panAFRICAproject

Lou Jones is a Boston-based photographer who has led an eclectic career that seamlessly evolved from commercial work to personal projects. It has spanned every format, film type, artistic movement, and technological change. He has maintained a commercial studio in Boston, Massachusetts with one to five full-time assistants since 1973. His portfolio includes work for Fortune 500 corporations, advertising agencies, international companies, and local small businesses, including Federal Express, Nike, Aetna, the International Association of Ironworkers, KLM, and the Barr Foundation. Jones has also completed assignments for prominent magazines and publishers such as Time/Life, National Geographic, Fortune, and Paris Match. His extensive experience includes coverage of thirteen summer and winter Olympic Games. Additionally, he has initiated long-term projects on the civil wars in Central America, death row, and pregnancy. Throughout his career, he has published multiple books, further showcasing his diverse and impactful work in photography. He has completed assignments in 63 countries and 48 states throughout his career.

Jones has been an influential force in the photography community, serving on the boards of directors of numerous photographic associations, societies, and museums, such as the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), Photographic Resource Center, and the Griffin Museum of Photography. He helped found the school Center for Digital Imaging Arts of Boston University and conceived the prestigious Griffin Museum's annual Focus Awards, Roxbury Community College’s 50th Anniversary Pioneer, and Professional Photographers Leadership award from the International Photographic Council (UN). His photographic achievements have earned Jones numerous accolades, including recognition from Communication Arts Magazine, Art Directors Club of Boston, and Travel Photographer of the Year (2009). Nikon named him a "Legend Behind the Lens" and Lowepro has honored him as a "Champion photographer". Jones’ work has been and continues to be featured in distinguished exhibitions, galleries, collections, and institutions. Institutions like the Smithsonian Institute, DeCordova Museum, African American Museum in Philadelphia, Boston City Hall Mayor’s Gallery, Center for Digital Imaging Art, Panopticon Gallery, and Gallery 20/20. He has also been featured in private collections at the Fogg Museum, Wellesley College, Harvard University, Boston Athenaeum, and Boston Public Library.

In addition, he is a well-respected educator and speaker, having lectured at major events such as the PhotoPlus Expo in New York City, the Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University, the Estúdio Brasil in Sào Paulo, Massachusetts College of Art, New England Camera Club Council’s annual conference, Art Institute of Boston, and is the Center for Digital Imaging Arts cofounder. He has also been a frequent lecturer at Maine Photographic Workshops.

The first book Jones published, Final Exposure: Portraits from Death Row (1996 & 2002), earned Jones the Ehrmann Award from Massachusetts Citizens Against the Death Penalty. Since then, he has published numerous other books, including Travel+Photography: Off the Charts (2006), Exiled V oices: Portals of Discovery (2008), Speedlights & Speedlites: Creative Flash Photography at Lightspeed (2009 & 2014), Millennium Tower (2015), and panAFRICAproject V olume 1 (2020).

Jones is currently focusing on his ambitious panAFRICAproject, documenting the entire continent of Africa with funding from crowdsourcing and various foundations. His recent accolades include the ASMP/NE Best in Show, Massachusetts Artist Leaders Coalition Champion award (2018), and the Mass Cultural grant for the panAFRICAproject, awarded in the

spring of 2024.