VII Photo Agency
Encyclopedia
VII is a photo agency representing 30+ photojournalists, known for its focus on conflict photography. This collective employs a three tier system: members, non-members and mentorees, titles which reflect the level of service and commitment provided by the company to the photographers.
VII derives its name from the number of founding photojournalists who, in September 2001, formed this collectively owned agency. The original seven founding members, Alexandra Boulat
(Boulat died on October 5, 2007), Ron Haviv
, Gary Knight
, Antonin Kratochvil
, Christopher Morris
, James Nachtwey
(Nachtwey left in 2011) and John Stanmeyer
, were joined by Christopher Anderson in 2002 (Anderson left in 2005), Lauren Greenfield
in 2002 (Greenfield left in 2009), Joachim Ladefoged in 2004, Eugene Richards
in 2006 (Richards subsequently left in 2008), Marcus Bleasdale
and Franco Pagetti in 2007, Stephanie Sinclair moved up from the VII Network in 2009, and Ed Kashi
joined directly as a full member in 2010.
and John Stanmeyer
in Stanmeyer's house in Hong Kong in 1999, shortly after they both left the photo agency SABA Press Photos which had been sold by its proprietor Marcel Saba to Corbis
. Knight and Stanmeyer worked with James Waite
and Jay Connors to build the framework of the agency.
VII was officially launched at the Visa Pour l'Image Photo Festival in Perpignan
, France
on September 7, 2001 by Alexandra Boulat
, Ron Haviv
, Gary Knight
, Antonin Kratochvil
, Christopher Morris
, James Nachtwey
, and John Stanmeyer
.
Four days after the agency was launched, James Nachtwey
photographed the collapse of the World Trade Center
building in New York. He was soon joined in New York by fellow members, Morris, Haviv and Kratochvil. At the same time, Boulat, Knight and Stanmeyer flew to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Thus began the agency's association with covering conflict-related photographic stories.
This group of photographers have documented the following historical events: US elections, Genocide
, 9/11, Afghanistan
, Iraq
and the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. One of the goals of the founders is the use of innovative methods to distribute and communicate its content, independent of traditional media platforms. In addition to servicing traditional editorial clients, the agency has entered into financial arrangements with NGO’s (Non Governmental Organizations), such as Human Rights Watch
, and Médecins Sans Frontières
, and corporate sponsors, such as Canon USA and Apple
.
From its inception until late 2004, the agency was constituted as a British company, VII Photo Agency Limited. The first Managing Editor of the company was Ashley Woods formerly of LookAt Photo Agency based in Zurich who worked from 2001 through until 2003. Woods was replaced by former Magnum employee Jean Bernard Maurel from 2003 to 2005. In early 2005, this British entity was closed down as an operating concern and a new limited partnership was established in the USA, VII Photo Agency LLC. Frank Evers
was hired as the Managing Director and served from March 2005 to May 2008. Stephen Mayes was hired in June 2008. In early 2008, the VII Network was launched, expanding the ideals and journalistic mission of VII Photo to include important photographic work by selected non-members, and in late 2008 the agency launched a program to mentor emerging photographers called the VII Mentor Program.
The agency has sales offices in New York and Paris, and a gallery/bookstore in DUMBO, Brooklyn
.
VII derives its name from the number of founding photojournalists who, in September 2001, formed this collectively owned agency. The original seven founding members, Alexandra Boulat
Alexandra Boulat
Alexandra Boulat was a leading French photographer born in Paris, France. She was trained in graphic art and art history at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 2001, she co-founded the VII Photo Agency. Before then she had been represented by Sipa Press and by her mother's agency, Cosmos...
(Boulat died on October 5, 2007), Ron Haviv
Ron Haviv
Ron Haviv is a photojournalist, producing work covering a broad spectrum of international conflict. He is the author of several photographic collections and the recipient of a number of awards. Haviv is also a co-founder of VII Photo Agency, which is dedicated to documenting change, conflict, and...
, Gary Knight
Gary Knight
Gary Knight was born in 1964 in Oakham, England and was raised in the village of Knowle in the West Midlands. He attended Arden School and Solihull Sixth Form College. He left higher education mid way through his first year and started to travel in Europe and the Middle East...
, Antonin Kratochvil
Antonin Kratochvil
Antonin Kratochvil is a Czech-born American photojournalist. He is a founding member of the VII Photo Agency. He received his BFA in Photography from Gerrit Rietveld Academie which is located in Amsterdam, Holland...
, Christopher Morris
Christopher Morris (photographer)
Christopher Morris is an American photojournalist, best known for his war photographs.Most of Morris' work has concentrated on war. Some of the wars he photographed were the US invasion of Iraq, the drug war in Colombia, the Persian Gulf war, the wars in Afghanistan, Somalia, Yugoslavia, and...
