Teen Vogue

Jen Senn (@jenmsenn) has her best friend to thank for kickstarting her love affair with photography. “[She] signed up for a film photography class in high school. I’ve never picked up a camera before, but I signed up to spend time with her,” the 25-year-old says. “I fell in love with shooting on film and processing in the darkroom and I haven’t stopped since!” 

Since then, the New York City resident, who describes her work as “warm, dreamy, and explorative” has honed her craft, but she’s made it a point to keep working with other women. “I am so inspired by capturing each woman’s particular flare, inner beauty, and strength,” Jen says. “Most of the time when I shoot it’s an all-girls team and I’m inspired by the creativity each person brings to set.” 

For Jen, #GirlGaze is about “celebrating the female gaze and creative process. Women are under-represented in the industry, especially when it comes to shooting other women. I love that the Girl Gaze project is fostering a supportive community for women to showcase their work!” 💕 

This story is part of the @girlgazeproject, celebrating the next generation of female photographers. Submit your photos using#GirlGaze and you could be featured in Teen Vogue.

Photography runs in Paris Helena's (@parishelena) genes. "I grew up sitting as a lighting test subject for my mom, who's been a photographer for 20+ years,” the 21-year-old says. And though that wasn't her last time in front of the camera (she was scouted by@NextModels when she was 14), she followed in her mother's footsteps and found her place behind the lens. But that doesn't mean she hasn't blazed her own path. After studying photography at her arts-focused high school, at the age of 18, Paris moved alone to Manhattan to apprentice for legendary photographer Mark Seliger. 

The now-L.A.-based photog is something of a triple threat, as well. “I’ve been a singer on and off since I was a kid,” she says. “I’m branching out from solely being a shower singer to a studio singer.” If you’re interested in the voice behind the vision, you can hear her featured vocals on a few songs by@StrangersYouKnow. 

To Paris, #GirlGaze is about reclaiming space for women. "Working within an industry that more often than not relies on a female presence but is dominated by men, #GirlGaze gives us a chance to take hold and share our vision through our eyes, behind and before the lens." And she's hoping to spread some of that to some biggest names in the business. "My dream is to bring some girl power to the extraordinary cast of Tim Walker, Mert & Marcus, Steven Klein, and Mario Sorrenti.” - words by@hannamariehoward. 

This Instagram story is part of the@girlgazeproject, celebrating the next generation of female photographers. Submit your photos on Instagram using #GirlGaze and you could be featured in Teen Vogue!

Taking a trip to SoCal has never been so easy — just make a stop at Krissy Saleh’s (@krissy) Instagram. The Orange County native first fell in love with photography in middle school and has since turned her hobby into a career. But her work is just as much about the photos she takes as it is the people she features. “When I truly set my heart on becoming a photographer, I told myself I would also use photography to help people see how beautiful they truly are,” the 20-year-old says. “Insecurity is a very big thing in today’s society. All I wanted to do was help people see the beauty in them.”

Though she spent much of her teens shooting for her high school yearbook or only on weekends, a photography course at a local college helped her focus on shifting her passion into something more. Soon after turning her personal Instagram into a photography account, she was contacted by Brandy Melville — “the first step to the start of living my dreams,” as she calls it.

To Krissy, #GirlGaze “is a way to empower female photographers. I think it’s a positive place where women support each other and glorify each other’s photography.” Though she cites Harper Smith as her favorite female photographer, when asked who she’d want to take her own portrait, her pick is someone who’s usually in front of the camera. “It would be Zendaya. I think she is such a humble and beautiful person,” Krissy says. It would be an honor to have her take my portrait but honestly I would just love to grab coffee and talk to her.” - Words by HannahMarieHoward

This Instagram story is part of the@girlgazeproject, celebrating the next generation of female photographers. Submit your photos using #GirlGaze and you could be featured in Teen Vogue!

