Building on the success of the first project, 'Putting Ourselves in the Picture Part 2: Engaging with Industry' aimed to provide marginalised women with opportunities to develop their stories and to start to connect to professionals within the field of photography.

Working again with five partners – this time Autograph, Creative Response, Women for Refugee Women, National Galleries of Scotland and Work Show Grow – the project engaged with groups of marginalised and vulnerable women and non-binary people (including refugees). A programme of workshops, mentorship activities and field trips was developed to introduce 30 participants to the photography industry.

Each of the partner organisations brought different expertise to the project. All have first-hand knowledge of working with marginalised communities, of promoting women in photography, of designing educational programmes, and in the case of the two gallery partners of disseminating high quality photography outputs such as publications and exhibitions. Each of the partners through their work in art, photography, social campaigning and education has made ground-breaking moves to create change to levels of equality and diversity in society.

Over the course of the project, the participants – Alena, Alina, Anna, B, Bunny, Catty, DeeDee, Elise, Eunny, Hanna, Iryna, Jannat, Jasmine, Kitty, Larysa, Margo, Maria, Maryna, Memory, Natalia P, Natalia S, Nina, Olena, Olga, Polina, Svitlana, Valentyna, Victoria, Viktoriia and Vicky – grew in confidence to use photography to tell stories about their lives. Their engagement with various aspects of the industry has inspired many of them to continue working with photography and some to develop a desire to work professionally. This publication shows their compelling work; the rarely seen yet often imagined life stories of refugees, non-binary and migrant people in the UK.

With text by Anna Fox, Maria Kapajeva and Corinne Whitehouse and interviews with project leads and mentors from the five partner organisations.