, James Nachtwey
James Nachtwey
James Nachtwey is an American photojournalist and war photographer.He grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Dartmouth College, where he studied Art History and Political Science ....
(Nachtwey left in 2011) and John Stanmeyer
John Stanmeyer
John Stanmeyer , is a celebrated American photojournalist based in Otis, Massachusetts.He is best known for his contributions to TIME Magazine and National Geographic. His work centered on Asian and Middle-Eastern political and human rights issues for the past 11 years and more recently on the...
, were joined by Christopher Anderson in 2002 (Anderson left in 2005), Lauren Greenfield
Lauren Greenfield
Lauren Greenfield is an American artist, documentary photographer, and documentary filmmaker. She has published three monographs of her photographic work, directed four documentary films, exhibited her photographic prints in museums throughout the world, and had her work published in a variety of...
in 2002 (Greenfield left in 2009), Joachim Ladefoged in 2004, Eugene Richards
Eugene Richards
Eugene Richards is a noted American documentary photographer.During the 1960s, Richards was a civil rights activist and VISTA volunteer...
in 2006 (Richards subsequently left in 2008), Marcus Bleasdale
Marcus Bleasdale
Marcus Bleasdale is a photojournalist, born in the UK to an Irish family. He spent over eight years covering the brutal conflict within the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the work was published in his book One Hundred Years of Darkness, recognized in the best photojournalism books...
and Franco Pagetti in 2007, Stephanie Sinclair moved up from the VII Network in 2009, and Ed Kashi
Ed Kashi
Ed Kashi is an American photojournalist and member of VII Photo based in the Greater New York area. Kashi's award-winning work spans from high-end print photojournalism to experimental film...
joined directly as a full member in 2010.
History
This agency was conceived by Gary KnightGary Knight
Gary Knight was born in 1964 in Oakham, England and was raised in the village of Knowle in the West Midlands. He attended Arden School and Solihull Sixth Form College. He left higher education mid way through his first year and started to travel in Europe and the Middle East...
and John Stanmeyer
John Stanmeyer
John Stanmeyer , is a celebrated American photojournalist based in Otis, Massachusetts.He is best known for his contributions to TIME Magazine and National Geographic. His work centered on Asian and Middle-Eastern political and human rights issues for the past 11 years and more recently on the...
in Stanmeyer's house in Hong Kong in 1999, shortly after they both left the photo agency SABA Press Photos which had been sold by its proprietor Marcel Saba to Corbis
Corbis
Corbis Corporation is an American company, based in Seattle, Washington, that licenses the rights to photographs, footage and other visual media...
. Knight and Stanmeyer worked with James Waite
James Waite
Jamie Waite is a Thai professional football goalkeeper. He has represented Thailand at full international level.-Career:...
and Jay Connors to build the framework of the agency.
VII was officially launched at the Visa Pour l'Image Photo Festival in Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on September 7, 2001 by Alexandra Boulat
Alexandra Boulat
Alexandra Boulat was a leading French photographer born in Paris, France. She was trained in graphic art and art history at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 2001, she co-founded the VII Photo Agency. Before then she had been represented by Sipa Press and by her mother's agency, Cosmos...
, Ron Haviv
Ron Haviv
Ron Haviv is a photojournalist, producing work covering a broad spectrum of international conflict. He is the author of several photographic collections and the recipient of a number of awards. Haviv is also a co-founder of VII Photo Agency, which is dedicated to documenting change, conflict, and...
, Gary Knight
Gary Knight
Gary Knight was born in 1964 in Oakham, England and was raised in the village of Knowle in the West Midlands. He attended Arden School and Solihull Sixth Form College. He left higher education mid way through his first year and started to travel in Europe and the Middle East...
, Antonin Kratochvil
Antonin Kratochvil
Antonin Kratochvil is a Czech-born American photojournalist. He is a founding member of the VII Photo Agency. He received his BFA in Photography from Gerrit Rietveld Academie which is located in Amsterdam, Holland...
, Christopher Morris
Christopher Morris (photographer)
Christopher Morris is an American photojournalist, best known for his war photographs.Most of Morris' work has concentrated on war. Some of the wars he photographed were the US invasion of Iraq, the drug war in Colombia, the Persian Gulf war, the wars in Afghanistan, Somalia, Yugoslavia, and...
, James Nachtwey
James Nachtwey
James Nachtwey is an American photojournalist and war photographer.He grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Dartmouth College, where he studied Art History and Political Science ....
, and John Stanmeyer
John Stanmeyer
John Stanmeyer , is a celebrated American photojournalist based in Otis, Massachusetts.He is best known for his contributions to TIME Magazine and National Geographic. His work centered on Asian and Middle-Eastern political and human rights issues for the past 11 years and more recently on the...
