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@thejournal_collective

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A global photo collective of several hundred women and non binary photographers who have come together to create a network for creativity & support.

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In collaboration with @europeanculturalfoundation (ECF) for their annual magazine Common Ground, we are pleased to share with you a selection of photographs by women and non-binary photographers who contributed to The Journal’s open call “Solidarity” earlier this year. The photographs accompany a conversation between Charlotte Schmitz and Yen Duong, two organisers of @thejournal_collective, who discussed how solidarity is translated into our collective photography, as we are confronted daily with images of wars, genocides and atrocities while feeling helpless over the impact of the images in our chaotic times. We are grateful for all the photographers who have contributed to this open call and for this feature, as well as the ECF for this opportunity!
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1. Omê and Kekik dance at a Hande Kader solidarity party in Berlin, 2025, part of “Inside the Ring” photo series. Hande Kader is a solidarity network that aims to offer scholarships for trans* students in Türkiye. © Ceren Saner (@csaner)

2. Set in France, the series Sisterhood responds to the 2022 hijab ban in basketball and the wider exclusion of visibly Muslim women from sport. “I think discrimination and exclusion create relentless activists,” says Hélène Bâ, cofounder of BPT, a collective fighting against discrimination in basketball. Hélène (L) and Léna on a public basketball court in Noisy-le-Sec, France, on March 8, 2025. They are teammates, but since the 2022 ban, Hélène, who had been playing basketball for 14 years, can no longer play her sport. © Su Cassiano (@su_cassiano)

3. Nils, a Sámi herder, feeds his reindeer next to a Lavvu in the Arctic Circle, northern Norway, in January, 2026. Sámi are indigenous people of the extreme north, whose livelihoods are increasingly affected by climate change. As winters become less predictable and shift in timing, raising reindeer is also getting more difficult as they struggle to find food during the changing seasons. © Claudia Toledo (@clavdiatoledo) by @thejournal_collective

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4 months ago

1. This image is part of the series Roots in the Asphalt, which addresses the ongoing protests against the genocide in Gaza on the streets of Berlin. It captures moments of collective grief, resistance, and persistence, as protestors demand from the German government and society accountability, solidarity and justice for what is happening in Gaza. © Greta Verlage (@greta_verlage)

2. Portrait of Palestinian psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and writer Samah Jabr at Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Foundation in Milan, Italy, on May 29, 2025. Formerly Head of the Mental Health Unit of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Samah has been researching and treating the devastating effects of long-term exposure to the intense stresses of conflicts for decades, with a particular focus on the situation experienced by the Palestinian population in Gaza. © Isabella De Maddalena (@isabellademaddalenaphotography)

3. The hands of Vladislava and Vania meet over his prosthetic eyes, a gesture of love and resilience, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 12, 2025. Vania defended Kyiv and later stepped on a mine near Bakhmut, losing his sight. Weeks earlier, he had met Vladislava online. Their connection blossomed into love, engagement, and marriage. Today, they are raising a baby boy together. This intimate image captures their bond, the tenderness between them, and the strength that has carried them through the life-changing impact of war. © Marylise Vigneau (@marylisevigneau)

4. Thousands of women gathered at İstasyon Square on International Women’s Day in Diyarbakır, Türkiye, on March 8, 2025, in a protest organised by Dicle Amed Women’s Platform (DAKAP) and Free Women’s Movement (Tevgera Jinên Azad-TJA), two prominent Kurdish women’s rights organisations that advocate for gender equality, women’s liberation and autonomy against patriarchy and state oppression. © Aylin Kızıl (@aylinkizil_) by @thejournal_collective

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4 months ago

In collaboration with @europeanculturalfoundation (ECF) for their annual magazine Common Ground, we are pleased to share with you a selection of photographs by women and non-binary photographers who contributed to The Journal’s open call “Solidarity” earlier this year. The photographs accompany a conversation between Charlotte Schmitz and Yen Duong, two organisers of @thejournal_collective, who discussed how solidarity is translated into our collective photography, as we are confronted daily with images of wars, genocides and atrocities while feeling helpless over the impact of the images in our chaotic times. We are grateful for all the photographers who have contributed to this open call and for this feature, as well as the ECF for this opportunity!