Though Shingi Rice (@bluespit) has counted photography as a hobby for about 10 years, she got more serious about making it her life’s work three years ago after a literal change of heart. “In 2013 I had open heart surgery and it changed my life a lot,” she says. “Something inside me just made me go automatically into photographing and styling people.”

The London College of Fashion student defines #GirlGaze as “beauty through the eyes of a girl; it’s how we see the world and how we choose to express it.” She describes herself as a “beautiful soul capturer” and through her gorgeous portraiture, mainly featuring people of color, she lives up to her words. Shingi counts Cass Bird, Emma Arvida Bystrom, and Petra Collins among her favorite female photographers, but her biggest inspiration comes from closer to home.

“What inspires me most are my parents,” the 23-year-old says of her Irish dad and Zimbabwean mother. “They both come from very different backgrounds and seeing them work hard for their goals and achieving them has taught me that being passionate about what you love and working hard pays off.”

When asked who, out of anyone, she’d love to take her own portrait, Shingi chose a perennial Teen Vogue favorite. “Willow Smith,” she says, “her presence is powerful.” - words by @hannamariehoward.

This Instagram is part of the @girlgazeproject project, celebrating the next generation of female photographers. Submit your photos using #GirlGaze and you could be featured in Teen Vogue!

If your life is in need of a quick infusion of color, look no further than Lenne Chai’s Instagram feed (@lenneigh). The 24-year-old photographer sums her work up as “feminine, pastel, [and] dreamy” and she delivers on all three in spades. Lenne came to photography through her childhood fascination with fashion, but has since discovered it’s “the medium I communicate my ideas best in — I love constructing sets and props to tell stories.” And she’s not just shooting stills, either. The Singapore native is also passionate about making music videos, especially her “Karaoke Party” series that features Singaporean musicians in wardrobes by local designers. The videos give Lenne another chance to show off her creative innovations. “I just directed one that’s inspired by game shows, but with a set that’s constructed entirely with pastel-colored paper,” she says. “The next one I’m working on features aliens.” And while that may sound completely out of this world, it actually fits in perfectly with her fascination with astrophysics. To Lenne, #GirlGaze means “Looking at women (both the ones in front of, and behind, the camera) differently. Thinking about women differently. Often sexy, but never sexualized.” Fittingly, Lenne’s favorite subjects are other girls, and she dreams of bringing her photographs of them to magazines like Lula, i-D, and of course, Teen Vogue. - Words by Hannah Howard

This Instagram is part of the @girlgazeproject project, celebrating the next generation of female photographers. Submit your photos on Instagram using #GirlGaze and you could be featured in Teen Vogue!

Even if you’ve never double-tapped one of @carlyfoulkes’s Instagrams, chances are you’re more familiar with the 27-year-old photographer than you think. You might recognize Carly as the former T-Mobile girl — yeah, the one in the pink dress. Nowadays, though, it’s her daring and beautiful photos that have people talking. Photography first piqued the Toronto native’s interest when she was 13. “I loved taking photos of what someone people would call ‘mundane’ moments,” Carly says. “People brushing their teeth, waiting in line at the store.” She’s since moved on to fashion, fine art, and portraits, but people are still her favorite subject and biggest inspiration. 

To Carly, who cites Francesca Woodman, Amanda Charchian, and Harley Weir among her all-time favorite female photogs, #GirlGaze is about effecting change. “As much as we like to think otherwise, it's still very much so a ‘Man’s World.’ There should be as many women shooting campaigns and editorial as men and I truly believe The Girl Gaze Project is going to change that,” she says. Meanwhile, Carly’s doing her part to be the shift she wants to see in the photography world. She recently had her first solo gallery showing, “Gardenia,” in Los Angeles and she’s working toward crossing publications off her list. “My real goal is to spread awareness. A big dream of mine is to be a photojournalist,” she says. “I want to do it all!” - words by@hannamariehoward.

This Instagram story is part of The@girlgazeproject, celebrating the next generation of female photographers. Submit photos using #GirlGaze and you could be featured in Teen Vogue!