.
Four days after the agency was launched, James Nachtwey
James Nachtwey
James Nachtwey is an American photojournalist and war photographer.He grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Dartmouth College, where he studied Art History and Political Science ....
photographed the collapse of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
building in New York. He was soon joined in New York by fellow members, Morris, Haviv and Kratochvil. At the same time, Boulat, Knight and Stanmeyer flew to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Thus began the agency's association with covering conflict-related photographic stories.
This group of photographers have documented the following historical events: US elections, Genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
, 9/11, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. One of the goals of the founders is the use of innovative methods to distribute and communicate its content, independent of traditional media platforms. In addition to servicing traditional editorial clients, the agency has entered into financial arrangements with NGO’s (Non Governmental Organizations), such as Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, and Médecins Sans Frontières
Médecins Sans Frontières
' , or Doctors Without Borders, is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland...
, and corporate sponsors, such as Canon USA and Apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
.
From its inception until late 2004, the agency was constituted as a British company, VII Photo Agency Limited. The first Managing Editor of the company was Ashley Woods formerly of LookAt Photo Agency based in Zurich who worked from 2001 through until 2003. Woods was replaced by former Magnum employee Jean Bernard Maurel from 2003 to 2005. In early 2005, this British entity was closed down as an operating concern and a new limited partnership was established in the USA, VII Photo Agency LLC. Frank Evers
Frank Evers (NYPH)
Frank Evers is the CEO of Institute for Artist Management . Founded in 2009, INSTITUTE is an artist management and multi-platform production company focused on editorial, cultural and commercial clients. INSTITUTE represents filmmakers and photographers, and operates out of New York, Los Angeles...
was hired as the Managing Director and served from March 2005 to May 2008. Stephen Mayes was hired in June 2008. In early 2008, the VII Network was launched, expanding the ideals and journalistic mission of VII Photo to include important photographic work by selected non-members, and in late 2008 the agency launched a program to mentor emerging photographers called the VII Mentor Program.
The agency has sales offices in New York and Paris, and a gallery/bookstore in DUMBO, Brooklyn
DUMBO, Brooklyn
Dumbo, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It encompasses two sections: one located between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River, and another that continues...
.
Member list
| Name | Nationality | Status | Active years | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandra Boulat Alexandra Boulat Alexandra Boulat was a leading French photographer born in Paris, France. She was trained in graphic art and art history at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 2001, she co-founded the VII Photo Agency. Before then she had been represented by Sipa Press and by her mother's agency, Cosmos... |
 France |
Deceased (Founding Member) | 2001–2007 | |
| Ron Haviv Ron Haviv Ron Haviv is a photojournalist, producing work covering a broad spectrum of international conflict. He is the author of several photographic collections and the recipient of a number of awards. Haviv is also a co-founder of VII Photo Agency, which is dedicated to documenting change, conflict, and... |
 United States |
Active (Founding Member) | 2001– | |
| Gary Knight Gary Knight Gary Knight was born in 1964 in Oakham, England and was raised in the village of Knowle in the West Midlands. He attended Arden School and Solihull Sixth Form College. He left higher education mid way through his first year and started to travel in Europe and the Middle East... |
Active (Founding Member) | 2001– | ||
| Antonin Kratochvil Antonin Kratochvil Antonin Kratochvil is a Czech-born American photojournalist. He is a founding member of the VII Photo Agency. He received his BFA in Photography from Gerrit Rietveld Academie which is located in Amsterdam, Holland... |
 Czechoslovakia → United States |
Active (Founding Member) | 2001– | |
| Christopher Morris Christopher Morris (photographer) Christopher Morris is an American photojournalist, best known for his war photographs.Most of Morris' work has concentrated on war. Some of the wars he photographed were the US invasion of Iraq, the drug war in Colombia, the Persian Gulf war, the wars in Afghanistan, Somalia, Yugoslavia, and... |
United States |
Active (Founding Member) | 2001– | |
| John Stanmeyer John Stanmeyer John Stanmeyer , is a celebrated American photojournalist based in Otis, Massachusetts.He is best known for his contributions to TIME Magazine and National Geographic. His work centered on Asian and Middle-Eastern political and human rights issues for the past 11 years and more recently on the... |
United States |
Active (Founding Member) | 2001– | |
