The 70:15:40 Project UK was initiated to address the underrepresentation of women, trans and non-binary people working in photography and videography in the UK.
The 70:15:40 Project UK was created in 2023 as a national award through an open call for entries. The four inaugural award recipients, photographers Hanna Ali, Roman Manfredi, Violeta Sofia and Paloma Tendero, were selected by a panel of celebrated photographers and related industry professionals.
Led by MPB, the largest global platform for used photo and video gear, the project is also supported by Peerspace, The Royal Photographic Society, SheClicks and UK Black Female Photographers (UKBFTOG), organisations that believe change is urgently required within the industry.
Each award recipient has received £5,000, the staging of an exhibition, and access to loans of cameras, lenses and accessories worth £25,000 from MPB, £2,500 credit to reserve production space on Peerspace, and membership and workshops worth £1,500 from the Royal Photographic Society.
In celebration of the awards, an exhibition of inspiring new work by the four award recipients—Hanna Ali, Roman Manfredi, Violeta Sofia and Paloma Tendero—opened in London at:
The Handbag Factory | 3 Loughborough St | Vauxhall | London SE11 5RB
From 22 November to 3 December 2024 | Monday–Friday, 11:00–17:00 | Saturday–Sunday, 10:00–17:00
From a unique focus on the Black motherhood experience to themes of equity and solidarity shown through a women/non-binary football team, the 70:15:40 Project UK presented work that is diverse both in its form and subject matter including complex sculptural scenes depicting the subtle transitions between health, illness and well-being to a "self-journey" integrating cultural symbols, rituals and aesthetics, while paying tribute to the contemporary photographic masters of Cameroon.
During the exhibition, the 70:15:40 Project UK hosted a series of talks.
To arrange an interview, or for further information, please contact Shelley Warren at [email protected].
23 November 2024 | 14:00–16:00 | How do you define personal projects, and why are they important? Where can you find funding for them, and how do you find the time? Learn more about our practical and insightful talk with the four award recipients and Angela Nicholson (Founder, SheClicks).
30 November 2024 | 14:00–16:00 | We unravelled the issues around gender and work opportunities with some of the UK’s leading industry professionals, including Ivy Lahon (Head of Creative Content & Stories, Save the Children), Melissa Terrelonge (Head of Photo/AV, Netflix), Carrie Scott (curator, presenter, writer), Isabelle Doran (CEO, Association of Photographers) and Jacqui Dixon (Art buyer/Stills producer).
Born in Cameroon, Violeta Sofia is an award-winning photographer and artist. Growing up in Madrid, she developed a passion for visual arts from a young age and at 16 made the decision to move to London to study arts and pursue a career in photography.
Violeta's work is characterised by its simple yet elegant compositions, capturing intimate and engaging moments that reveal the essence of her subjects. Her photography often features a dramatic use of colour and focuses on fashion, beauty and celebrity portraits. Her talent has been recognised by publications including Vogue, Elle, Deadline Hollywood and The Telegraph. In addition to her commercial work, Violeta Sofia delves into profound themes of identity and race in her artistic practice, with notable showcases at the Royal Academy of Arts, Christie's 20/21st Century, and the National Portrait Gallery.
Building on her Hand Masters series, Violeta describes her new work in the show as a 'self-journey’, integrating elements of African ritual and mysticism influenced by her Cameroonian and Equatorial Guinean heritage. Here, she shifts her focus to the masters of surrealism and pays tribute to some of the great modern masters from West and Central Africa and photographers from her birthplace.
Using analogue photography, moving image and sound, Roman Manfredi’s work explores the intersections of personal narratives and political landscapes through the everyday lived experience. Roman is a LensCulture Art Photography Awards 2024 winner whose work has been exhibited internationally throughout the year.
With the award, Roman is currently exploring black-and-white analogue photography. Fair Play is a documentary/portrait project that centres on Clapton Community FC’s women/non-binary football development and reserves teams. The project will explore themes of equity and solidarity through the power of grassroots community engagement. Renowned for their anti-fascist slogan no pasarán, Clapton Community FC are East London’s 100% fan-owned and fan-run football club.
Roman’s recent project, We/Us, was the UK’s first visual art project celebrating the undocumented presence of butches and studs from working-class backgrounds. Using film photography and an audio installation, the project explored intergenerational female masculinity through the structures of class and race within the British landscape.
Hanna Ali is a motherhood-specialist photographer who is deeply passionate about capturing the journey and seasons of mothering and getting mothers in the frame. A former radio presenter, artistic director and published author, Hanna is interested in the intersection of art, culture, heritage and identity.
Her current photo series The Birth of a Mother, developed through this award, documents the concept of matrescence—the physical, emotional and psychological transformation that takes place in becoming a mother.
“Any project that pivots the work of women is incredibly important. Having the opportunity to document other Black women who have a shared or similar lived experience as you is monumental. A key aspect in this work is that Black mothers and mothers of diverse backgrounds are seen and depicted through a lens of softness, vulnerability and luxury and not always stereotyped through a gritty perspective.”
Following a Fine Art degree in Madrid, Paloma Tendero completed an MA in Photography at the London College of Communication. She has participated in artist-in-residence programs such as Sarabande and The Alexander McQueen Foundation, as well as KulturKontakt for the Austrian Federal Chancellery. Her work has been shown both nationally and internationally, including at Photo London in 2023.
