Who We Are
PLATFORM 2020 is a pioneering online educational hub for documentary photography with a special focus on Africa and the Middle East. Our goal is simple: to make world-class photography education affordable, accessible and rooted in community.
We know how expensive photography can be, and how many talented voices, especially across Africa and the Middle East, are often priced out of opportunities to learn and grow. PLATFORM 2020 was created to change that. Instead of you travelling to access workshops that feel out of reach, we’re bringing the learning directly into your home, wherever you are in the world.
The name 2020 carries the spirit of its origin. Conceived during a moment of global stillness and reflection, it stands as a metaphor for clarity of vision. It’s a reminder to look closer, to see with empathy and precision and to imagine new ways of storytelling.
Through recorded courses, live talks and extended workshop programmes, PLATFORM 2020 is the go-to space for developing creative voices, providing mentorship and celebrating the diversity of documentary practices emerging from underrepresented geographies.
Our mission is to equip the next generation of photographers with skills, confidence and opportunities to tell their own stories: stories that matter, stories that travel.
Laura El-Tantawy, Founder & Creative Director
Laura El-Tantawy is a British-Egyptian documentary photographer, bookmaker and educator. Her work explores home, belonging and the human condition through a poetic blend of image, sound and personal narrative.
Her work has been recognised internationally, including the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Award, and nominations and awards such as the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, Prix Virginia and the PhMuseum Women’s Grant.
Drawing on a life lived between East and West, Laura is committed to making photography education more accessible and inclusive, especially for voices from Africa and the Middle East. Through PLATFORM 2020, she leads a learning space rooted in care, curiosity and community, supporting photographers to see, reflect and create with purpose.
PLATFORM 2020 is currently led by Laura as a founder-run project. We’re building chapter by chapter: slowly, carefully and with intention. Guest practitioners and collaborators will be announced as new chapters unfold.