– The Calm Photography Movement opens at the Getty Images Gallery, London

-Exhibition runs 10^th – 19^th May 2017

-In partnership with the Campaign Against Living Miserably and Lynx

A new exhibition, The Calm Photography Movement, launches at the Getty Images Gallery in Soho on Wednesday 10^th May. Coinciding with the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, the exhibition hopes to spark conversations about masculinity, mental health and self-expression through photography.

The exhibition is a result of a partnership between The Calm Photography Movement (TCPM) and Getty Images, with the aim of changing the way people think about and act towards mental health problems and re-picturing how such issues are seen. TCPM will raise awareness and funds for the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), an award-winning charity dedicated to preventing male suicide, the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK.

The images on display have been selected by an esteemed panel of judges following a competitive brief to both professional and amateur photographers. Entrants were asked to submit photographs that express what it is to be a modern man in today’s fast-changing world, to shine a light on the limitations of traditional masculinity and empower us to think differently about the individual inside. Winning photographs have also been curated into a brochure available for purchase at the exhibition in support of CALM’s work.

Lee Martin, SVP EMEA at Getty Images and founder of the partnership with The Calm Photography Movement said: “There’s still massive stigma around mental illness, and all too often images representing mental health conditions play into narrow and outdated stereotypes. Depicting diversity accurately is one of our biggest priorities at Getty Images, and we’re committed to creating a range of true-to-life, authentic imagery that accurately and sensitively reflects the experience of mental illness. For this reason, our partnership with The Calm Photography Movement could not be more important and we stand as a firm supporter of their movement and of the drive for a more realistic and thoughtful depiction of mental illness.”

Tom Hind, Senior Director of Content Development at Getty Images, and lead on The Calm Photography Movement photography competition agrees: “By evolving the visuals associated with mental health we hope to play a part in improving people’s attitudes and behaviours towards those who are affected. We were delighted to have such strong submissions from photographers, often with notes about their own experiences. The work was of a very high calibre and we can’t wait to share the winning images with the public.”

TCPM founders Scott Shillum & Steve Wallington said: “We have founded The Calm Photography Movement to raise awareness of the role that photography can play in shining a light on men’s mental health after losing close family and friends to suicide in the recent past. The aim of the movement is to raise awareness and funds for the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), an award winning charity dedicated to preventing male suicide. We are thrilled to have the support of Rankin & Nick Knight, along with the generous support of Lynx, Getty Images, Topman and our other suppliers and partners.”

The judging panel included renowned photographers Rankin, Nick Knight and Monica Takvam, alongside the founders of TCPM Scott Shillum and Steve Wallington, founder of DMB David Birkitt, Senior Director of Content Development at Getty Images Tom Hind, art writer Carrie Scott, Global Vice President Axe / Lynx Rik Strubel and chair of CALM James Scroggs. Judges were tasked with reviewing the entries based on composition, originality, technical skills and observance of the brief.

British fashion photographer Nick Knight states: “In most societies, men feel forced into unrealistic and unachievable roles. This can create isolation, loneliness and despair and so when things go wrong – which in life they invariably do – men can feel they have no-one to turn to and no right to seek help from any quarter.  I believe that the more we break away from using gender as a deciding factor in how we should behave, the more lives will be saved. I wholeheartedly support any initiative that helps raise awareness of male suicide and opens up the conversation, thus reducing this awful and unnecessary waste of precious life and its horrific toll on the wider victims, their friends and families.”

The Calm Photography Movement runs from 10^th – 19^th May 2017 and admission is free. Getty Images Gallery is situated in central London, just a stone’s throw away from Oxford Circus. Opening hours are from 10.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and 12.00pm to 5.30pm Saturday.

Getty Images, a world leader in visual communications, has today announced it has signed a letter of agreement to purchase the business assets of its Latin American third party distributor, operating under the name Getty Images Latin America (GILA), taking over direct operation of its business enterprises in the region.

For the past eight years, GILA has operated as one of Getty Images’ largest master delegates, building a solid base on which to support the company’s market growth plans.

The deal follows Getty Images announcement of an expanded presence in Brazil late last year and reinforces the company’s commitment to the growth of their Latin American base.

“The Latin American market is on the verge of exponential growth and presents a unique opportunity to leverage Getty Images’ expertise and resources to provide a strengthened, local offering,” said Getty Images Vice President, Latin America, Carlos Pinto.  “There has been a growing demand for authentic local content from our global customer base, so we will be focused on investing in supporting the local photographer community.”

The acquisition will close in stages over the next few months.

