Today Olympus launched and opened applications for the The Break Free Program.

"An opportunity for emerging creatives to work with Olympus mentors and build their passion projects" this is a three month program where participants pick a project and are given the gear, support, and publicity for their project.

I'm so excited about this not only because I get to be a mentor but because it is an important reminder of the purpose of photography. It's not just about making pretty pictures, but about telling stories, building your creativity, and finding purpose in your photography.

I have silly projects like my feet photos, that keep me creative. I have overarching goals of using my platform to cover sports from not just the perspective of capturing incredible peak action moments, but why sports matter and highlight female athletes. And I have purpose-driven goals to help make photography more accessible and inclusive.

I'm honored to carry on Shirley Pefley's legacy and manage the Shoot Like Shirley Contest which is a great award for young women and (I hope) provides a lot of value to the applicants who show promise and need the encouragement and financial edge to take the next step. And I'm excited to also be a part of this program that provides guided support and camera equipment that can really be the first big step in someone's career. I know so many young creative people who are creating powerful story telling images on their phones and don't have the audience to spread their message or the discretionary income to buy camera equipment. We are missing out on their stories. Olympus Break Free will help expose us to these story telling creatives.

Credit to Amanda Strozeski who spearheaded this project and the team at Olympus who helped make it happen.

I can't wait to be pair with the next great sports photographer!

Learn more and apply at http://bit.ly/TheBreakFreeProgram

Applications open August 28th- September 13, 2020