Cultural & Humanitarian Photography
Visual Storytelling for Humanitarian Organizations that Brings Your Strategy to Life!
“Steven’s unique contributions extend far beyond what one would expect from most any photographer. In addition to his gifts as a creative artist and storyteller he has partnered with our teams to openly contribute to our thinking on program strategy and communication planning at many levels. He artfully combines his background and knowledge of our sector along with his skill as a photographic storyteller to empathetically capture the universal humanity within all of us and create compelling content and deliver critical visual impact for our programs.”
Carrie Hessler-Radelet, President & CEO, PCI/Global Communities and Former Director, Peace Corps
In a world where diversity and understanding are more important than ever, cultural and humanitarian photography serves as a powerful tool to bridge gaps and foster connections. By creating captivating images that illustrate our shared humanity, we can at the same time showcase the human kaleidoscope of traditions, customs, and rituals that represent the learned behaviors that are the essence of culture. This visual journey can happen in our own neighborhoods or take us to remote corners of the world, allowing us to appreciate the rich heritage that makes each local and global community unique.
But cultural and humanitarian photography is more than just capturing moments; it's about preserving history, celebrating diversity, and promoting unity. It provides us the opportunity to stand in awe of the resilience, strength, and beauty that humans possess, regardless of their background. It's a powerful reminder that, at our core, we are all connected.
One of my greatest passions is celebrating the diversity and power of culture here at home and abroad by devoting myself to recording human stories through cultural and humanitarian photography. I believe we can leverage our shared humanity to appreciate our own cultural uniqueness to break down barriers, foster understanding, and create a more compassionate world
Humanitarian photography and film each have their unique strengths and contributions for telling peoples stories and advancing social causes. They both share a common goal: to create a visual narrative that transcends language and cultural barriers, resonate with people from diverse backgrounds and leaves a lasting impact on the viewer.
I initially shied away from the term humanitarian photographer or humanitarian photography as it seemed somewhat self-righteous to say “I’m a humanitarian photographer” or “I do humanitarian photography”. Still, it is a purpose that is descriptive and personally and deeply meaningful to me, as it is our shared humanity that I seek to capture in my images and happily, I am often successful.
For more than a decade I have travelled to many locations around the world on non-profit photography assignments and personal humanitarian photography projects alike. Here on my site, I share what it is like to work with me, my passion and purpose and some notable examples of humanitarian assignments I have completed around the world. It is my personal mission for my photography to be more than zeros and ones on a hard drive but instead ensure they are fully leveraged to drive impact by creating awareness, education and ultimately action by stakeholders. and ultimately social change. Key to achieving this goal is a strong focus on treating subjects as respected and empowered collaborators.
Please contact me to initiate a dialog on how we can partner together to bring your strategy the humanitarian mission of your organization to life with strong visual story telling.
Steven Wade Adams DVM PhD, Humanitarian Photographer
Social Impact Photography that Tells the Story of Health & Health Equity
The United Nations recognizes that “every human being has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.” Humanitarian photography and film have the power to create awareness and advocate for global health and health equity around the world. Through various assignments supporting non-profits and NGOs, I have had the extraordinary opportunity to capture moments that encapsulate the challenges, successes, and resilience of communities affected by health challenges, triumphs and inequities around the world.
Humanitarian photography that captures community health workers during a vaccination campaign in an underserved region, or the smiles of children receiving a life-saving treatment for a preventable disease, these images have the power to transcend language barriers, evoke a deep sense of empathy in viewers and advance the goal of access to quality health care for all.
Images that depict the consequences of inadequate healthcare systems or the impact of infectious diseases can inspire individuals and organizations to take action and serve as reminders that behind the statistics lie real people, whose lives often hang in the balance. In this way, humanitarian photography acts as a catalyst for change, empowering viewers to contribute to the global efforts to improve health equity and access to care.
