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We need more women in all facets of creativity in the outdoor industry as directors, producers, photo editors, filmmakers, and photographers. I hope that with this influx, we can broaden narratives and perspectives in outdoor media.
As a commercial photographer, my shoots are usually highly structured and charted out, often involving weeks or months of planning and strict guidelines from the Creative Director. During Roam, most of my focus was on supporting and guiding my mentee. But in the pockets of time when she was working, I had rare moments to step back.
I used that time to follow my curiosity—without the looming thought of a client reviewing the images or waiting on deliverables. I asked myself questions like, “What if I combined panning with ICM (intentional camera movement)? Would it be too much distortion, or could it work in some odd but interesting way?” Looking at the bikers against the landscape, I wondered if there was a new way to pair the two. I pulled out in-camera double exposures from my bag of tricks—a technique I hadn’t touched in years.
I took the opportunity to be an artist without a client at the end of it, to let ideas succeed or fail with no pressure to show the work to anyone. My biggest creative takeaway is the importance of carving out space to explore with no job on the line, no expectations, and not even the thought that anyone will see the images—just letting my imagination run loose to see what it creates.
Michelle VanTine (mentor)
I once read something to the effect of ‘representation isn’t charity—it’s the map that lets dreamers know a route exists.’
For years, as a sports photographer, I stood in front of billboards at places like Dick’s Sporting Goods or the Nike outlet, wondering ‘But how?’ and having absolutely no idea what the route was. That uncertainty isn’t unique to me—women make up only 5–15% of sports photographers in the U.S., and because we so often work alone, it’s easy to feel like no one else like us exists and we have no road map to where we want to arrive. Since we are always the minority, there’s often a pressure to be tough or prove that we belong in our workspace. Roam Media Core is the only program I’m aware of that women can let their tough exterior down and ask, “I don’t know how to do that—can you show me?” without the fear of being discredited which we already have to battle simply by walking on the job site. Here, women can strategize, share struggles, overcome obstacles, and gain hope. It’s the kind of community that makes the impossible and lonely road feel possible and that others are walking alongside us. Now, if someone asks me, “How do I get a billboard?” I can actually tell them how as a mentor who has walked through the journey.
I would love to see more programs that support spaces like this for women to grow in an environment that doesn’t feel threatening. The change we need is enormous, and at times the gap feels too wide to bridge. I believe though, that the only way to close it is one person, one program, one opportunity at a time. I hope to see more programs that help raise the next generation of women in sports and outdoor industries.
Linette Messina (mentee)
My biggest personal take away is the overwhelming feeling of acceptance. Working and learning alongside such incredibly talented women in the photography/ film industry, sharing stories through their lens was an experience I have never had before in my 20+yrs of working as a photographer. I felt accepted from my Media core peers and everyone I met at the Roam fest. But most importantly, I accepted myself for where I am in my life, my age, my body, my mindset on giving myself grace, and the work I must continue to put in to help create the change I hope to see in all parts of media and advertising, which is inclusivity and authenticity.
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