VII Photo Agency
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| Cooperative | |
| Industry | Photography |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Founder | Gary Knight, John Stanmeyer. Alexandra Boulat, Ron Haviv, , Christopher Morris, James Nachtwey |
| Headquarters | New York City |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Photojournalism, photo agency |
| Website | viiphoto.com |
VII is an international photo agency wholly owned and governed by its membership.
The cooperative agency was originally conceived by Gary Knight and John Stanmeyer. They were subsequently joined by Alexandra Boulat, Ron Haviv, , Christopher Morris, and James Nachtwey and the agency, named after the number of founding members, was launched at the Visa pour l'image Festival in Perpignan, France, in September, 2001. VII was conceived to operate as a means of digital image distribution and representation wholly owned and controlled by the photographers it represented in response to large corporations acquiring the small photo agencies present in the industry at the time. Today, VII represents 19 photographers who have chronicled significant global events and topics since the late 1970s.
VII established its reputation for news coverage during the war in Afghanistan that followed 9/11 and during the conflict in Israel/Palestine in 2002 and the invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003.
From being principally focused on news for editorial clients, the agency has diversified into social media, live events, video, and creative partnerships with NGOs / colleges / universities, exhibitions in leading museums, featured appearances at major art and photo festivals, and education.
In addition to the 19 current member photographers, young photographers are mentored by full members through the VII Mentor Program and represented by the agency. As of 1 June 2015, Richard Schoenberg, a Los Angeles-based businessman and former VII board member assumed the role of CEO and Chairman of the Board.
Newest Americans is a three-year longitudinal study at Rutgers University–Newark that will document the lives and communities of students at the university and take an in-depth look at immigration and the idea of American identity. It is a collaborative effort involving VII, Rutger’s Center for Migration and the Global City (CMGC) and the Department of Arts, Culture and Media. The project, spearheaded by Tim Raphael, director of CMGC, focuses on immigrant experiences in New Jersey with Newark as the hub where these different stories converge. Notes for My Homeland was produced by Talking Eyes Media and is the first professionally produced piece in the storytelling project.
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