Furthermore, by showcasing the resilience and strength of communities rising to address health-related challenges, humanitarian photography helps to dispel narratives of victimhood and transform the dialog to supporting empowerment of individuals fighting for the right to health and a better future. These images capture the inspiring stories of local health workers, volunteers, and community leaders who strive to overcome challenges and make a real difference to confront the inequalities faced by millions and unlock the support and resources needed to build a healthier future for all.
Non-Profit Photography that Tells the Story of Education & Empowerment
In the realm of non-profit photography, there is a powerful and crucial narrative that I find especially important and urgent. This is the story of education and empowerment of girls and women. Through several related global assignments, I have had the privilege of witnessing profoundly impactful programs and capturing images of girls and women that resonate with hope, resilience, and the transformative power of education, skill development and impactful economic opportunity.
Education and traning has the remarkable ability to break the cycle of poverty and discrimination, and nowhere is this more evident than in the lives of young girls. All too often, girls in marginalized communities face countless obstacles, including limited access to schools, forced early marriages, and societal norms that perpetuate gender inequality. Nevertheless, amidst these challenges, the pursuit of education and skill development has proved to be a catalyst for change, empowering girls to shape their own destinies and transform their communities.
Working with non-profits in New Delhi and Rajasthan, India, I have seen and captured the determination in the eyes of these young women as they set their sights to overcome significant social obstacles and learn the concepts and skills of empowerment and self-determination. Through their unwavering commitment, such humanitarian organizations are creating safe spaces for girls to learn, and advocating for policies that ensure equal opportunities for all.
In the words of Malala Yousafzai, Nobel laureate and education activist: "One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world." Leveraging non-profit photography, we have the power to support and change the narrative and create a future where every girl has the opportunity to thrive, dream, and rewrite her own story.
Humanitarian Photography that Tells the Story of Community
In a world often focused on individualism and personal achievements, we can sometimes overlook the undeniably critical importance of community. Our lives, richly interwoven with those around us, thrive on the shared values, support, and connections we develop within our communities and visual storytelling provides a medium to illuminate the profound and transformative power of our communities.
Social impact photography and film can showcase stories of our relationships with our communities, how we embrace one another through adversity, and our celebration of one other's victories. Powerful images that capture the fabric of these interpersonal relationships and shared experiences embody the essence of human empathy and compassion.
It is within these close-knit circles of community that individuals find solace, support, and purpose, enabling them to overcome adversity and achieve their greatest potential. I saw this first hand in Bale Zone, Ethiopia where communities came together to apply water retention methodologies in drought zones or in India where communities built safer wells and developed better community hygiene. I saw this Myanmar where whole communities came together to support and build schools for orphans or in rural Africa where communal rituals served to bind the relationships between community members. Visual portrayals of this coming together serves as powerful reminders of the extraordinary impact that communities can have on our lives and the ability to address our challenges as it is in unity and togetherness that we find our true strength.
Photography That Tells the Story of Climate Resiliency
A key pillar of a healthy world rests on how human populations plan and adapt to the complex challenges of our rapidly changing environment. By utilizing humanitarian photography and visual story telling, we can capture the essence of not only the challenges faced from climatic modification but also the human and technological triumphs achieved to inspire action and empathy for a more sustainable future.
From melting glacial ice to severely eroded soils and devastating wildfires, photography and film allows us to visually document the effects of climate change with striking clarity and serve as powerful evidence of the urgency to build climate resilience and tell the story of your cause.
Visual imagery brings the reality of this burning platform to the forefront and compels viewers to confront the gravity of our earth’s situation. I am currently working on a major climate project in Eastern Africa (blog update coming soon!) to tell the stories of adaptation and mitigation through significant carbon sequestration, and have previously had the opportunity to tell the stories of community efforts to adapt to climate climate in Bale Zone, Ethiopia supported by the USAID.
My passion as a visual stay teller is to tell these human stories of the lives that are being shaped by climate change, showcasing their resilience, adaptation, and determination to ensure their communities continue to thrive. By enabling viewers to see across geographical and cultural boundaries, photography and film invites us all to witness the struggles and resilience of communities affected by climate change and compels advocacy for sustainable solutions.
