Andrew Niesen

Sherrlyn Borkgren, a wedding photographer and photojournalist, has been awarded $10,000 by ShootQ to bring awareness to the abuse of women by militiamen in the Eastern Congo.

With the help of the ShootQ Grant, Sherrlyn will travel to Congo this Fall to tell the story of personal and communal devastation caused by widespread rape and torture throughout the region. She will spend time in the North Kivu area with young girls who are suffering the permanent physical and emotional effects of this terrible injustice.

Sherrlyn comments: "It’s hard to imagine a worse place in human history to be a woman. There are clinics in this region that will treat 8,000 rape victims this year. These are 8,000 women whose lives and families have been ripped apart. Together, ShootQ and my photography will rally awareness about one of the most terrible crises in the world."

The ShootQ Grant was established this year to allow photographers to invest time working on projects that raise awareness about important issues. More than a monetary award, the ShootQ Grant provides photographers with the opportunity to work on a meaningful project with the creative freedom and financial support necessary to produce photographs that raise public awareness about important social, environmental and economic issues.

Powerful images spur powerful action. We created the ShootQ Grant to help photographers use their talent and passion to inspire change. We are privileged to work with Sherrlyn. Her determination and talent will bring hope to one of the most tragic chapters in the history of our world.

To view Sherrlyn's Winning Portfolio and Proposal, CLICK HERE

2 seats just opened up at LaCour's Branding and Marketing Workshop! If you're interested in joining a great group of photographers at our workshop on August 18-20, email us ASAP at info@lacourphoto.com

This workshop sold out quickly, so jump on this chance if you can!

I just got home after a fun, quick trip to Seattle. Thank you to Airika and Gerald Pope and Me Ra Koh and Brian for hosting me! The PUG group was wonderful and gave me great feedback about ShootQ. It was also great to catch up with longtime ShootQ users like the globe-trotting Caroline Johnson! Thanks everyone for sharing your time and ideas with me. Seattle is one of my favorite cities and I always love visiting you guys!

We're in the throes of post-production, and our heads hurt. So here is some syndicated content for you. Warning: our nerdy side shows through by posting this :)
 

Andrew and I are in Indiana with the the Holritzes and the Swans, enjoying great conversation, walks on the dunes and cookouts! Since we don't have kids of our own, we've been living vicariously through our friends! And after the kids fell asleep, Andrew, Amber and I tried some moonlit photography on the beach.