Panos Pictures, a photo agency specialising in global social issues, is to offer greater support to its 80 photographers by launching Panos Profile.

The new entity will work with 20 photographers at any one time, “helping them shape some of their longer-term projects or with some aspect of their work that they are keen to expand”, says director Adrian Evans. The initial 20 photographers were selected based on “where they were up to in their career and what they were currently working on”, says Evans. “We thought that by focusing on a smaller of group of photographers while they were part of the Profile group we could offer a better overall service, representing them more creatively and laterally across various aspects of the business.”

The group of 20 photographers will remain fluid, according to Panos. “Photographers will move in and out depending on their needs at the time – the idea being that we have a chance to represent a few more comprehensively at key moments in their career or projects.” Currently, the Profile group represents GMB Akash, Chris de Bode, Patrick Brown, Alfredo Caliz, Matias Costa, William Daniels, Tim Dirven, Carolyn Drake, George Georgiou, Robin Hammond, Mark Henley, Mishka Henner and Liz Lock, Tomas van Houtryve, Justin Jin, Yann Mingard, Espen Rasmussen, Martin Roemers, Moises Saman, Chris Stowers, Andrew Testa, Sven Torfinn, Abbie Trayler-Smith, Stephan Vanfleteren and Ami Vitale.

Panos Pictures has hired Francesca Sears – the former manager at Magnum Photos London – to act as director of Profile. “I have been working with each Profile photographer one-on-one to understand what ideas they are interested in pursuing, what projects they are currently working on and where we can bring additional support to take some of their ideas to the next level or add another dimension,” says Sears.

The launch of Profile coincides with the release of a new Panos Pictures website, which, says Evans, brings “improved functionality” and features easier-to-view photographer portfolios and story slideshows, news feeds and interactive multimedia, “including an up-to-date location map allowing clients to keep track of our photographers whereabouts”.

The redevelopment of the site, adds Evans, is just one element in “an overall investment plan aimed at making Panos the leading agency for social documentary photography”.

He continues: “The traditional model of selling photography in order to produce more photography is long dead.  We no longer see the media as a funder of photography but as a distributor of our photographers’ work. If one is looking for funding one needs to go to the beginning of the process, work with organisations who have something to communicate to the wider world whether it be raising awareness of a general issue or a specific campaign. In other words locate the producer of the message not the bearer,” and, says Evans, Panos Pictures is in a great position to achieve just that.

www.panos.co.uk