Hazel Thompson Freelance Photojournalist

Date of birth: 22.09.78

Nationality: British

Hazel Thompson is a British multi award winning photojournalist based in London. After starting her career in 1997 with a local newspaper in South London, Hazel now works freelance for editorial and commercial assignments worldwide and is currently working freelance with the New York Times.

Her reportage work centres around social issues, identity, religion and humanitarian subjects. With assignments taking her all over the world from Uzbekistan to Cambodia, working closely with Charities such as Jubilee Action and The Children's Society.

Hazel's work has been published Internationally in magazines including; The New York Times, Time, Days Japan, HQ Australia, The Sunday Times Magazine, The Sunday Telegraph, La Vie, Aftonbladet, The Independent Review, The Observer Magazine, US News and other leading publications globally.

Working closely with international charities, Hazel has a passion for humanitarian and social issues. Tackling sensitive subjects in her work, including projects such as, 'Surviving Rape'—Women raped in South Africa and 'Innocents Delivered' with her photo-essay on the children of prostitutes being rescued from the brothels of Bombay. In 2005 Hazel was a key part in the Global campaign & report on 'Kids Behind Bars' (As seen on ITN & CNN), where, as posing as an aid worker, she was able to capture exclusive images of children illegally imprisoned inside Filipino jails. And most recently her essay on the Uk's teenage runaways- 'Home & Away' evolved into becoming a three part news series for FIVE news, where hazel also reported and presented the story on camera as well her still images being used to illustrate the issue.

With her long term book project 'Modern Crusaders', Hazel is also documenting a visual anthropological study of Christianity in different social forms of 'iconic' modern society, from Christian Bikers to Clubbers- e.g. 'Bikers for God', and 'God Bless Ibiza', She has already won two international awards for this body of work and she continues to work on the project with five sections complete.

Hazel also has a passion to use photography to inspire and impassion others by running workshops. This began when she was selected by The British Council to represent the best of British Photojournalism as an arts ambassador in Uzbekistan. Where she project managed a four month workshop for ten photographers on social photojournalism documenting the issue of Drugs in Uzbekistan, which has been developed into an audio-visual presentation and poster awareness campaign. And most recently Hazel ran a photography workshop for the disabled at the Angkor Photograph Festival in Cambodia.

Main projects from Hazel include: The Modern Crusaders series (a continuing work) which includes 'Bikers for God', 'Cowboys for Christ', 'Spirit Surfers', 'Hip Hop Preachers', 'God Bless Ibiza' and 'Goth Church'. Also 'Innocents Delivered', 'Ace Cafe Revival ', 'Hidden Legacy', 'Kids Behind Bars' 'Surviving Rape' and 'Home & Away'.

Hazel is available for assignments worldwide.

Awards

• 2007 - 3rd Days Japan International Photojournalism Awards- Readers Prize- Kids Behind Bars
• 2006 - CARE International Award for Humanitarian Reportage- Visa pour l'image Perpignan
• 2006 - Le Prix Special du 60th Anniversaire de CARE - 'Kids Behind Bars'
• 2006 - Photo District News (PDN) Annual 2006- Winner- 'Kids Behind Bars'
• 2006 - Picture Editors Award - Special Award. - 'Kids Behind Bars'
• 2005 - The Observer Hodge Award Winner - 1st - 'Kids Behind Bars'
• 2004 - The Observer Hodge Award Prize Winner - 3rd - For 'Hidden Legacy'
• 2003 - The Sunday Times Ian Parry Award - Highly Commended - 'Innocents Delivered'
• 2002 - The Sunday Times Ian Parry Award - Highly Commended - 'Modern Crusaders'
• 2001 - The Observer Hodge Award - Highly Commended - 'Bikers for God'

Exhibitions and Projections

• 2007 - June 7th- 9th- Festival of the Photograph- Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
• 2007 - May 22nd- 21st July- Grand Prix CARE- Galerie Fait et Cause - Paris
• 2006 - Angkor Photography Festival- 'Kids Behind Bars'- Siem Reap, Cambodia
• 2006 - International Museum of the Red Cross- 'Kids behind Bars'.-Geneva/Switzerland
• 2006 - Visa Pour l'image- International festival of photojournalism- Perpignan/France
• 2006 - The Press Photographers Year- The National Gallery/book 'Assignments'-London
• 2005 - The Newsroom Gallery-Hodge Award- Kids behind Bars- London
• 2004 - 2006 - Travelling Exhibition - Jubilee Action - Innocents Delivered
• 2004 - Proud Central Gallery-'Words are too slow '- The Forum-Hidden Legacy-London
• 2004 - The Newsroom Gallery- Hodge Award - Hidden Legacy-London
• 2003 - Tom Blau Gallery- Ian Parry Award - Innocents Delivered- London
• 2002 - Tom Blau Gallery- Ian Parry Award - Modern Crusaders- London
• 2001 - Proud Central Gallery - Hodge Award - Bikers for God- London

Lectures, Seminars, Workshops

• March '07 - Seminar and screening for The British Council, Denmark - 'Trading & Using Bodies', Institute of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, Denmark
• Dec '06 - Facilitated photography workshop for the disabled - Angkor Photography Festival, Siem Reap, Cambodia
• Nov '06 - Seminar at Rhubarb Smooth Guide To The Image World. Talks by Photographer You Want To Be, Birmingham, UK
• 2005-2007 - Regular Guest lecturer at Westminster University's MA photojournalism Course
• 2005 - Project managed and facilitated a four month British Council workshop for photographers on social Photojournalism - Tashkent, Uzbekistan

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