About

Exploring the power of images to shape memory and history, The CatchLight Visual Storytelling Summit returns as an annual gathering of leaders in photography and visual media.

Featuring a dynamic program of morning workshops and breakout sessions, 9am-12pm; afternoon talks, 1-5pm; and the Night Of Photojournlism, live music with large-scale projected images from a global network of photographers, 6-8pm; the Summit takes place on May 3, World Press Freedom Day, echoing global efforts to protect press freedom and access to information, at KQED, 2601 Mariposa Street in San Francisco.

This year’s theme, Photographic Memory, examines how images and archives shape personal, societal, and cultural memory. Through journalism, art, and technology, the program will explore how visual storytelling preserves history, challenges misinformation, and safeguards the integrity of our shared narratives.

CatchLight 2025 Summit is co-curated by the legendary Kathy Ryan, former director of photography at The New York Times Magazine, Ryan who published some of the world’s most iconic images over her 39-year tenure will also deliver a keynote address.