Bronx Documentary Center

09/04/2026

Join us this September for three special programs exploring photography, film, memory and place.

SCREENING
9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero
Friday, September 11 • 7 PM
Bronx Documentary Center, 614 Courtlandt Ave.

PANEL DISCUSSION
Against Disappearance: Photography as Practice
Saturday, September 19 • 5 PM
With Martha Naranjo Sandoval, Kris Graves, Jamel Shabazz and Anthony Hamboussi
Bronx Documentary Center Annex, 364 East 151st St.

PHOTOBOOK TALK
Shakedown with Liam Kennedy
Friday, September 25 • 7 PM
Bronx Documentary Center, 614 Courtlandt Ave.

RSVPs are encouraged at the link.

The BDC uses community-based documentary practice and education to explore vital issues, stimulate critical thought, and drive social change.

09/04/2026

What happens in the BDC Youth Photo League?

Students learn how to use photography to investigate their communities, tell stories, ask questions, and express their own perspectives.

The free after-school program includes:
📷 Camera instruction
📝 Documentary storytelling
🗣 Group critiques
🚶 Field trips
🤝 Mentorship
🎓 College-preparation support for high-school students
🖼 Opportunities to exhibit and publish work

No previous photography experience is required. Cameras and materials are provided.

Middle School Photo League
Grades 6–8
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:15–6:15 PM
Apply here: https://shorturl.at/EVh58

High School Photo League
Grades 9–12
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:30–6:30 PM
Apply here: https://shorturl.at/k7kVm

Programs run October 5, 2026–June 5, 2027.
Applications close Sunday, September 13 at 11:59 PM.
Learn more about the Program here: https://www.bronxdoc.org/bronx-documentary-center/education/bdc-youth-photo-league/

09/03/2026

Who has the power to shape an image, and what responsibilities come with making one?

Join photographers Martha Naranjo Sandoval (), Kris Graves (), Jamel Shabazz (), and Anthony Hamboussi () for Against Disappearance: Photography as Practice, a conversation examining the relationships, ethics and structures of power behind the making of photographs.

Rather than focusing on a shared style or subject, the panel will explore how photographers develop their ways of working, and how representation, authorship, responsibility and trust shape what a camera can show.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 • 5 PM
Bronx Documentary Center Annex, 364 E. 151st Street, Bronx

Free and open to all. RSVP through the link in our bio.

Photographs © Martha Naranjo Sandoval, Kris Graves, Anthony Hamboussi and Jamel Shabazz.

09/02/2026

What responsibilities come with making a photograph?

Join photographers Martha Naranjo Sandoval, Kris Graves, Jamel Shabazz and Anthony Hamboussi for Against Disappearance: Photography as Practice, a conversation about what happens behind the image.

Together, they will examine how representation, authorship, relationships, ethics, responsibility and structures of power shape the photographs we make—and the ways we make them.

⏰Saturday, September 19 at 5 PM
📍BDC Annex, 364 E. 151st Street, Bronx

Free and open to all.
RSVP at the link.

09/02/2026

15 YEARS OF THE BDC
2012: BUILDING THE FOUNDATION

During its first full year, the BDC became a gathering place for photographers, journalists, artists and neighbors through exhibitions, screenings, talks and community programs.

Highlights included Nina Berman’s “Bronx Gardens” and Ana Brígida’s “How the Other Half (Still) Lives,” which documented neglect and dangerous conditions in NYCHA apartments.

Among many other events, the BDC screened “Bearing Witness,” directed by Barbara Kopple, Marijana Wotton and Bob Eisenhardt; “Sheila & Joe,” directed by Julie Winokur, with cinematography by Ed Kashi; and “Reportero,” directed by Bernardo Ruiz.

Were you there? Do you recognize someone in these photographs? Let us know below.

📷 BDC archive, 2012

09/01/2026

Who gets to decide what rises from Ground Zero?

After 9/11, more than 5,000 New Yorkers gathered for the largest town hall in American history and rejected the city’s top-down redevelopment plans. Their work helped shape what stands at Ground Zero today, and showed what democracy can look like when ordinary people have a voice.

Join the BDC for a special screening of "9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero", a documentary about grief, rebuilding and the power of people to shape their city’s future.

🎬 9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero
Friday, September 11 • 7 PM
BDC, 614 Courtlandt Ave., Bronx
Free and open to all. Register through the link in our bio

08/31/2026

Join the Bronx Documentary Center for a special screening of "9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero", a documentary exploring the complex and deeply personal decisions that shaped the future of the World Trade Center site after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

⏰ Friday, September 11 • 7 PM
📍 BDC, 614 Courtlandt Ave, Bronx

After the smoke cleared, there was a city to rebuild.

08/31/2026

A camera can teach you to see your community differently.

These portraits were made by Ami, a former BDC Youth Photo League student.

Applications are now open for our Youth Photo League, a free after-school program where students in grades 6–12 learn documentary photography, develop their creative skills, and tell stories about their lives and communities.

📸 No experience required
🎞️ Cameras and materials provided
✨ Completely free

Middle School · Grades 6–8
October 5, 2026–June 5, 2027
Tuesdays & Thursdays · 4:15–6:15 PM
🔗 Apply here: https://shorturl.at/MfOlj

High School · Grades 9–12
Documentary Storytelling
October 5, 2026–June 5, 2027
Tuesdays & Thursdays · 4:30–6:30 PM
🔗 Apply here: https://shorturl.at/6go2u

⏰ Apply by Sunday, September 13 at 11:59 PM through the links in our bio.

Know a young person who notices what others miss? Tag them below or send them this post.

Photographs by Ami, former Youth Photo League student.

08/31/2026

Applications are open for the 2027 Vital Impacts Environmental Photography Fellowships and Mentorships.

Photographers working on local, solutions-focused environmental stories can apply for $5,000–$20,000 in funding or a yearlong mentorship.

Deadline: November 30, 2026

Apply: https://vitalimpacts.org/pages/the-vital-impacts-environmental-photography-grant

08/31/2026

📌 BDC Essential Resources: Reverse-image searches, video keyframes and visual clues can help you trace where an image came from, but no single tool replaces careful reporting.

Swipe for a basic verification toolkit.

1) Use these tools to find earlier appearances, alternate captions and possible original sources:
Google Lens: https://lens.google/
TinEye: https://tineye.com/

2) The InVID-WeVerify plugin can extract individual frames from a video and search for where they have previously appeared online:
https://www.invid-project.eu/tools-and-services/invid-verification-plugin/

3) The Bellingcat Online Investigation Toolkit includes resources for checking locations, maps, weather, shadows, social media and other visual evidence:
https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit

4) Finding a match is only the beginning. Look for the earliest credible appearance and check the original uploader, date, location and caption:

Bellingcat’s Guide to Reverse-Image Search
https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/how-tos/2019/12/26/guide-to-using-reverse-image-search-for-investigations/

GIJN’s Guide to Verifying Images on a Smartphone
https://gijn.org/resource/four-quick-ways-to-verify-images-on-a-smartphone/