How Photography is Empowering London’s Marginalised Communities -

In December 2018, Londonist featured the work of photographer and Photojournalism Hub founder Cinzia D’Ambrosi in an article exploring how photography can give visibility to communities affected by poverty, housing insecurity, discrimination and social exclusion.

The article focuses on D’Ambrosi’s long-term work with communities in west London, including The People’s Estates, which documented residents facing redevelopment and the threat of losing their homes, and The Other Half, which explored the experiences of people living with hidden homelessness.

It also introduced the Photojournalism Hub, then newly established in White City with support from Hammersmith United Charities. The Hub was founded on the belief that photography can be more than a way of documenting social issues: it can be a way for people to tell their own stories, create dialogue and bring their experiences to those with the power to influence change.

At the time, D’Ambrosi described this approach as Citizen Visual Journalism — using photography to help communities document their experiences and bring their stories to policymakers, charities and wider audiences.

The article also featured Prejudice and Us, a project developed with Protection Approaches in which young people explored their experiences of racism and prejudice through photography and peer interviews. Their work created a platform for young people to share their experiences with police and councillors.

Alongside stories of poverty, displacement and insecurity, the article recognised the resilience, family connections and strength within the communities D’Ambrosi photographed. It reflected an approach that remains central to Photojournalism Hub today: using photography to understand people’s experiences, question injustice and make stories that are too often overlooked visible.

The article was published at an important moment in the development of Photojournalism Hub, documenting the ideas and values that shaped the organisation from its earliest days.