Tag: Community

Local Lenses presents Our Habitat magazine

Community Photojournalism Projects

Sloane Square – contractors laying down new paving stones ©Maria Speller

We are delighted to present the first edition of Local Lens Magazine, Our Habitat. This magazine is the result of a community-led project in which residents of London Hammersmith & Fulham borough became the reporters, photographers and visual storytellers of their own neighbourhood.

Through training, mentoring and collaborative editorial support, participants researched, photographed and wrote stories that matter to them, demonstrating that powerful journalism can be created by local people with lived experience.

People maintaining and planting in a historic garden, volunteering to preserve a
shared green space. West London, May,2026 © Daniela Guarino


The theme of this first issue, Our Habitat, emerged naturally from the participants’ interests. Their stories explore the environment in its broadest sense from green spaces and biodiversity to the places, communities and local issues that shape everyday life.

This is an incredibly rich first edition of the magazine, which you can read online directly on our website or pick up locally at the library, NHG offices in W3, and selected shops on Askew Road.

Place of our Sanctuary Food Bank, 84 Lillie Road, Fulham, London, SW6 1TL,
Phone: +442073815366 (ENGLISH), +447958232863 (ESPAÑOL)
Email: Admin@placeofsanctuary.org ©Michelle Conway


Local Lens is part of our wider vision to create a community newsroom, bringing together local reporting, documentary photography and visual storytelling produced by residents. Through this initiative, we are developing a platform for photo stories which focus on stories that matter to residents, training and supporting local residents, photographers and journalists, amplifying underrepresented voices, providing a space for connection and well-being, and investing in citizen-led photojournalism.

If you would like to get involved, we would love to hear from you! No previous experience is necessary. We provide the training, mentoring and editorial support needed to help participants research, report, write and photograph stories to a high professional standard. We warmly welcome new participants to join us.

To book a place and be involved, join us here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/local-lenses-tickets-1982170924594?aff=

INTERVIEW: Cinzia D’Ambrosi of the Photojournalism Hub

Blog, Press

New exhibition set to explore the hidden inequalities exposed by the Covid pandemic. You can help make it happen!

The borough’s local Photojournalism Hub is inviting you to support its new exhibition and workshops, entitled: Covid-19 and Beyond. It is due to open in Fulham once the hub has raised enough funding – details below on how you can support.

The new exhibition and workshop series aims to give a voice to those most affected by Covid, said Cinzia D’Ambrosi, the hub’s founder and a multi-award-winning photojournalist.

Raised in Italy, Cinzia has dedicated her career to using photography for social change. Her work has earned international recognition, including the Spiga d’Argento from FIDAPA (Italy), awarded for promoting peace through photojournalism and documentary photography.

The hub is one of many community-led groups that receive financial support from Hammersmith & Fulham Council as part of our commitment to building a stronger, safer and kinder borough.

Inequalities

“The pandemic exposed deep inequalities that many people still live with every day,” said Cinzia. “Through this exhibition, we want to give those affected a platform – and start a conversation that leads to real change.”

It features striking images and personal testimonies gathered during the pandemic, shining a light on issues such as housing, race, immigration status, women’s rights and mental health.
It also hopes to address the deepened and long-standing divides, widening inequalities, and the curbing of freedoms such as freedom of speech that have arisen from the pandemic.
The free community workshops will invite residents to share their own stories, said Cinzia, while schools will take part in guided tours. Meanwhile, panel discussions will bring together experts and local voices to keep the conversation alive.
She said: “This project is about helping people in ways that count. And empowering under-represented voices in our communities and encouraging a shared understanding. By creating a platform for dialogue, we hope to strengthen community ties and inspire change.”

