Working Assumptions

Sarely Sosa, "My dad's dedication," 2025⁠ ⁠ This picture was taken on Saturday, the day of the big party. My family and I are leaving church after going to thank God for this special day. At this moment, my dad is the happiest I have ever seen him.⁠ ⁠ He had worked endless hours to make this happen. Besides having his cleaning company and a job in maintenance, he got a side job handing out newspapers at night. He would leave at 8:00 p.m. and get home at 3:00 a.m. He did this to make sure he could have everything set up perfectly, but this day was not only special for the celebration. It was a day to remember my other baby sister, who tragically passed away a few years ago. This celebration, in part, was meant for her, to honor her and to make sure we keep her in our hearts.⁠ ⁠ #wrkxfmlyCollection #StudentPhoto

Jay Tompkins, "young bull," 2025⁠ ⁠ On a ranch, you start working at a very young age. It’s not a consequence; in fact, it is one of the greatest gifts a child can receive. Children born and raised on a ranch have discipline and know how to work an extremely hard job early on in life.⁠ ⁠ #wrkxfmlyCollection #StudentPhoto

Working Assumptions’ 2026 Project Grant Application is now open!⁠ ⁠ Each year, Working Assumptions awards six unrestricted Project Grants of $10,000 each to support photography and photo-based art projects that explore the everyday give-and-take of family, caregiving, and interdependence. They believe visual storytelling can illuminate the complexities of family life today — fostering compassion and sparking reflection and dialogue around these themes. They welcome photography-focused proposals across artistic, therapeutic, educational, and research contexts. ⁠ ⁠ Funding is unrestricted. All submitted projects must be designed for public consumption. There is no fee to apply. ⁠Applications close June 1, 2026. Learn more at workingassumptions.org/grants (link in bio)⁠ ⁠ Photo Credit: Pablo Unzueta (@pablounzueta_ ) ⁠ ⁠ #WAProjectGrants2026 #workingassumptionsprojectgrants #photographygrants #photogrants

Maria Zavala, 37, has never had a family album. The Honduran mother of three has hundreds of images on her phone. But until recently, she had never held a printed photograph of her family, something she could revisit, pass around or keep as a record. Last fall, using disposable cameras, Zavala and her children began documenting small, intimate moments that felt more intentional and worth preserving. Since arriving in the United States in 2023, these are their first printed memories of the life they’ve built here. “Photography is a way to tell your own story,” Zavala said. “To go back in time — when you look at the photo, it’s something really beautiful.” The Zavala family is one of two featured in Aquí Estamos, a visual storytelling project by @pablounzueta_ that invites families to document their own lives using disposable cameras. Visit eltecolote.org to see photographs captured by two immigrant families navigating housing instability in San Francisco. Plus: Stay tuned for a special print edition that celebrates immigrant mothers. — Aqui Estamos is an intimate declaration of belonging through visual storytelling using disposable cameras by two immigrant families. This project is funded and supported by @workingassumptions .

Congratulations to Ramona Jingru Wang (@ramonadai ) on being named a Magnum Foundation Fellow! Together with Magnum Foundation (@magnumfoundation ), we are honored to support her project, “We Carry Each Other Home,” which explores everyday practices of care in intergenerational Cantonese immigrant families in New York City. ⁠ ⁠ “More broadly, I’m exploring how care operates as a kind of infrastructure, something that is rarely seen but fundamentally holds families and communities together, and how photography can make that visible without simplifying or romanticizing it,” shares Ramona.⁠ ⁠ “I see this project as something that will evolve significantly through time, relationships, and feedback. While I’m beginning with a focused group of intergenerational Cantonese families, I expect the direction to deepen as trust builds, potentially shifting toward fewer families but more layered, long-term engagement with each.”⁠ ⁠ We are proud to help expand Magnum Foundation’s Spring Fellowship from one to two fellows. This opportunity supports early-career photographers interested in sharing stories on care, family, and interdependent relationships in our communities. ⁠ ⁠ Meet Ramona and learn more about her project at link in bio.⁠

