Five new photographers join VII mentor program

VII is pleased to announce the next roster of photographers to join its lauded VII Mentor Program, an education initiative launched in 2008 to provide professional development for emerging photographers whom VII consider to be amongst the brightest new talents in the industry.

The photographers, who were chosen from 150 applicants, will each be mentored by a VII photographer for a period of two years, to build and develop necessary skills, expand his or her own professional practice, and help broaden their professional world, such as building relationships with editors, publishers and galleries.

They are:

• Poulomi Basu (India) - to be mentored by Stefano DeLuigi
• Maika Elan (Vietnam) - to be mentored by John Stanmeyer
• Ali Arkady (Iraq) - to be mentored by Ed Kashi
• Arthur Bondar (Ukraine) - to be mentored by Donald Weber
• Cristobal Olivares (Chile) - to be mentored by Christopher Morris

Poulomi and Maika will join the program immediately; Ali, Arthur and Cristobal will join June 1.

The new photographers will eventually replace those currently in the Mentor Program, who include Gazi Nafis Ahmed (Bangladesh), Sim Chi Yin (China), Laura El-Tantawy (Egypt), Jost Franko (Slovenia) and Amanda Rivkin (USA).

The VII Mentor Program has been a critical success and, over the coming months, the agency will be seeking partnerships with other organizations to increase the opportunities it can offer to the mentored photographers. "We hope to develop production grants, training and further skill development initiatives for them," says VII's Gary Knight.


All about the VII Mentor Program