Founded over 150 years ago, Leica is a German company known for its high-end, professional-quality photography equipment, including cameras and lenses. Since 2019, the company has run an annual women’s photography contest designed to promote a female perspective on storytelling.
The Leica Women Foto Project honors extraordinary female photographers.
This year for the first time, the Leica Women Foto Project was opened to participants outside of the United States. The four awardees represent the US, UK, Mexico, and Canada. A distinguished panel of judges from the world of photography selected the winners, who each received a Leica camera, a lens, and a cash prize of $10,000.
Here are the stories of three of four awardees. All the women share an agenda of helping to expose social injustice and bring about positive change.
Eli Farinango is a Kichwa artist and visual storyteller born in Ecuador and raised in Canada.
1. Eli Farinango
Eli Farinango is a Kichwa artist and visual storyteller born in Ecuador and raised in Canada. She aims to reclaim personal and ancestral memory through her image-making and collaborative processes. In her documentary work, she advocates for indigenous rights and sovereignty. Her work has been published in The New Republic, NPR, Remezcla, and other publications.
“My purpose is liberation and healing not only for ourselves, but also for our communities and for future generations,” said Farinango in an exclusive interview with Forbes. “I deeply believe that personal healing is directly tied to collective healing. One of the main reasons why I do the work that I do is to inspire others to delve into their own personal stories and find the healing that they need. Through my work, I seek to empower and uplift stories that are often ignored, erased or intentionally forgotten.”
Farinango seeks to challenge perceptions of and empower indigenous people.
As an indigenous woman, Farinango seeks to challenge colonial stereotypes of indigeneity, as well as patriarchal and capitalist structures that have caused harm in the lives of many indigenous women. She hopes her photographs “contribute to the imagining of new futures, where indigenous peoples are thriving, where our sovereignty is respected, our territories are protected, bodies are kept safe and we are the drivers of our own narrative.”
Having herself faced abuse, racism, discrimination and machismo throughout her life, Farinango has learned to navigate these challenges by using photography as a vehicle for healing and self-empowerment. “It takes a lot of time, personal work and requires support,” she says. “Being able to articulate what I am feeling through image-making has given me the space to work through very complicated and painful emotions. Making this body of work has allowed me to be vulnerable, connect to the strength of my ancestors and chosen community, and reclaim agency by writing my own story.”
To aspiring makers and artists Farinango says, “Be patient with yourself as you learn to step into your power. Empowerment doesn't happen overnight, but it is necessary for us to nurture our power for ourselves and our communities. It's important to take time to learn who you are, advocate for yourself and remain grounded in your values, your goals and most importantly your heart.”
Mary F. Calvert is an American photojournalist.
2. Mary F. Calvert
Mary F. Calvert uses photography to influence social change by documenting social justice issues neglected by the media at large. She believes that journalists have a duty to shine a light into the deepest recesses of the human experience and provide a mirror for society to examine itself.
For the past nine years, Calvert has focused on bringing attention to sexual abuse of women and men in the U.S. Armed Forces. Her work was a finalist in Feature Photography in the 2020 Pulitzer Prizes, has won numerous awards, and has been supported by grants from Getty Image and the Alexia Foundation.
Growing up, Calvert was artistic and also became interested in social justice issues. By the time she was 10 years old, she says, she could tell that “our world was a very difficult place for too many people.” Later, her interest in visual arts merged with this concern for the disadvantaged, and she became a photojournalist.
Ten years ago, when she became aware of the alarming number of sexual assaults in the U.S. Armed Forces and the military’s pattern of blaming, harassing and discharging victims, Calvert determined to cover this issue. “I never imagined it would become my life’s work,” she says. “But every time I think my coverage is complete, another layer of the crisis reveals itself.”
Calvert uncovers the issue of sexual assaults in the U.S. Armed Forces.
The greatest challenge Calvert has faced has been not letting fear of failure paralyze her ability to move forward, take risks and accept new challenges. “I came to realize that failures are a key ingredient to success if they are answered not with surrender, but embraced as lessons,” she explains. “Overcoming these hurdles is what leads to growth as a professional and confidence in myself in all areas of life.”
The best advice Calvert has for aspiring artists and change makers is to realize that “there are no short-cuts to success. There is no substitution for working hard, paying your dues, learning from missteps and building a reputation for dedication and integrity.”
Greta Rico is a Mexican documentary photographer, journalist and educator.
3. Greta Rico
Mexican documentary photographer, journalist and educator Greta Rico focuses her works on gender and human rights issues. Through her images, she reflects on coloniality, gender culture, violence, and trauma. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, an many other publications.
“I have always been passionate about telling stories,” says Rico. “I feel very fortunate to do so with my camera. The stories I tell are not mine, but rather people collaborate with me, allowing me to tell their stories and amplify their messages and experiences.”
One of the biggest challenges Rico has faced has been daring to expose herself and make herself vulnerable with her documentary project, Madre Sustituta. This project tells the story of her cousin Fernanda, who was sexually abused and then murdered, and how her family coped. Yet the project also helped the family heal wounds from the past, especially by sharing the story of the cousin who became the mother of the young girl orphaned by the event – the Substitute Mother.
Rico advises aspiring artists and change makers to stay true to their ideas of the world. “Convince yourself of the importance of your work. The world needs to know about all these issues from other points of view to broaden our understanding of current issues,” she says.
