds Journalism Institute for her portraits of victims of abuse by Catholic clergy.More recently, she’s become known as a fierce advocate of visual journalism, an innovator in digital storytelling and, occasionally, an assignment photographer. Recently, she traveled across large swaths of the United States documenting life as Americans navigated the uncertainty of both COVID and politics.
In April this year, Maye-E took on the leadership of Wider Image at Reuters, leading photographers in their visual storytelling efforts across the globe.

Maye-E is currently the Senior Editor for Wider Image and Special Projects at Reuters.

LUCAS JACKSON

Lucas Jackson grew up on a remote cattle ranch near Quemado, NM with his parents and three siblings. He received a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR followed by spending several years as a commercial salmon fisherman in Alaska before beginning his career in journalism.

As a Reuters Senior Photographer based in New York, Jackson has a wide range of experience covering news events ranging from the Academy Awards to the aftermath of natural disasters and both nationally and internationally scaled stories He has covered racial unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, the impacts of climate change on glaciers in Greenland, coral degradation in the Caribbean, the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and the “forever wars” in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

For his work, Jackson has been awarded awards from several industry leading organizations including National Press Photographers Association Best of Photojournalism awards, Pictures of the Year International, Prix de la Photographie, New York Press Photographers Association, and China International Press Photography.

GABRIEL BIDERMAN (Moderator)

Gabriel Biderman is a self-taught fine art photographer who has been exploring night photography for over 20 years. He specializes in capturing surreal nightscapes that enhance historic and urban environments, working with both film and digital formats. His work has been exhibited in New York, London, San Francisco, and Hawaii, and he co-authored the book Night Photography – From Snapshots to Great Shots.
Fifteen years ago, Gabriel moved to Brooklyn and began working as a fine art printer before joining B&H, where he has spent the last 12 years representing the store at workshops, trade shows, and seminars worldwide. He loves sharing his knowledge of night photography with others, finding joy in helping students achieve their own "Ah-ha" moments.

Gabriel has traveled extensively across the U.S., visiting many National Parks, and dreams of capturing an iconic night image of each one. He is passionate about preserving and appreciating these natural wonders, believing they are the perfect stage for night photography.

ELIZABETH KRIST

Elizabeth Krist was a National Geographic photo editor for over 20 years. She is on the boards of Women Photograph and W. Eugene Smith Fund, and advises the Eddie Adams Workshop. She also collaborates with Apple. In 2023 she co-curated CatchLight’s Visual Storytelling Summit in San Francisco, and for more than ten years helped program National Geographic’s Photography Seminar. Krist curated the Women of Vision exhibition and book, plus Photoville installations for three festivals. Honors include the 2020 John Durniak Mentor Award from NPPA, and recognition from POYi, Overseas Press Club, and Communication Arts. She teaches for the International Center of Photography, and often judges grants and competitions.

A former Senior Photo Editor of National Geographicmagazine (for over 20 years), Elizabeth Cheng Krist is a founding member of the Visual Thinking Collective, who sits on the boards of Women Photograph and the W. Eugene Smith Fund; helps program National Geographic’s Storytellers Summit, and advises the Eddie Adams Workshop.

Throughout her extensive career, Krist has taught for the International Center of Photography; at Syracuse University, Santa Fe Workshops, and La Luz. She has reviewed portfolios for The New York Times and was nominated for the Joop Swart Masterclass. She curated Women of Vision, and organized the first Women Focus event at the Newseum in Washington D.C.

Currently, she is creating a National Geographicbook and exhibition on China and producing stories for Magnum Photos.

LAUREN WALSH

Dr. Lauren Walsh teaches at New York University, where she is the Director of the Gallatin Photojournalism Intensive. She is also the Director of Lost Rolls America, a national archive of photography and memory, and in 2023 was named a Fulbright Specialist in Photography and Ethics. 

Walsh’s newest books include is Through the Lens: The Pandemic and Black Lives Matter and Conversations on Conflict Photography. She has published widely in mainstream and academic journals. In addition to her appearances on CNN, Al Jazeera, and BBC, Walsh has appeared as an expert on photography in radio programs, podcasts, and documentary films; and sits on the Board of various photojournalism organizations. 

Walsh heads media literacy educational initiatives both in the US and abroad, and has led workshops and lectured globally, with an emphasis on ethics and photography, as well as safety and mental health concerns for journalists. She focuses particularly on photojournalism, with a specialty in conflict photography and peace journalism.