Foundry Photojournalism Workshops was started five years ago with a simple mission in mind: to provide some of the best training in visual storytelling to those who normally cannot afford it, so they could then tell their own stories, of their own communities. It was never easy; from locating world class faculty who would volunteer their time, to working on a shoestring budget, through logistics problems from hell, we persevered, believing in our mission above all else: aiding in the formation of emerging photographers who are and will change the way we see the world.

Throughout it all, we have chosen to remain independent, without any major underwriter or corporate support. Our sponsors, all small core supporters of the photography industry, have changed each year, with the whims of the industry – with one exception. liveBooks has been there from day one, sharing our core beliefs and mission.

Since our first year in Mexico City, liveBooks has been with us. Supporting new and emerging photojournalists by providing both full tuition scholarships for students from divergent economies who struggle just to make ends meet, to awarding a multitude of websites to the best and brightest of local and regional students at the end of each years workshop, to interviewing and featuring new talent on their RESOLVE blog – liveBooks has been our core ally in helping make our mission come alive.

liveBooks has and continues to show unending support for emerging photographers and photojournalists by offering the best websites at the best possible prices combined with the best support. If their product wasn’t the best, over half of our own world renowned faculty of award-winning photojournalists wouldn’t be using liveBooks sites for their own personal and agency work.

Simply put, whether a new voice or an old hand, liveBooks websites do what exactly what a photography website should do – they WORK, hard, to beautifully showcase a shooters vision, to help in promotion, support, and developing a robust web presence, to helping in sales and back end archive security. All for one purpose – to get the images that can change the world out to the world. From stills to the newest multimedia projects, liveBooks websites can handle it. And after five years of continual support and belief in our mission – indeed, they have coupled their own mission with ours – we couldn’t think of a better partner for bringing the world important, powerful and compelling visual stories.

While we have grown and learned much along this journey, from Mexico City to India to Istanbul, Buenos Aires and now to Thailand in 2012, one thing has and will stay the same – liveBooks will be our partner, no matter how the technological landscape changes.

Eric Beecroft, Director, Photographer and liveBooks user Foundry Photojournalism Workshops