Team Chapnick

Howard Chapnick at MPW.35.Photographer unknown

Howard Chapnick

Howard Chapnick served in the U.S. Air Force during WWII. He was the owner and president of Black Star photo agency for 25 years. He wrote the book, Truth Needs No Ally: Inside Photojournalism, in which he talked about his decades of experience in the field working with photojournalists. In addition to his work at Black Star, he provided seed funding for many documentary photo projects, including Donna Ferrato’s groundbreaking work on violence against women that resulted in her book, Living with the Enemy. Chapnick served as faculty at MPW 18, 20-28, 33-35, 40 and 44.

Faculty Mentors

Sarah Leen

In 2013 Sarah Leen became the first female Director of Photography at National Geographic Partners. In late 2019 she founded the Visual Thinking Collective, a community for independent women editors dedicated to visual storytelling.

As a student at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Leen was the first woman to receive the College Photographer of the Year award. For 20 years she worked as a freelance photographer for the National Geographic magazine until 2004 when she joined the staff as a Senior Photo Editor.

Leen currently works with photographers and agencies consulting and editing projects and books, including America, Again with VII Photo, the 2020 FotoEvidence World Press Photo Book winner HABIBI by Antonio Faccilongo, Anders Wo by Petra Barth and Like a Bird by Johanna-Maria Fritz.

Leen mentors photographers and teaches visual storytelling at the Missouri Photo Workshops, Maine Media Workshops, Eddie Adams Workshop and Santa Fe Photo Workshop.

Gabrielle Lurie

Raised in Washington D.C., Gabrielle Lurie picked up a camera at 17-years-old. She learned photography in the darkroom as a high school senior. After graduating she moved to New York City where she studied art history and fine art photography at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. In 2014 she moved to San Francisco to start her career as a freelance photojournalist.

In 2016, Lurie joined the staff of The San Francisco Chronicle where she has been pursuing both stills and video. Most recently she began organizing the Bay Area Women Photograph group where photographers in the San Francisco area gather for events, to share ideas and collaborate on work.

Lurie was twice recognized as Photographer of the Year by Pictures of the Year International. She was a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize.

Photographers