As a student in Mr. Winter’s photojournalism class during the 2016-2017 school year, Gregory James was in the very first class of McCallum students to participate in the Work x Family project. James was one of 10 Excellence Award winners from that inaugural class that also included 25 student photographers (plus Mr. Winter) whose images were included in the Work x Family archives where they have been considered for Work x Family publications, exhibits and promotional materials. This image wasn’t just considered. It was selected and will appear along with 159 student photographers in “Home Work,” an forthcoming book published by Working Assumptions, the organization that sponsors the Work x Family project. You can see James’ award-winning image plus hundreds more at 7 p.m. Thursday in the main entrance for the grand opening of a special McCallum photo exhibit commemorating the 10th anniversary of the school’s partnership with Working Assumptions. “I’m really honored to be a part of this exhibition and hope it inspires the next generation of photojournalists to continue looking for stories in places you wouldn’t expect and to never be afraid to take risks to tell stories that matter,” James told MacJ on Sunday. ORIGINAL CAPTION: My mother is a pediatric surgeon at Dell Children’s Hospital here in Austin. The following photos are snapshots of everyday things she does in her job. Occasionally during a special work period called Call, where my mom, Dr. Garcia, will spend up to 48 hours at the hospital, she can find some time to get some shuteye. She can watch TV, sleep, shower, and exercise in the call room. ”The call room is super helpful to refocus my energy when I am on call. I can relax and watch ‘Ellen,’ or take a power nap on the bed or sofa.” Photo by Gregory James. Excellence Award winner. © Gregory James, 2017

Meet our newest New York City Fellows Ramona Jingru Wang (@ramonadai ) and Roshni Khatri (@khatriroshni )! Throughout this spring, Roshni and Ramona will be splitting their time supporting Magnum Foundation’s programming and pursuing their New York City based-projects. Supported by Working Assumptions (@workingassumptions ), Ramona’s project, “We Carry Each Other Home,” explores how care functions within intergenerational Cantonese immigrant families in New York City, both as a personal or emotional act, and as a structure shaped by migration, labor, and access to resources. On receiving the fellowship, Ramona shared: “Receiving this grant is incredibly meaningful to me. The project I’m proposing is very personal both in terms of my background and the community it focuses on, so having the support to develop it in a thoughtful, sustained way means a lot.” Roshni’s project “Punjab Avenue, New York” centers on intergenerational Sikh life in Richmond Hill, Queens. “I’m excited to work alongside and learn from the team at Magnum Foundation, and to gain hands-on experience through the program,” said Roshni. “Being part of a space that encourages engaged documentary practice feels deeply meaningful at this stage in my work.” This year, as part of a new partnership with Working Assumptions, Magnum Foundation expanded the Spring Fellowship from one to two fellows, to support an additional photographer whose work focuses on themes of care, family, and interdependent relationships in communities. Learn more about their projects at magnumfoundation.org/news The fellowship is made possible with the support of the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation (@leonianfoundation ), Select Equity Group Foundation, and Working Assumptions (@workingassumptions ). 📸 Photos by Ramona Jingru Wang and Roshni Khatri

Behind every image in #wrkxfmly is a dedicated educator guiding young photographers to explore the intersections of work, care, and family.⁠ ⁠ For the past four years, Gabriel Berent has led the wrkxfmly curriculum for high school photography students. His experience as a photographer and visual storyteller shapes how he mentors students in the classroom, encouraging them to develop their voices and tell their own stories. Through his personal art practice, Gabriel explores the human experience by photographing moments within his own community.⁠

Gabriel Lopez, "Arianne," 2018⁠ ⁠ I chose to take photos of these people because they’re my chosen family. I didn’t take photos of my biological family because I am not close to them. My parents are divorced. My father lives in Mexico, so I hardly see him, and contacting him through the phone doesn’t always help. I live with my mother, but our relationship isn’t great. The rest of my family lives far away from me. Most of them are out of the country, and the rest are out of the state. But I am close with my chosen family. Our relationship is so intimate, and with the best of our ability, we try to make each other feel loved. ⁠ ⁠ #wrkxfmlyStudentGallery #StudentPhoto

Sitlali Gutierrez, "My dad folding his clothes," 2019⁠ ⁠ This is my dad folding his clothes. He doesn't usually do his clothes because he is always working, but he got out of work early. My stepmother was going to do it for him, but she had so much to do, so he wanted to help her by doing his clothes himself.⁠ ⁠ #wrkxfmlyStudentGallery #StudentPhoto

Estasia McGlothlin, "Sister Time," 2020⁠ ⁠ My sister and I don't have the close relationship many people would expect. She is off at college in another state, and when she comes home for the summer, we both go our separate ways. COVID has forced us to spend time together; we don't have the option of leaving, so we are left to ourselves. I think it's been good for our relationship. We have been simultaneously tanning outside together and doing our schoolwork.⁠ ⁠ #wrkxfmlyStudentGallery #StudentPhoto

Izzy Wolf, "Out to Eat," 2019⁠ ⁠ On April 13, one of my close friends, Julian, came over. My mom had to run a few errands and dragged us along because my brother and I needed new gym shoes. After going from store to store and finding nothing, Julian and I finally convinced my mom to take us to Hat Creek for burgers and shakes. While we ate, it wasn't a surprise that my mom answered some phone calls and emailed some clients.⁠ ⁠ #wrkxfmlyStudentGallery #StudentPhoto