Paloma’s work focuses on themes around heredity, genetics and their impact on identity and timelines of life inspired by personal experiences and the struggles of others around her.
Shifting Bodies, her project for the exhibition, is a series in which Paloma explores states of being and the transitions between health, illness, and well-being. Using recycled materials associated with rest and recovery—such as mattresses, pillows, and duvets—she creates sculptural shapes that envelop her body. Through these tactile and intimate pieces, she captures the often unseen and personal aspects of physical and psychological struggles, offering a space for reflection and inviting the viewer to confront their body’s continuous states of change.
Submissions were considered by leading experts from throughout the industry.
Artist and Photographer | Honorary Fellow, the Royal Photographic Society
Artist Sian Bonnell explores concepts surrounding photography and its relations with objects, environment and performance. Her work is held in a number of public and private collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris.
In 1999, Sian Bonnell established TRACE, a curation and publishing project that supports and collaborates with artists across disciplines.
Chief Marketing Officer, MPB | Trustee, Royal Photographic Society
Sophie Collins has more than 20 years of experience in performance and digital marketing for a wide range of brands, including Apple, Sony, Kodak, IBM, American Express, British Airways and DAZN.
Sophie is a dedicated amateur photographer, having studied at the International Center of Photography in New York, and is a Trustee of the Royal Photographic Society.
Multidisciplinary Visual Artist | UK Black Female Photographers
LA Creativity is a published multidisciplinary visual artist of Caribbean descent. Whether using a camera, pen or paintbrush, LA Creativity approaches each project with creativity at the heart of everything she does. Her recent project, My Tribe, combines photography and body painting to connect people in the UK back to their motherland. LA Creativity is co-director of UK Black Female Photographers (UKBFTOG).
Freelance Portrait Photographer
Jillian Edelstein began her career as a press photographer in Johannesburg, South Africa, and studied photojournalism at the London College of Printing.
Jillian Edelstein’s portraits have appeared in publications and are featured in exhibitions worldwide. Her clients include Oxfam, Unicef, Save the Children, National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the BBC and Comic Relief. In 2018, Jillian Edelstein was voted one of The Royal Photographic Society’s ‘Hundred Heroines’.
Professor of Photography, UCA Farnham | Honorary Fellow, Royal Photographic Society
As a published and exhibited photographer with more than three decades of experience, Anna Fox is now Professor of Photography at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham and leads the Fast Forward Women in Photography research project.
Anna Fox was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society in 2019.
Professor of Photography, UCA Farnham | Honorary Fellow, Royal Photographic Society
Karen Knorr has taught, exhibited and lectured internationally, including at Tate Britain, Tate Modern, The University of Westminster, Goldsmiths, Harvard and The Art Institute of Chicago. She is an advocate for women in photography and is on the steering committee of Fast Forward Women in Photography.
Karen Knorr is Professor of Photography at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham and Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.
Portrait Photographer | Ambassador, Royal Photographic Society
Carolyn Mendelsohn creates work based on the lives and stories of those whose voices are not always heard. She is the founder of Through Our Lens, a workshop and mentoring programme that enables people to tell their stories through photography.
Carolyn Mendelsohn is a freelance photographer with Bloomberg News, Artist-in-Residence for Born In Bradford, and Ambassador for the Royal Photographic Society and Nikon Europe.
Senior Lecturer in Photography, University of Northampton | PhD candidate, Westminster University
Artist and activist Haley Morris-Cafiero uses her photography to fight discrimination and social invisibility. Her series Wait Watchers, in which she photographs the reactions of passers-by to her presence, went viral in 2013.
Haley Morris-Caferio holds a BA in Photography, University of North Florida, and an MA in Arts, University of Arizona. She is Senior Lecturer in Photography, University of Northampton, and pursuing a PhD from Westminster University.
Founder, SheClicks | Photographer & Journalist, Camera Jabber
Angela Nicholson is the founder of SheClicks, a community for women in photography with 12,000 members, and co-founder of Camera Jabber.
After studying photography at the University of Westminster, Angela Nicholson worked as a Technical Editor for Amateur Photographer and Head of Testing for Future Publishing’s portfolio of photography publications. Angela Nicholson is also a CAA-qualified drone pilot with A2 CofC and GVC qualifications.
Portrait & Wedding Photographer, Mellz Photography | UKBFTOG
With more than a decade of experience, Jemella Ukaegbu—also known as Mellz—graduated with a BA in Photography in 2013. Since then, her work has been published in the BBC, TheIndependent, Metro and The Voice.
Jemella Ukaegbu also runs the UK Black Female Photographers (UKBFTOG) community, which helps Black women find other Black women in the UK photography industry. UKBFTOG currently has 500 members throughout the United Kingdom.
Find out more about the organisations behind the 70:15:40 Project UK, led by MPB.
MPB is the largest global platform to buy, sell and trade used photo and video kit. We are the simple, safe and circular way to trade, upgrade and get paid. Learn more about MPB.
Peerspace is a peer-to-peer marketplace for booking space for events, meetings and productions, including photography and video studio space.
An educational charity founded in 1853, the RPS aims to make the art and science of photography more widely available. The RPS now has 10,000+ members worldwide.
The UK Black Female Photographers (UKBFTOG) community helps Black women find other Black women in the photography industry.
SheClicks is a free community for female photographers, with a friendly, informative vibe. SheClicks currently has around 12,000 members.
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