Thoughts & Inspiration from The Raw Photo Fest

I have just returned from the unique experience that was the Raw Photo Fest in Menorca, Spain. The inaugural photo festival was created by The Raw Society, a small but passionate community of photographers dedicated to nurturing and supporting storytelling through photography.

I have attended countless photo events, including trade shows and workshops, each with its own unique roles and charms. Many of these events, especially the larger ones, may leave you excited about the latest equipment or technique, but at the expense of human connection. Conversations feel performative, focused more on the technical, the equipment, the process. The focus is more on the what and how than on the why. The why was at the heart of these four days.

There was an inspiring sense of openness and generosity in Menorca, where the 4-day festival was held. Regardless of pedigree, experience, or status, you felt that you could strike up a conversation with anyone. No one was inaccessible behind a velvet rope. And those conversations emphasized the why. Why make the work? Why persist in creating in the face of financial, emotional, and political opposition? Why pursue creating work when the means of distribution are increasingly being corporatized? Even when there were no clear, definitive answers, the conversations provided windows of hope and alternative solutions.

It made conversations with photographers, editors, and filmmakers, including Ed Kashi, Lee Shulman, John Stanmeyer, Stephanie Duprie Routh, Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova, Matt Midoli, Dan Milnor, Adali Schell, Hawre Khalid, Tino Soriano, and Sara Lean, possible. These were opportunities for thoughtful conversations about the work and the challenge of dedicating a life to photography.

The spirit of the event lies in the hearts and efforts of The Raw Society founders, Jorge Delgado-Ureña and Christelle Enquist, who brought together a unique collection of photographers from throughout the world. Talented photographers, they have succeeded in creating a community that brings hope and enthusiasm to the long tradition of documentary storytelling.

The exhibitions were showcased throughout the small village and were available to locals and visiting photographers. Rather than being relegated to a conference space in a hotel, you were encouraged to wander the streets of a beautiful Spanish village, a rare and fun cultural experience.

Jorge and Christelle have set a high bar with this festival. They created an experience that has inspired photographers to do more than just produce more photographs. Instead, the exhibitions, presentations, and interactions have challenged many to push harder, take risks, and be more vulnerable with themselves and with their work.

There was no better source of inspiration than a small group of Cuban photographers who demonstrated the power of what is possible. Despite the challenges of resources, politics, and opportunities, they succeeded in making work that shared poignant, personal stories, which, in the hands of visiting photographers to Cuba, often fall into cliché.

The event was a reminder that there comes a time in a photographer’s life when it is no longer about whether you can make a good photograph. It instead evolves into what you want to say with your photographs. The response to that question is unique and personal, and events like the Raw Photo Fest provide a direction for crafting it.

Dan Milnor created a wonderful film documenting his experience at the event. It is well worth a look. God willing, I will be there next time, and I hope you will too.

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