Mary Virginia Swanson

Mary Virginia Swanson helps emerging and established photographers find the strengths in their work, identify appreciative audiences, and present their projects in an informed, professional manner. Her varied career has provided her with extensive expertise and a deep understanding of the fine print, editorial, commissions, licensing rights, and art book publishing arenas. She has worked with an impressive roster of artists, collecting institutions, and arts organizations.

Swanson has contributed articles to numerous publications, including Photo District News, British Journal of Photography, and the compilation The Education of a Photographer. She frequently serves as a judge for contemporary photography and photobook competitions, visits academic programs to mentor emerging artists, and offers guidance to established practitioners navigating critical changes in the imaging industry.

She co-authored, with Darius Himes, the acclaimed Publish Your Photography Book (2011, 2014, Princeton Architectural Press), which they are currently updating to reflect the rise of self-publishing, small presses, photobook competitions, and art book fairs—as well as the growing importance of unique, limited, and library editions in the collectible market for photographic bookworks. The updated edition is forthcoming from Radius Books in Santa Fe, New Mexico (Spring 2023).

Driven by her passion to help artists find their audience and her keen interest in identifying new markets, Swanson engages with international audiences through online educational offerings. Her most recent collaboration with La Luz Workshop, Finding Your Audience: An Introduction to Marketing Your Photographs (2022), was attended by hundreds of photographers from over twenty countries.

An active and celebrated contributor to the photographic community, Swanson’s public presentations are highly anticipated for the depth of information and personal insight she shares with her audiences. She is based in Tucson, Arizona.