Biography
Francesca Volpi (b. 1985, Brescia - Italy) is an independent photographer whose work focuses on the human consequences of conflict, exploring how war, socio-economic disparities, and climate change shape daily life through intimate, personal stories.
She began her career in journalism. After graduating from the London College of Communication, she worked for the BBC World Service’s Europe Today radio program before starting her first photographic assignment in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
She entered photojournalism in 2013 while documenting the deposition of President Morsi in Egypt. In 2014, she embarked on a freelance path, covering the Maidan Revolution in Kyiv, the annexation of Crimea, and subsequently the war in eastern Ukraine, where she worked for two years.
Francesca favors long-term projects that allow her to build relationships and deepen her understanding of the places and themes she covers. In 2016 she moved to Mexico and Central America, where she began an in-depth body of work in Honduras, focusing on micro-stories that open windows onto broader issues such as gang violence, environmental conflicts, LGBTQI civil rights, and public health challenges.
Since the end of 2020, she has been working extensively in Lebanon, dividing her time between Italy and the country. Her ongoing long-term project examines the impact of the economic collapse, the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion, the fuel and electricity crisis, displacement from the South, and the ways in which identity, land, and belonging shape everyday resilience in Lebanese communities.
Alongside her personal projects, some supported by grants and fellowships from the International Women’s Media Foundation and Women Photograph, Francesca collaborates regularly with major international outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, The Washington Post, The New York Times, L’Espresso, Le Journal du Dimanche, The Guardian, and various international organizations.
She is a member of Women Photograph, advocating for greater gender diversity in the photojournalism industry.
Francesca is trained in battlefield first aid through Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues (RISC) and has completed three HEFAT courses with Global Journalist Security (GJS). She speaks Italian, English, Spanish, and French.
Awards
- 2018: Eddie Adams XXXI Workshop student
- 2018: student at the Nikon/NOOR Masterclass in Turin, Italy.
- 2017: IWMF Adelante Fellowship 2017 - Fellow and grantee in Honduras
- 2016: IWMF Great Lakes Fellowship 2016, USA - Fellow in the DRC
- 2015: Los Premios Ciudad de Alcalá 2015, Spain - Winner 1st Prize, with "Ukraine War Chronicles"
- 2014: Ragusa Fotofestival 2014, Italy - Winner 1st Prize, with "Ukraine War Chronicles"
- 2014: Moscow Fotoawards 2014 - Honorable mention with "Ukraine War Chronicles"
Exhibitions
- 2016: Triennale in Milan, 2016 - Selections from "Ukraine War Chronicles" within the collective exhibition 'L'altro Sguardo"
- 2014: Foiano Fotofestival 2014, Italy - Collective exhibition of "Ukraine War Chronicles"
- 2014: Alcalá de Henares, 2014, Spain - Personal exhibition of "Ukraine War Chronicles"
-2014: Ragusa Festival 2015, Ragusa, Italy - Personal Exhibition of "Ukraine War Chronicles"
Collections
- Donada Pizzi Collection, Italy
