About Us
About Us
The Raw Society was founded in 2016 as a way for us to share our love for travel and photography with other like-minded individuals from all over the world. The organization started out by exclusively offering on-location photography workshops in countries such as Nepal, Morocco, Cuba, and more. Since then, we have organically grown and evolved into something much richer and more beautiful: A community united by our passion for photography.
As photographers and educators, it is our wholehearted belief that the photographic image can be a powerful tool for inward and outward change, within reach of anyone and everyone willing to learn the language. Through our workshops (on and offline), weekend conferences, projects, fundraisers and our membership program we aim, together with our growing community, to be participants of this change, one photograph at a time.
What sets The Raw Society apart is not so much what we do, but how we do it: differently. When it comes to membership and our community, anyone who is passionate about the type of photography that we work with (street, documentary and travel photography), can become a part of it, regardless of whether they bought their camera the week before or are already professionals in the field.
The same goes for our workshops. By being small and intimate (and having two mentors in every workshop), we are able to cater to our workshop participants individually and promote a safe and warm learning environment in which all photographers can thrive.
In addition to this, we're in it for the long run, so, as we get to know the people in our community, we get better at guiding them through their photographic journeys, in all the different forms the they might take on. From simply sharing project ideas or critiquing their work, to creating a photo book or pitching a story to a magazine, to navigating the business of photography or preparing an exhibition -- our community is there for each other and we are able to provide guidance and support to members and also provide one-off mentorship for anyone interested.
Aside from our on-location workshops, The Raw Society organizes community-building events, hosts live online workshops, provides a blog with insights, inspiration and learning tools, produces projects to promote photography, like The Raw Society Magazine, along with any other unique ideas that we or our members come up with.
Jorge Delgado-Ureña
Co-founder & Lead MentorJorge Delgado-Ureña is a photographer and the co-founder of The Raw Society. Originally a commercial and fashion photographer, an assignment in Nepal opened up a whole new world of photography to him and sparked the inspiration to found The Raw Society. As lead mentor of The Raw Society, Deglado-Ureña's experience as an educator has been key to the successful planning and execution of over 50 workshops since 2016.
He has worked on multiple solo projects while living in Spain. In 2020, he was commissioned by National Geographic of Spain to document the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of this assignment, Delgado-Urena photographed the decontamination work of the Spanish military in Spain. Deglado-Ureña’s photography has been published in numerous national and international magazines including National Geographic, La Vanguardia, Público and Fisheye Magazine and his work has been exhibited in Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Nepal. In 2019, Delgado-Urena won the National Geographic Travel Photo People’s Choice Award.
Christelle Enquist
Co-founder & Organization DirectorChristelle Enquist is a photographer and co-founder of The Raw Society. She speaks four languages and was raised in Singapore, and her curiosity of other cultures and passion for travel started at an early age, instigated by her mother and father. A 6-month solo travel at 33 awoke her passion for photography. She would soon go on to found The Raw Society along with Jorge Delgado-Urena in 2016.
Her work has been exhibited in Australia, USA, Belgium and Nepal and is featured in the "Woman Street Photographers" book published by Penguin Random House in March 2021.
With a background in business and marketing, and over 10 years of experience in advertising, she leads the organization's marketing, logistics, and finance operations.
Mei Seva
Studio ManagerMei Seva is based in New York City and is the Studio Manager for The Raw Society.
Seva graduated from Hampshire College with a B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies and Art. Since graduating, she has taken photographs and created documentary videos for a variety of non-profits, educating viewers on issues such as climate change, the environment, and American democracy.
She also is a painter and photographer. Seva’s art has been exhibited at Madhouse Multi-Arts, the Sawmill River Arts Gallery, Boomer Gallery, and more.
The Raw Society’s community is made up of Ambassadors, Members, and Members Pro, all committed to photography and willing to support and uplift each other, bring new ideas to the table and participate in our projects and events.
Rory Doyle
The Raw Society AmbassadorRory is a freelance editorial and commercial photographer based in Cleveland, Mississippi.
Known for his personal project on American cowboys and cowgirls in the Mississippi Delta that received a 2018 Visual Artist Fellowship from the Mississippi Arts commission and has won many prizes, Rory’s editorial work is regularly published in The New York Times, The Guardian, Men’s Journal and Wall Street Journal to name a few.
Gustavo Minas
The Raw Society AmbassadorGustavo Minas was born in Cássia (MG, Brazil). He currently works as a journalist and freelance photographer in Brasilia.
Since 2009, he has photographed the daily life of the cities where he lives. In 2017, his ‘Bus Station’ series won the POY LATAM award in the category "The Future of the Cities”. In 2019, he launched his first book, "Maximum Shadow, Minimal Light (Edition Lammerhuber).
Carlos Antonorsi
The Raw Society AmbassadorStreet photographer Carlos Antonorsi was born in Caracas, Venezuela and currently lives in Miami, USA.
The strong sense of aesthetics in his images, in which light, shadow and colour merge, is the result of his beginnings in Miami: a city that has strongly influenced him.
Finalist of numerous festivales, Carlos was also recently invited to give a conference in Miami about his ongoing project, “Chasing the light”.
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