Crowd funding is becoming increasingly popular among creatives. With more sites springing up and more artists asking for funds, Don’t Take Pictures spotlights projects that benefit the arts community.
This month’s crowd funding roundup presents an initiative to support photojournalists.
ViewFind – Funding Photojournalists
ViewFind is a “home for visual storytellers”—an online platform that connects photojournalists with readers and photo editors. In the last 15 years, 43% of photojournalism jobs have disappeared as newspapers and magazines worldwide are replacing trained journalists with camera phone-wielding citizens. ViewFind was founded as a response to the demise of photojournalist positions and the in-depth journalism required to accurately report on the world around us.
To highlight the photojournalist’s important role in providing information about our complex world, ViewFind seeks to raise $25,000 to send five photojournalists on assignments. All five stories will share a common theme, which will be selected by the project’s backers.
“At ViewFind, we want to find ways to champion photojournalism and help create a new model to fund it. We want to enlist the help of anybody who understands or agrees that photojournalism is both necessary and critical to maintaining a free and connected society.” The five participating photographers Ruddy Roye, Beth Nakamura, Sara Lewkowicz, Matt Eich, and Benjamin Lowy, are respected photojournalists and writers. This model of crowd-funded journalism allows the public to support these talented individuals in telling important stories that affect us all.
Read more about ViewFind on their kickstarter page.
There are 16 days left to fund this project.
Do you know of a crowd funding project that benefits the art community? Let us know at info@donttakepictures.com