Founder of Photojournalism Hub, Cinzia D’Ambrosi

Founder of Photojournalism Hub, Cinzia D’Ambrosi

Impact

The Photojournalism Hub has a proven track record of telling powerful stories in H&F. It’s done this through two free documentary photography courses for residents. These were initially funded by the NHS and delivered in partnership with H&F Council which saw more than 60 young people learn photography, how to build portfolios, and publish their work in print and online.
Some of these young people have gone on to study photography at university, while others have secured paid roles, including photographing major events like The Great Exhibition Road Festival.
Cinzia says the hub empowers people to tell their own stories: “Through workshops, mentoring, and our community photography magazines, we give space to local voices. It’s about democratic storytelling – where residents shape the narrative.”
Beyond its local work, the Photojournalism Hub also collaborates globally, sharing powerful stories through events like the In Focus series at Riverside Studios.
She added that the hub also acts as historical archive, with many photographs and testimonies submitted during the pandemic – forming a unique record of lived experience.
“Above all, I want the Hub to be a space where stories take shape and inspire positive action. Photojournalism can build real bridges between communities, perspectives, and lived experiences,” says Cinzia. “It gives people the tools to document real stories, challenge mainstream narratives, and spark meaningful dialogue.”

Students taking their photography course

Students taking their photography course

The journey begins with selecting the final photographs and stories from an open call.
This campaign is part of H&F Council’s wider support for community-led projects that make our borough a better place for everyone. Please support the campaign on Spacehive.
Support ‘Covid-19 and beyond’


Article published by Hammersmith and Fulham Council on the 10 October 2025
https://www.lbhf.gov.uk/news/2025/10/interview-cinzia-dambrosi-photojournalism-hub

Why shop small business?

PHOTOGRAPHY FOR YOUTHS, Youth Magazine

Photojournalism Hub presents Why shop small business? – the latest edition of documentary photography and writings from our local young and senior participants of our documentary photography courses.
Why shop small business? brought a lot of conversations and critical analysis on what it really means. Are we shopping more ethically because more conscious of what we eat? Are we more aware of the authenticity and the personal experiences that one has in small independent outlerier. Or the choices of shopping small points to having the economic capacity to do so and thus a statement of wealth. One pervading reflection is that shopping small is very much tied to serving communities. We could say that we have many communities around each local shop, something that we cannot find in much bigger commercial chain.

We have printed a number of copies of the magazine for our beneficiaries and for sharing and making it available in our community. If you would like a copy or discuss a feature, please contact us.

We would like to thank the NHS West London Trust, Hammersmith & Fulham Council, Sobus and Hammersmith United Charities for their support.

Support our work and become a Photojournalism Hub member! and receive the benefits of free access to events, resources, premier editorial content, and discounts on entry to our photography exhibitions, training and shop. You will be supporting our work advocating, advancing social justice and human rights, amplifying community voices and enhance media educational and work opportunities to those facing social, economic and structural challenges. Support the Photojournalism Hub from as little as £1 every month. Thank you. Join us HERE

About Me, and my Community – issue 2

Older People Projects

In the second edition of ‘About Me, and my Community’, we present stories and photography on ‘The impact of regeneration on local communities’. The published stories look at the positive and negative aspects of regeneration, the changes of local spaces such as local markets and shops as well as explore what community means in a personal level.

About us

Older People Projects

The ‘About Us’ photobook was produced with senior residents living in London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. It presents a series of photo stories based on the lives of each participant and created by another participant within the project. Participants developed storytelling techniques and basic photography skills, whilst they were able to use visuals as a tool for self expression and a means to develop and foster togetherness and friendship.
Facilitating this project has been a very positive experience and we are very proud for the achievements that participants accomplished.
A special thanks for their valuable support to the funders of the project Hammersmith United Charities @hamunitedcharities and to Hammersmith Community Gardens  @hammersmith_community_gardens for allowing us to use the wonderful Glasshouses in Ravenscourt park.
Special thanks to Tina Wood, from the Masbro Centre @masbrocentre for her valuable assistance during the project and to the participants for their trust and eagerness to learn and be open to the creative processes. It would be a delight to share more on this wonderful community focused project.