| Marcus Bleasdale Marcus Bleasdale Marcus Bleasdale is a photojournalist, born in the UK to an Irish family. He spent over eight years covering the brutal conflict within the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the work was published in his book One Hundred Years of Darkness, recognized in the best photojournalism books... |
Active (Full Member) | 2008– | ||
| Joachim Ladefoged |  Denmark |
Active (Full Member) | 2004– | |
| Franco Pagetti |  Italy |
Active (Full Member) | 2008– | |
| Stephanie Sinclair | United States |
Active (Full Member) | 2009– | |
| Ed Kashi Ed Kashi Ed Kashi is an American photojournalist and member of VII Photo based in the Greater New York area. Kashi's award-winning work spans from high-end print photojournalism to experimental film... |
United States |
Active (Full Member) | 2010– | |
| Lynsey Addario Lynsey Addario Lynsey Addario is an American photojournalist currently based in New Delhi. Her work often focuses on conflicts and human rights issues, especially the role of women in traditional societies.-Life and work:... |
United States |
Active (VII Network) | 2009– | |
| Eric Bouvet | France |
Active (VII Network) | 2008– | |
| Jessica Dimmock Jessica Dimmock Jessica Dimmock is a documentary photojournalist based in New York City. Her main body of work, The Ninth Floor, has documented the lives of a group of young heroin users over the course of several years. She began the project when she was shooting photographs on the street one day and was... |
United States |
Active (VII Network) | 2008– | |
| Tivadar Domaniczky |  Hungary |
Active (VII Network) | 2008– | |
| Adam Ferguson Adam Ferguson (photographer) Adam Ferguson is an Australian freelance photojournalist currently working out of New Delhi, India. His photographs have appeared in Newsweek, Time, International Herald Tribune, The New York Times and Chicago Tribune... |
 Australia |
Active (VII Network) | 2009– | |
| Ziyah Gafic |  Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia →  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Active (VII Network) | 2009– | |
| Ashley Gilbertson Ashley Gilbertson Ashley Gilbertson is an award-winning photographer best known for his images of the Iraq war. Born in Melbourne, Australia, he started his career at thirteen taking pictures of skateboarders... |
Australia |
Active (VII Network) | 2008– | |
| Jocelyn Bain Hogg | Active (VII Network) | 2008– | ||
| Benedicte Kurzen | France |
Active (VII Network) | 2008– | |
| Stefano De Luigi | Italy |
Active (VII Network) | 2008– | |
| Seamus Murphy | Active (VII Network) | 2009– | ||
| Maciek Nabrdalik |  Poland |
Active (VII Network) | 2008– | |
| Donald Weber |  Canada |
Active (VII Network) | 2008– | |
| Agnes Dherbeys | France |
Active (VII Mentor Program) | 2008– | |
| Don McNeill Healy |  Republic of Ireland |
Active (VII Mentor Program) | 2008– | |
| Melvin Sevilla | United States |
Active (VII Mentor Program) | 2008– | |
| Anastasia Taylor-Lind | Active (VII Mentor Program) | 2008– | ||
| Giulio Di Sturco | Italy |
Active (VII Mentor Program) | 2008– | |
| James Nachtwey James Nachtwey James Nachtwey is an American photojournalist and war photographer.He grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Dartmouth College, where he studied Art History and Political Science .... |
United States |
Withdrawn | 2001–2011 | Former (Founding) VII member. Now with James Nachtwey James Nachtwey James Nachtwey is an American photojournalist and war photographer.He grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Dartmouth College, where he studied Art History and Political Science .... Studio |
| Christopher Anderson | Canada |
Withdrawn | 2002–2005 | Former VII member. Now with Magnum Photos Magnum Photos Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo... |
| Lauren Greenfield Lauren Greenfield Lauren Greenfield is an American artist, documentary photographer, and documentary filmmaker. She has published three monographs of her photographic work, directed four documentary films, exhibited her photographic prints in museums throughout the world, and had her work published in a variety of... |
United States |
Withdrawn | 2002–2009 | Former VII member Now with Institute (IAM) Institute (IAM) Institute for Artist Management is an artist management company, which serves media, editorial, advertising, entertainment, record industry, fine art, book publishing, radio, online/mobile media, public engagements and corporate clients.... |
| Eugene Richards Eugene Richards Eugene Richards is a noted American documentary photographer.During the 1960s, Richards was a civil rights activist and VISTA volunteer... |
United States |
Withdrawn | 2006–2008 | Former VII member. Now with Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images, Inc. is a stock photo agency, based in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is a supplier of stock images for business and consumers with an archive of 80 million still images and illustrations and more than 50,000 hours of stock film footage... Reportage |
| Benjamin Lowy | United States |
Withdrawn | 2008– | Formerly with VII Network. Now with Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images, Inc. is a stock photo agency, based in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is a supplier of stock images for business and consumers with an archive of 80 million still images and illustrations and more than 50,000 hours of stock film footage... Reportage |
| Balazs Gardi | Hungary |
Withdrawn | 2008– | Formerly with VII Network. |