We wouldn’t blame you if a quick scroll through Chloe Sheppard’s (@eolhcsheppard) IG made you want to climb through your phone screen and into her world. The London 19-year-old’s feed is filled with two of her favorite subjects: teenagers and roses. And her film photography makes both look equally beautiful, fitting with her ethos of creating an “ideal world” through her art. To Chloe, #GirlGaze means "Taking back what's ours,” and she tells other girls interested in photography to never be afraid to display their work. “Your art is something you should really be proud of,” she says, “So it deserves to get seen by everybody. No matter what anybody else says, as long as you love what you're creating and it means something to you, that's all that is important.” Though she’s born and bred in the U.K., she cites classic Americana as one of her biggest inspirations. And among her favorite female photographers, she shouts out other young women who are taking the world by storm. “Lauren Tepfer takes amazing photos of locations, like the most ordinary situations,” Chloe says. “They evoke such an atmosphere, her work is beautiful.” Though she’s already been tapped to work on projects with brands like Adidas StellaSport, there’s no end in sight to Chloe’s ambition. Her dream publications to shoot for include Vogue, i-D, and Wonderland, and there's no doubt that her photography will take her there… and beyond. - words by @hannamariehoward.

This Instagram story is a part of The @GirlGazeProject, celebrating the next generation of female photographers. Submit photos on Instagram using #GirlGaze and you could be featured in Teen Vogue!

Christin Rose was 14 when she got her first camera, but it wasn’t until she was a freshman in college that her relationship with photography really clicked. “I played three sports in high school, softball being my strongest; I thought about playing in college but opted not to,” she says. “So that initial transition when I arrived on campus, being away from my family and not getting to do my passion anymore was really hard… I had to find my place in the world again, and my camera provided that 100%.” 

Through photography, the Oregon native has also been able to share her enduring love of sports, notably through her #ShePlaysWeWin project that highlights young, female athletes. “[The project] celebrates the confidence that sports provides for young girls, knowing that it has a direct correlation on their future as they grow up to be strong, independent women in this ever changing world,” Christin says. Now living in California, she’s used her #GirlGaze to photograph skateboarders, runners, and many different athletes. She hopes to bring girls’ sports stories to the forefront by highlighting female athletes all around the world—which luckily coincides with her other passion, traveling. 

“I’m fully ignited by going places I’ve never been,” says the photographer, who lived on a sailboat last year. “I believe it’s the most wonderful thing and drives my entire lifestyle.” - words by @hannamariehoward. 

This Instagram story is a part of The @GirlGazeProject, celebrating the next generation of female photographers. Submit photos using #GirlGaze and you could be featured in Teen Vogue!

Haley Morris-Cafiero wasn’t always set on the path toward photography. In fact, in college she was brushing up on the law. The Memphis, TN native admits she was studying to be a lawyer, but hated it after she started working for a law firm. Luckily, a darkroom class convinced her to change her course and get not only her bachelor’s, but also her master’s degree in photography.

And her unconventional past plays into her advice for other aspiring photogs. “So many people think you have to be a lawyer or a doctor to be successful,” Haley says. “If you are passionate about photography, you will be successful AND happy.” Her other passions include rescuing dogs from shelters and creating social change — both of which you’ll find evidence of in her Instagram feed.

Haley, who published her first photography book 'The Watchers' in 2015, uses her own body to create her art. “I use my body as a tool in all of my work,” she says. “It becomes a universal stand-in for my story that translates to many people.” And through that, her personal definition of #GirlGaze shines through. The photographer, who describes herself and her work as “Performance Activist Empowerment,” says the movement is all about “empowering girls to create and control the gaze of the viewer of a photograph.” - words by Hannah Howard

This Instagram story is a part of The @GirlGazeProject, celebrating the next generation of female photographers. Submit photos using #GirlGaze and you could be featured in Teen Vogue!