The Women Street Photographers Festival 2025 will take place from Thursday, April 10, to Monday, April 14, in New York City. It is organized by Women Street Photographers and sponsored by Leica Camera. The main location for the event is El Barrio’s Artspace PS109, located at 215 East 99th Street, New York, NY 10029.
This public event is open to anyone interested in photography, whether a professional photographer, a student, or someone who simply enjoys looking at good photography. The schedule includes photo walks, exhibitions, talks, book signings, seminars, and panel discussions. Some events require separate registration, especially those with limited space.
Let’s now look at each day’s schedule and what to expect.
- The 2025 WSP Festival runs from April 10–14 at El Barrio’s Artspace PS109 in New York City, with a separate Leica Photo Walk.
- The festival features over 20 events, including talks, panel discussions, book signings, and expert-led seminars.
- Gulnara Samoilova, founder of Women Street Photographers, leads this powerful event spotlighting 75–85 women photographers from 33 countries.
April 10: Leica Photo Walk and Exhibition Opening
The festival begins on Thursday, April 10, with a Leica Photo Walk and Gallery Tour in the Meatpacking District from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m.. This photo walk is not included with general admission and requires a separate sign-up.
Later that evening, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, the Women Street Photographers NYC Exhibition Opening and Party will take place in East Harlem. This marks the official start of the festival and showcases the work of selected women photographers from around the world.
April 11: Talks, Book Signings, and Panel Discussions
On Friday, April 11, events will start at 11:00 AM with opening remarks from Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova, the founder of Women Street Photographers, and Nina Welch-Kling.
Following the introduction, photographer Meryl Meisler will give a talk from 11:15 AM to 12:15 PM.
At 12:45 PM, photographer Rhiannon Adam will present her talk, “Rhi-Entry,” which continues until 1:45 PM.
Afterward, from 1:45 PM to 3:00 PM, attendees can participate in book signings and the sale of prints and used photo books in the gallery.
At 3:00 PM, a panel titled “Gallery Representation – From an Artist’s and a Gallerist’s Perspective” will be held. Speakers include Debra Klomp Ching, Meryl Meisler, Sandra Cattaneo Adorno, and Rhiannon Adam.
Then, at 4:15 PM, the second panel discussion of the day, “Building a Successful Submission,” will begin. This session will include Nina Welch-Kling, Sehin Tewabe (WSP Artist Residency Winner), Mary-Irene Marek, and Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova. These experts will share tips on how to present your work to juries, galleries, and reviewers.
April 12: Seminar and Presentations
On Saturday, April 12, the day starts with a seminar led by J. Sybylla Smith titled “Amplify Your Visual Voice. A Guide on How You See – and Why It Matters.” This session runs from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM and focuses on developing a personal photographic style.
From 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, there will be another book signing and photo book sale in the gallery.
At 2:00 PM, Sandra Stevenson will give a presentation on her work. Stevenson is known for her role as a visual editor and storyteller.
To finish the day, a surprise event will take place from 3:15 PM to 4:00 PM. The details of this event have not been shared in advance.
April 13: More Talks, Panel Discussions, and Book Signings
Sunday, April 13, includes a full day of events. At 11:00 AM, Debra Klomp Ching will return to give a presentation titled “Working with a Gallery.”
At 12:15 PM, Anastasia Samoylova will speak on “Adaptation,” explaining how photographers adjust to changes in both life and the industry.
From 1:15 PM to 2:15 PM, there will be a major book signing session featuring authors such as Nina Welch-Kling, Graciela Magnoni, Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova, Donna Ferrato, Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, Meryl Meisler, Erica Reade, Parvathi Kumar, and more.
A panel on book publishing will follow from 2:15 PM to 3:15 PM. J. Sybylla Smith will moderate this discussion, titled “Everything About Book Publishing,” with panelists Ashly Stohl, Sandra Stevenson, Anastasia Samoylova, and Sophie Muret.
At 3:30 PM, the Exposure Salon will take place, featuring Carol Dronsfield and Liz Jang. This is a smaller group session for sharing and feedback.
The day ends with an important panel from 4:15 PM to 5:15 PM, titled “Gaining Exposure: Competitions, Portfolio Reviews, and Handling Rejection.” Tracey Woods will moderate the discussion, which includes Debra Klomp Ching, Nina Welch-Kling, Graciela Magnoni, and Gulnara Samoilova. This panel is focused on helping photographers understand how to enter competitions, improve their portfolios, and stay motivated through rejection.
April 14: Honest Conversation and Career Advice
On the final day, Monday, April 14, a seminar with Debra Klomp Ching will be held from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM in the Black Box Theater at Artspace PS109. The session, titled “Portfolio Reviews: Strategic Preparation, Attendance, and Follow-Up,” will give photographers practical tools for portfolio reviews. Debra brings insights from her experience as a reviewer and gallerist from 1995 to 2022.
Later, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, the closing panel will focus on street photography and ethics. The discussion is titled “Street Photography: Real and Honest Dialogue” and will be moderated by Florence “Flo” Ngala. Panelists will include Debrani Das, Meryl Meisler, Sandra Hernández, and Sonia Goydenko. They will talk about the real challenges of taking pictures in public spaces, respecting privacy, and staying true to the story.
About the Organizer: Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova
The festival is created and led by Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova, a Tatar-born American photographer and founder of Women Street Photographers. She has over 45 years of experience as a street photographer, artist, editor, and darkroom printer.
She gained international recognition for her photos of September 11, winning first prize in the World Press Photo competition and receiving a Pulitzer nomination. Her work is part of the collections of the Museum of the City of New York, New York Public Library, New York Historical Society, and Museum of Fine Arts Houston. She is also the author of the book “Women Street Photographers” (Prestel, 2021).
Gulnara has curated over 30 exhibitions on four continents and judged for major photography awards such as UNESCO, Lens Culture, and the Lucie Photo Book Prize. She is also a speaker and portfolio reviewer at international festivals like Les Rencontres d’Arles and Photo NOLA.
About the Venue: El Barrio’s Artspace PS109
The main festival location, El Barrio’s Artspace PS109, is a five-story building located at 215 East 99th Street, New York, NY 10029, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues in East Harlem. The building was designed by Charles B.J. Snyder and completed in 1898. The non-profit Artspace has turned it into an arts-focused space.
Artspace PS109 includes 89 units of affordable live/work housing for artists and their families, a 3,000-square-foot resident gallery, and 10,000 square feet of non-residential space for arts organizations. The building features copper cupolas and detailed terra cotta exterior work.
Artspace, the organization behind PS109, is based in Minneapolis and has offices in New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. For over 30 years, the group has developed artist spaces across the U.S., helping create permanent homes for creative work.
