London-based Panos Pictures, which specializes in social issues, has announced a series of changes, ranging from a Web site relaunch to new staff members and photographer collective. According to the agency, the changes herald its 25th anniversary, upcoming in 2011.
Central to the agency’s investments geared to secure growth is the creation of Panos Profile, which it describes as a fluid collective of some 20 photographers. The Panos Network will continue to represent a wider group of the agency’s professional assignment photographers and photojournalists. Francesca Sears, former director of Magnum Photos in London, has joined Panos as director of Profile.
Also notable is the revamped Web site, which agency director Adrian Evans says now clearly identifies what Panos stands for and promotes the full range of its services. The site showcases a wealth of content, including hundreds of photo stories, exhibitions, multimedia, video and long-term documentary work produced by Panos photographers. Panos has also added news feeds and a live location map that tracks the whereabouts of agency photographers.
Panos is among the best-regarded photographic agencies in the world, as attested to by its photographers’ repeatedly stellar performance at industry awards. This year, Panos photographers scored six Pictures of the Year International awards and four National Press Photographers Association Best of Photojournalism Awards—in addition to more than 20 recent World Press Photo awards. Panos Network photographers take assignments for media, non-governmental organizations and select corporate clients, stressing one underlying theme: “integrity and willingness to pursue stories beyond the contemporary media agenda.”