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Portrait of members of the Habertanz Gruppe Neukölln (Haber Dancing Group) in Berlin, 2025. From left: Roxi, Raphi, Ana and Paula. The teenagers meet almost daily to dance and spend time with each other as they go through everyday racism in school and public transport in Germany. © Doro Zinn (@dorozinn)

Glimpse of a self-care workshop organised by reproductive justice activists in Mission, Texas, US, on October 4, 2025. Inspired by the Marea Verde—a transnational movement that promotes solidarity, knowledge-sharing, and autonomy in access to safe abortion—these workshops and gatherings become spaces for learning, capacity-building and development of collective strategies for navigating a hostile legal environment. © Mahé Elipe (@_mahelipe_)

Soldiers Tetiana, 22, call sign Titan, right, and Viktoriia, 26, call sign Karma, work on identifying the root of the drone to the target on the Russian occupied side at the military position in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on October 6, 2025. They are part of an all-women UAV crew of the Typhoon special forces unit of the National Guard of Ukraine. © Oksana Parafeniuk (@oksana_par) by @thejournal_collective

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4 months ago

Our solidarity open call was curated by Charlotte Schmitz, Flor Orpianesi and Yen Duong.
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1: Hélène Bâ, cofounder of BPT – a collective fighting discrimination in basketball — and teammate Léna on a public court in Noisy-le-Sec, France, March 8, 2025. From the series Sisterhood, on the 2022 hijab ban and the exclusion of visibly Muslim women from sport. Having played for 14 years, Hélène can no longer compete. “I think discrimination and exclusion create relentless activists.Su Cassiano (@su_cassiano).

2: Diaba Konaté on her bed with the French national team jersey she can no longer wear. A rising basketball star sidelined by the ban, she recently received a medal from the city of Paris. “It’s a strange feeling to be both celebrated and rejected. I have no choice but to fight against this ban, ultimately. It affects me, but it also impacts future generations. Today, in our community, we don’t necessarily have representation. And I think that’s incredibly important. There is talent among us, whether in men or women. But the problem is that we can’t showcase that talent while wearing the hijab. We feel like we’re being pushed out of society. When, once again, we just want to play basketball.”  @su_cassiano

3: My son mesmerized by the light in our bedroom during a trip to Brazil. Many first times as he is getting to know more about my world, our heritage. Time where I get to share all I have with him. Alinne Rezende (@linnirezende) is a Brazilian photojournalist.

4: United we bloom–like the rhododendron in his hand, a symbol of strength, resilience, and solidarity.
Ranita Roy (@ranita1roy) is a visual storyteller from Uttarakhand, India.

5: A quiet moment of solidarity—where a man’s gentle hold speaks the language of loyalty, care, and unconditional love. @ranita1roy.

5+6: Women gathered in the streets celebrate International Women’s Day with enthusiasm as they carry a banner together.

At the end of the protest, women surrounded by police pose together with their backs turned to officers before the detention of 112 people. Istanbul, 2025.

Havva Zorlu (@havvazorlu), photojournalist based in Türkiye. by @thejournal_collective

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7 months ago

In the face of rising authoritarianism, state terrorism and fascism in many parts of the world, the open call “Solidarity” was created to share solidarity with many of our friends and colleagues.

As we enter this year full of chaos, solidarity has become an urgency: it is a call for actions, gestures of support. It is our political statement, our refusal to obey.

This fourth edition of our Community Submission call was created by Charlotte Schmitz, Flor Orpianesi and Yen Duong, the main organizers and coordinators of The Journal.
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1: ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, UKRAINE - OCTOBER 5–6, 2025: Soldiers Viktoriia, 26, call sign Karma, Tetiana, 22, call sign Titan, and Oleksandra, 24, call sign Smakolyk, are part of an all-women UAV crew within the Typhoon special forces unit of the National Guard of Ukraine — three of whom met at a civilian drone training before joining the army.

Oct. 5: The three soldiers drink kombucha and laugh together in the kitchen.
Oct. 6: Tetiana (Titan) and Viktoriia (Karma) hug in excitement in their bunker after their crew successfully hit a Russian howitzer.

Photos by Oksana Parafeniuk (@oksanaparafeniuk), independent photographer based in Kyiv, Ukraine.

3: Arlo * (name changed) is a trans / non-binary person in a time in Germany, where anti-trans sentiments are becoming increasingly normalised. © Doro Zinn (@dorozinn) is a documentary photographer based in Berlin.

