Michael Itkoff and Taj Forer founded Daylight Magazine out of a frustration with a lack of quality printed contexts for emerging documentary photographers. To try and tackle this they first began the non-profit organization Daylight Community Arts Foundation, Inc. (DCAF).
DCAF strives to establish community-based documentary partnerships in various locations throughout the world. It is our belief that the distribution of documentary imagery and text addressing issues of social importance can empower individuals and communities to affect long-lasting change. Daylight Magazine, DCAFs quarterly publication, serves as the primary platform on which such documentary efforts are shared with a broad spectrum of viewers.
In addition to publishing Daylight Magazine, our organization strives to assist underrepresented communities by sharing with them the power of photography. By distributing cameras, establishing darkroom facilities, and administering photographic workshops, DCAF hopes to bring the empowering aspects of self-representation to marginalized groups.
In May of 2004, DCAF distributed ten cameras to civilians living in Baghdad and Fallujah. The resulting photographs appeared in last summers issue of Daylight Magazine and expanded into a nationally touring exhibition. The exhibition ‘Photographs by Iraqi Civilians‘, continues to tour various universities around the United States. The exhibition has been featured in the New Yorker, CNN, The LA Times, Brazil TV, Russia TV and on NHK (Japan). In addition the George Eastman House purchased a selection of the Iraqi Civilian photographs for their permanent collection. To see the exhibition online please check out:
www.pixelpress.org/iraqi_civil/intro.html
