The final day for creators to submit a project in the first round of this year’s Alpha Female+ grant program is Sunday, May 2, 2021. This week we’re providing a little inspiration by checking in on some of the winners from last year’s Alpha Female+ grant program. See what they’re up to now and follow their accounts on Instagram to keep up with their work. Ready to submit your project? Complete your application HERE.

The deadline for the first round in this year’s Alpha Female+ grant program is May 2. Check in with some of last year’s winners and submit your application today.

Julie Ellison – @joolyhart

Julie Ellison is a writer, photographer and videographer who specializes in stories about the outdoors, climbing, bold women and more. Her work has a documentary style and through adventure she loves to experience the world and help people in it. She won an Alpha Female+ grant last year for her project, “Women Of The West,” that showcases strong women and their lives in the rugged landscape of the American West. Here’s a recent post from her Instagram with the thoughtful caption: “Often I try to fill my images with as much *stuff* as possible. I love trying to pull a poignant moment out of the chaos. But sometimes the moment happens specifically because there is no extra clutter, and I love that too.” Follow her account for more Alpha Female inspiration.

Rhonisha Franklin – @rdione

Rhonisha Franklin is a portrait photographer who specializes in portraiture for people of color. She views her work as a mode of healing for not only her clients, but also for herself. She won an Alpha Female+ grant last year for her project, “The Subtle Strength Of Kings,” featuring Black men as a companion project to another of hers, “Profile Noire,” that featured Black women. Check out her Alpha Universe Profile Spotlight to learn more and see one of her latest posts from Instagram below where she’s a guest on a podcast and shares what photography means to her.

Lisa Frank – @lisa_frank_photography

Lisa Frank is a fine artist who uses her nature photography as the raw material to make her artwork. She takes pieces of her nature photos and composites them with her art through layering and digital painting to create a beautifully complex result. She won an Alpha Female+ grant last year for her project compositing photographs of zoo animals into photographs of the Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Chicago Art Institute. Checking in on her Instagram, she’s been volunteering with Madison Audubon for a citizen science program called the Bald Eagle Nest Watch. She’s recording the activities of the eagles and has been capturing their activity, like in the photos below she took with the 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 and a 2x teleconverter.

Tenley Clark – @tenleyclarkcreative

Tenley Clark is a photographer, mother and lover of all things creative and colorful. She photographs kids portraits, kids fashion and commercial photography for kids brands. She seeks to add a little magic to everything she creates and she won an Alpha Female+ grant last year for her project, “Under The Weather,” a series of cinemagraphs that explored the challenges of motherhood. She recently posted these shots from a commercial shoot she did with the toy brand @glopals for their new collaboration with Sesame Street. Give her account a follow for more colorful creations in your feed.

Dolphia Nandi – @dolphia.n.arnstein

Dolphia Nandi is a designer and camera artist. She beautifully stylizes dishes and takes photos of them for stock photography and more. She won an Alpha Alpha Female+ grant last year for her ebook project featuring recipes and photos of her mother’s traditional Indian sweets. Many of her photos on Instagram have accompanying recipes in her blog, like her post below about incorporating superfoods into her recipes. Follow her for more colorful food imagery and to see what recipe she comes up with next.

Stay tuned to Alpha Universe for updates, follow and tag @SonyAlphaFemale on Instagram to share your work, and join the conversation in our Alpha Female Facebook Group.