About Getty Images:

Getty Images is the most trusted and esteemed source of visual content in the world, with over 200 million assets including photos, videos, and music, available through its industry-leading sites www.gettyimages.com and www.istockphoto.com. The Getty Images website serves creative, business and media customers in almost 200 countries and is the first-place people turn to discover, purchase and share powerful visual content from the world’s best photographers and videographers. Getty Images works with over 200,000 contributors and hundreds of image partners to provide comprehensive coverage of more than 130,000 news, sport and entertainment events, impactful creative imagery to communicate any commercial concept and the world’s deepest digital archive of historic photography.

Visit Getty Images at www.gettyimages.com to learn more about how the company is advancing the unique role of still and moving imagery in communication and business, and enabling creative ideas to come to life.  For company news and announcements, visit our Press Room, and for the stories and inspiration behind our content, visit Stories & Trends. Find Getty Images on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Tumblr, or download the Getty Images app where you can explore, save and share the world’s best imagery.

Honors to be presented at the Chris Hondros Fund benefit and silent auction in New York

New York, 1^st May, 2017 – The Chris Hondros Fund (CHF) and Getty Images has today announced Meridith Kohut has been chosen to receive the sixth annual Getty Images and Chris Hondros Fund Award.   The American photographer will receive a grant of US$20,000 to support her documentary photography work.

To further the Chris Hondros Fund’s mission to support photojournalists covering the news story of our times and in defense of press freedom, CHF have also announced the launch of the first Domestic Reporting Grant.  The Fund has this year bestowed the $10,000 grant to independent, non-profit newsroom, ProPublica .

Based in Caracas, Venezuala, Kohut has been covering assignments for the foreign press since 2007, where she has produced in-depth photo essays covering significant events including the rise and collapse of Hugo Chávez’s socialist movement, the drug trade in Bolivia and Cuba’s democratic transition.  An award-winning photographer, Kohut has received the prestigious George Polk Journalism Award for Best Foreign Reporting and the New York Times Publisher’s Award for Foreign News Coverage, amongst others.

The CHF Award was created to honor Getty Images photojournalist and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Chris Hondros, who was killed on April 20, 2011 while on assignment in Misrata, Libya. This award celebrates Hondros’ legacy by drawing attention to the ways in which photojournalism shines a light on shared human experiences. Established by Christina Piaia, Chris Hondros’ fiancée, and with the support of his family, the Chris Hondros Fund advances the work of photojournalists who espouse his legacy and vision. Now in its sixth year, the Fund sponsors fellowships, grants and education to raise understanding of the issues facing reporters in conflict zones.

Meridith Kohut, winner of the 2017 Chris Hondros Fund Award said, “Chris is a true legend among photojournalists – not only for his prolific career covering conflict around the world, but for the compassion and generosity he showed the people whose lives he documented, and his fellow colleagues.”

“Having my work recognized by his closest friends and family at The Chris Hondros Fund is deeply humbling and a tremendous honor,” she continued.  “Through this grant, they’ve given me an incredible gift: resources, support and opportunities to make work that matters. To do it in way that honors Chris’ legacy is a task that I will not take lightly.”
“The Chris Hondros Fund proudly celebrates Meridith’s extraordinary work and her fierce commitment to document those stories that might otherwise go unreported or unnoticed coupled with a commitment to mentoring emerging photojournalists,” said Christina Piaia, CHF Board President.  “With a similar spirit and kindness to Chris, Meridith treats her colleagues and subjects with respect and brings shared human experiences into the public eye.”

“Photography has always been a fundamental component of truth in reporting and remains so more than ever today. Getty Images values the role that all photojournalists play in telling the stories that matter most and are proud to continue to support the vital work of these gifted and courageous people,” said Getty Images Vice President of News and CHF board member Pancho Bernasconi.  “Chris Hondros’ influence continues to be felt today and Getty Images is proud to continue to keep his legacy and work alive through the Chris Hondros Fund Award.”

Chris Hondros’ legacy was also honored this year in the documentary Hondros, directed by Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker Greg Campbell and produced by Jake Gyllenhal, Jamie Lee Curtis and Getty Images Co-Founder and Chairman Jonathan Klein, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival late last month.

To present the awards, the Chris Hondros Fund will host a reception at the Aperture Gallery in New York on Wednesday, May 3, at 6:30 p.m. To purchase tickets, please visit www.chrishondrosfund.org/benefit.

The event includes a silent auction to benefit the fund’s grant and awareness programs, providing the opportunity to bid on an extraordinary collection of photographs including past awardees Bryan Denton, Daniel Berehulak, Kevin Frayer, and Andrea Bruce.  Donors need not be present to participate; the silent auction runs online from April 21 through to May 3 and is powered by Paddle8: https://paddle8.com/auction/chris-hondros-fund/.

For more information about The Chris Hondros Fund, please visit www.chrishondrosfund.org.