4: Ukrainians praying in the Transfiguration Cathedral, a significant Orthodox church in Odessa, which has been severely damaged by Russian missile strikes.  
KC (@takemee.north) is a photojournalist based in Nairobi, Kenya.

5: “Tiny Sign” It was 2025. I was reminded that we are so powerful together.
Neighbors in Los Feliz, showing up on a Saturday in June.
Monica Orozco (@monicaorozcophotography) LA-based, old-school photographer

6: “ Stop Trump” No Kings, June 14, 2025. Her face says it all. She could be my tia.
@monicaorozcophotography

7: Couple holding hands on a walk around Lake Weissensee, Berlin, on September 30, 2025.
Lotte Weber (@karottinger) is based in Berlin. by @thejournal_collective

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7 months ago

In the face of rising authoritarianism, state terrorism and fascism in many parts of the world, the open call “Solidarity” was created to share solidarity with many of our friends and colleagues.

As we enter this year full of chaos, solidarity has become an urgency: it is a call for actions, gestures of support. It is our political statement, our refusal to obey.

This fourth edition of our Community Submission call was created by Charlotte Schmitz, Flor Orpianesi and Yen Duong, the main organizers and coordinators of The Journal.
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1: Milan, Italy, April 12, 2025. A woman from the Palestinian community of Milan taking part in a large demonstration that saw 50,000 people, including second-generation boys and girls, march through the streets of the city to demand freedom and peace for Palestine.

Isabella De Maddalena (@isabellademaddalenaphotography) is a documentary and portrait photographer based in Milan, Italy, who focuses her work on social issues, often concerning women’s rights.

2: A group of women perform a dance created by the Chilenean group Las Tesis to protest against the genocide in Palestine during a street bookfair in Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 4, 2025. Analia Cid (@analia.cid) is a documentary photographer and sociologist from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

3: A group of activists deliver hot meals during a festival to celebrate trans rights in Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, May 28, 2025. @analia.cid

4: Thousands gathered in front of Istanbul Municipality in Saraçhane to support Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu following his arrest and detention. He is the main opposition candidate for the 2028 Turkish presidential election and the main political rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. March 22, 2025.

Serra Akcan (@serraakcan) is a freelance photographer based in Istanbul.

5: Protesters gathered in Saraçhane to protest the unlawful revocation of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Istanbul, March 24, 2025. Meltem Ulusöy (@meltem.ulusoy) is based in Istanbul. by @thejournal_collective

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7 months ago

In the face of rising authoritarianism, state terrorism and fascism in many parts of the world, the open call “Solidarity” was created to share solidarity with many of our friends and colleagues.
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1+2: Berlin, 2025. From the series Roots in the Asphalt, capturing moments of collective grief, resistance, and persistence as protesters demand accountability, solidarity and justice for what is happening in Gaza.
Greta Verlage (@trippin_greater) is based in Berlin.

3+4: Protesters spread a giant Palestinian flag and hold signs reading “Nie wieder gilt für alle!” (Never again means never again for anyone!) at the “United for Gaza” protest in Berlin, Germany, June 21, 2025. Despite being home to the largest Palestinian community in Europe, Germany has become notorious for its heavy repression of Palestinian solidarity protests, as protesters routinely face police violence, arrests and harassment. Germany has been a staunch supporter of the Israeli government despite the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and is among the top exporters of weapons to Israel. Yen Duong (@duoyen) is a photojournalist and photo editor based in Berlin.

5: Sisters Büşra and Kübra are sharing a melon while sitting on the carpet in their home in Balat. @_charlotteschmitz_ has been photographing the same women and families for 13 years in Istanbul’s historic neighborhood, a place that is also undergoing significant gentrification. The work was recently published as a photobook.  
6: Manifestation of Vodoum Egungun during Vodoum Days. The Egunguns are the most revered entities, acting as receivers of disembodied spirits who perform dances and encounters between the spiritual and earthly worlds, transmitting messages between humans and Vodoums.

