Getty Images Launches Nosotros Collection to Expand Latinx Content
Getty Images, a stock and editorial images provider, launched the Nosotros Collection today with an estimated 15,000 images that counteract the stereotypes and limited portrayals of Latinx
Photo: Unsplash/@brittaniburns
Getty Images, a stock and editorial images provider, launched the Nosotros Collection today with an estimated 15,000 images that counteract the stereotypes and limited portrayals of Latinx.
“Getty Images has always understood the power of imagery to incite change, and we are passionate about breaking down the stereotypes of communities who have either been erased or misrepresented for decades,” said Manager of Creative Insights Tristen Norman in a company announcement. “Imagery can have a tremendous impact by fighting stereotypes and celebrating diversity — making communities feel empowered and represented in society.”
With more than 58 million Latinos in the U.S., this is an opportunity to reclaim the narrative through these visuals that represent authentic, everyday realities for the Latinx community. The photos include depictions of family dinners, a young Afro-Latina mom combing her daughter’s hair, parents and their kids celebrating graduation day, and a little girl with a mariachi band.
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“The images in this collection aim to repicture the visual stories of Latinx’s within the media landscape, showing them in a voice that belongs to the community — rather than the outsider’s gaze that has shaped and defined its depiction in American media and advertising over the last century,” as stated in their announcement.
According to Getty Images, in the past year, they’ve seen an increase in the search for Latinx/Hispanic content with the search for the term “Latinx” increasing 2950 percent. The creative team took a close look at their existing stock tagged “Latinx” and noted the need for more nuanced portrayals and began conducting focus groups within the Latinx community asking how they would like to be seen in media and ads.
The project has been in the works for months to accurately reflect all facets of the community and its members from millennials to seniors. They worked with their team of photographers to provide guidance per the discussions with their focus groups to assist with casting, production and art direction.
They didn’t just work on what was going on in front of the lens, they also worked with Latinx photographers including Bronx-based Xicana Evelyn Martinez.
“I thought it was brilliant that they started this initiative because they are diversifying who is in front of the lens and behind the lens and they are giving visual artists opportunities to get paid for their creative work.” she said in an email.
She got the idea to doing an intergenerationl dinner party of Latinas for the collection and worked with the Mami Chula Social club in Uptown NYC led by two Dominican-American women to be part of her creative team.
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“It was important for me to be a part of this because I wanted to honor the stories from my communities and create visual possibilities for the future, for Latinx people. We are the image makers, so now it’s our turn to tell our own stories.”
The imagery extends to the LGBTQ community with photos from a gay rodeo that includes two men kissing, as well as the disabled community with an image of a father in a wheelchair sitting at the table with his young daughter.
“While we cannot change what people publish or click on overnight, we can provide better alternatives for those looking to create more authentic stories,” said Senior Art Director Claudia Marks. “In 2018, the Creative Team traveled to five cities across the United States and signed up dozens of new Latinx contributors, many of whom have imagery that is in this collection.”
