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Bethany Mollenkof

From Chattanooga, Tennessee

Specializing in portraiture that gives an intimate glimpse into worlds rarely seen in the mainstream, Bethany Mollenkof is a commercial director and editorial photographer currently based in Los Angeles, CA. Her work examines gender, identity, and culture, where she seeks to tell stories that reframe familiar narratives.

Graduating from Western Kentucky University having studied photojournalism and art history, Bethany has worked with blue-chip clients including Apple, Nike, Starbucks, Netflix, Hulu, and Instagram – and has been featured in publications such as the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, New York Times, Time magazine, and The New Yorker.

With a love of collaboration and idea sharing, Bethany was made a visiting Nieman Fellow at Harvard in 2021, where she spent five months documenting the impact of Covid-19 on rural black communities in the South. She’s also a member of Women Photograph, Diversify Photo, and Authority Collective, all of which look to champion inclusion in the creative industries.

Acclaim for Bethany’s work is widespread. Amongst numerous other awards, she was a significant contributor to the efforts of the Los Angeles Times, which won the Team Pulitzer Prize in 2016 for coverage of the mass shooting in San Bernardino and its aftermath.

For Fujikina, Bethany created Sister, an intense and moving mixed-media project, documenting the rites of passage and coming-of-age stories of girls of color.

See more of Bethany’s work on Instagram and online.