Carolina Arantes (@c_arantes) is a Brazilian artist and visual storyteller.  
7: Presentation of the Vodoum convent, Zangbéto, in the main arena of Ouidah. Vodoum Days celebrates its third year with over 600 visitors attending four days of events centred around Vodoum culture. Benin, 2026. @c_arantes by @thejournal_collective

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7 months ago

This fourth edition of our Community Submission call was created by Charlotte Schmitz, Flor Orpianesi and Yen Duong, the main organizers and coordinators of The Journal.
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1+2: In 2024, Proposition A sought to ban abortion in Amarillo and criminalize assistance to travel to another state. ARFA mobilized the community to defend reproductive rights — on November 5, 2024, it was rejected by 59.46% of voters, a significant local victory. Alongside, reproductive justice activists gather in self-care workshops to share wellness practices, build mutual support, and train abortion companions. Amarillo and Mission, Texas, October 2025.
Mahé Elipe (@mahelipe)

3: ‘The Dripping Tree’ is a visual representation of our freedoms dripping away, but being held up by the roots and foundations of our democracy.
‘The Dripping Tree,’ was a participatory art event in Harvard, MA with residents who care about the demise of artistic freedom and other freedoms in the United States current political climate.

Kate Wool (@kateswool) in partnership with Ellen Harasimowicz for this nationwide collaborative project for the @falloffreedom, in October, 2025.

4: Amaranta, born with spina bifida, descends a steep trail. “At 15, I had a surgery to enlarge my bladder… I woke up paralyzed,” she says. Doctors told her they weren’t sure if she would be able to walk again.
Sara Swaty (@sara_swaty) is a disabled, LA-based documentary and portrait photographer.

5: On April 19, 2025, at Chernihiv’s general hospital, families awaited news of a prisoner exchange. This image captures the moment Marharyta fainted upon learning that her son Ruslan, held for three years in Russian captivity, would soon be in her arms.
Marylise Vigneau (@marylisevigneau)

6: Kharkiv, Ukraine, January 4, 2026. Two days after Russia struck a residential building with two Iskander missiles, rescue workers continued searching the rubble. Five deaths were confirmed, including a 3-year-old boy and his mother. A young volunteer waits with her dog, standing by in case additional bodies are found. @marylisevigneau by @thejournal_collective

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7 months ago

In the face of rising authoritarianism, state terrorism and fascism in many parts of the world, the open call “Solidarity” was created to share solidarity with many of our friends and colleagues.

As we enter this year full of chaos, solidarity has become an urgency: it is a call for actions, gestures of support. It is our political statement, our refusal to obey.

This fourth edition of our Community Submission call was created by Charlotte Schmitz, Flor Orpianesi and Yen Duong, the main organizers and coordinators of The Journal.
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1: Berlin’s ongoing budget cuts affect not only cultural sectors, but also science, education, social programs and women’s shelters. The ZIF (Zentrale Informationsstelle Autonome Frauenhäuser) and other activist groups gathered on November 10 to demonstrate, including a performance by Ana Barros, speeches and songs.
Sofia Bergman (@bergs_eye) is a Berlin-based photographer.

2: A woman shows solidarity with Gaza from her apartment window, waving a peace sign at the protesters below. As Berlin cracked down on demonstrations — raising concerns from human rights organizations, EU Commissioners and UN-Experts — many prefer to show support from their windows to avoid arrest or beating.
@bergs_eye

3: Thousands of women gathered at İstasyon Square for International Women’s Day in Diyarbakır, Türkiye, on March 8, 2025, organized by DAKAP and TJA, two prominent Kurdish women’s rights organizations advocating for gender equality and women’s liberation against patriarchy and state oppression.
Aylin Kızıl (@aylinkizil_) is a photographer based in Diyarbakır producing visual stories using photography, multimedia and video.

4: “Halaybaşı Omê”, analog photo, 2025, from the series “Inside The Ring”. Omê leads the halay with their beautiful smile at a Hande Kader solidarity party in Berlin, fundraising for trans* students in Türkiye. Ceren Saner (@csaner) (she/her) is a self-taught artist and cultural producer whose work focuses on queer and diasporic narratives.

5+6: EL SERENO Anti Ice Protest, Jan 31, 2026.
Alyson Aliano (@alysonaliano) is a portrait and reportage photographer and educator from New York, now based in Los Angeles. by @thejournal_collective

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7 months ago

Hi everyone, The Journal’s Community Open Call is back!

In the face of rising authoritarianism, state terrorism and fascism in many parts of the world, we decided to create this open call as a form to show solidarity with friends and colleagues, who have been working relentlessly to capture what is going on in our world.

For this reason, the theme of our open call is Solidarity!
Applications are due: 08.02.2026 (link in bio).

