"Why?" with Annie Griffiths

Images copyright Annie Griffiths. All rights reserved.

In the Spring of 2016 I was teaching a workshop and mentioned one of my favorite artists, Mary Ellen Mark, and nobody knew who she was. Although she passed away in 2015, she was an inspiration to so many of us in the industry and to say it bothered me that my class didn't know of her work would be a huge understatement.

So, that kicked off an idea to launch this series, and John Sexton was the first to be a part of it. Since then there have been 105 more artists who have shared a favorite image together with the backstory. Each photographer has brought something different to "Why?"  While the original purpose was to introduce you to some of the most respected artists in imaging, it's now become a substantial body of work reflecting the passion and dedication of many of our industry's very best.

Annie Griffiths joins me on this new episode, and what a kick to catch up to her. She's a photographer, author, speaker and educator with a signature for being warm and approachable. She was one of the very first women photographers hired by National Geographic and has traveled all over the world.

She's also a firm believer in being involved, using her skill set as a photographer to help raise awareness for a variety of issues and make the world a better place. Annie is the Executive Director of Ripple Effect Images, a collective of artists who document programs empowering women and girls throughout the developing world. 

There's one other fun aspect to this episode of "Why?" Annie is a LUMIX Ambassador, and the two images she talks about in this episode, photographed with a LUMIX G9, will be available as posters which she'll be signing in the Panasonic booth (829) at the upcoming PPE show in New York, October 25-27.

To see more of Annie's work and visit her website, click on either image above. And while you're there scrolling through her galleries, check out her books. Annie Griffiths needs to be on your radar!

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