Solidarity is a call for actions: protests against police violence, right-wing and state terrorism, genocides in Gaza and Sudan, the war in Ukraine, violent repression in Iran, US; solidarity is also gestures of support: your local community’s aid group, self-organized women and non-binary initiatives; solidarity is also a political statement, a refusal to step back, a willingness to be part of the community that you identify with. As we enter this new year full of chaos, solidarity has become an urgency: we need to organize ourselves better, ally ourselves better, and support people in our community.

We’re welcoming submissions from anyone identifying as women and non-binary photographers. Photographs must be made in 2025 or early 2026 and they can either singles or part of a series, and they can be of any format: portraits, documentary etc.

Please submit your photographs via the link in bio ☀️

* Photographs must be made in 2025 or early 2026 with themes connected to “Solidarity”.
* Photos must be high-res, at least 2500px long edge, 300 dpi.
* You can submit up to 5 photographs.
* Photographs can be either singles or part of a series, and they can be of any format: portraits, documentary, and so on.
* Please insert your captions in the metadata, including a one sentence bio & IG handle.
* Rename files to: firstname_lastname_01
* Please make sure that you have the copyright over the photographs you submit. by @thejournal_collective

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8 months ago

Read the latest The Journal conversation with Marta Iwanek (@martaiwanek) and Oksana Parafeniuk (@oksana_par), both Ukrainian, who share an intimate conversation on their life and work, how everything has changed for them since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the importance of documenting invisible stories.

Thank you so much Marta and Oksana for sharing with us this important conversation!

www.the-journal.org/blog & link in bio.
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1: @oksana_par
Serhiy Kopyschyk, 25, holds his 1 months old son Marko in Pokashchiv village, Volyn region, Ukraine on October 3, 2023. Svitlana and Serhiy got married in January this year and their son Marko was born in August. He joined the army the day after the invasion and he suffered severe injuries on July 27, 2022 in Kherson region, which resulted in him losing both legs, one above the knee, and eyesight in one eye. They live with Svitlana’s parents and dream to buy their own house. Photo was taken on assignment for the Washington Post

2: @martaiwanek
TERNOPIL, UKRAINE (01/22/2014) - A television news broadcast interrupted by static shows the events of the Maidan in my cousin’s kitchen in Ternopil, Ukraine on January 22, 2014

3: @oksana_par
Fellow soldiers carry in the coffin containing the body of Taras Diduh killed on February 26 in a war launched by Russia during the funeral ceremony held at the Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv, Ukraine on March 11, 2022.

4: @martaiwanek
A couple embraces after getting engaged in Ukrainian House on the Maidan in Kyiv, Ukraine on February 2, 2014.

#thejournalcollective #womenandnonbinaryphotographers #blogconversation #oksanaparafeniuk #martaiwanek by @thejournal_collective

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3 years ago

You can now read the latest The Journal conversation with Marta Iwanek (@martaiwanek) and Oksana Parafeniuk (@oksana_par), both Ukrainian, who share an intimate conversation on their life and work, how everything has changed for them since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the importance of documenting invisible stories.

Thank you so much Marta and Oksana for sharing with us this important conversation!

Read here: www.the-journal.org/blog
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@martaiwanek
1: A hand-drawn map by my grandmother of Honiatyn - the village she was deported from during “Operation Vistula” in 1947.

2+3: Within every generation of Ukrainians there is a history of displacement. “Where my house once stood” is a series about the close to one million Ukrainians who found themselves in the borders of Poland after WWII and were forcibly deported by Stalin and the Polish military. It was an effort to disperse them and break their communities. This is also the history of my own family. As I spoke with survivors including my own relatives, many pointed to a photo of an empty field in their family album and said this is where their house once stood. In the decades after their deportation, some were given permission to return or visit, only to find traces of what was once their childhood. I scanned these photos and various others from survivor’s albums. Photos of empty fields and portraits of family and friends in the post-deportation period - scattered pieces of communities that once existed. Working with children at Lemko Language School no. 10 in Legnica, Poland, children who are descendants of deportees and now have the opportunity to reconnect with their roots through language and cultural studies classes, they were invited to imagine what the houses once looked like. Through their interpretations and playful additions, the sweet memories of childhood re-emerged, creating new opportunities to re-imagine painful pasts.

Project coordinator: Marta Iwanek in collaboration with Lemko Language School no. 10 in Legnica, Poland.

#thejournalcollective #blogconversation #ukraine #oksanaparafeniuk #martaiwanek by @thejournal_collective

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3 years ago