Liza Semler, Photographer, Bangladesh, Dhaka

BIOGRAPHY

I am a mom, documentary photographer, and storyteller.

My work is rooted in the relationships between people, land, animals, food, and family, and in the quiet dignity of paying close attention to them. I'm especially drawn to photographing people at work, in their element, and have noticed how being seen helps people remember that what they do matters. I work on long-form, human-centered stories that unfold over months or years, built on trust rather than access.

My approach to photography draws on the documentary tradition, and is shaped by spending time observing and understanding context before I try to make photographs. I have built my practice around careful observation, relationship-building, and a commitment to representing people and places with authenticity and respect. I carry this same belief, that being seen helps us understand our own value, into my work as a teacher and mentor, helping young photographers develop both their eye and their voice.

I'm based in Vermont, where I balance this work with raising my own family, and I'm open to travel anywhere for the right project. I live and work on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Western Abenaki people.

I think I’ve learned that even people who see the world differently from you, they love something.  And if we take the time to share what we love with one another, we can see each other’s humanity, and we can feel each other’s value.
— Colette Pichon Battle

CV

EDUCATION

2013  Master of Professional Communication (postgraduate diploma awarded), Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia

2013  Intensive Program, Photojournalism & Multimedia, Pathshala South Asian Media Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh

2004  Documentary Photography, Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, Portland, Maine, U.S.

2004 Multiculturalism and Social Change, School for International Training, Cape Town, South Africa

2005  Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude, Anthropology, Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts, U.S.

EXHIBITIONS

2015  'Black and White', Group Exhibition, Darkroom Gallery, Essex Junction, VT

2013  'Incubate', Group Exhibition, Perth Centre For Photography, Perth, Western Australia

2012  'Convergence', Group Exhibition, Spectrum Project Space, Perth, Western Australia

2012  'Convergence', Group Exhibition, Drik Gallery, Dhaka, Bangladesh

2004  'Breaking Away & Building Anew', Group Exhibition, Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, Portland, ME

GRANTS

2013   Catalyst Grant for Collective Focus youth photography program, Community Arts Network Western Australia

2013   Fremantle Foundation Grant for Collective Focus youth photography program, Fremantle, Western Australia

2005   Watson Fellowship to photograph in Ireland, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Switzerland and Italy for 'The Last Morning Milking'

2004   Davis Fellowship grant to teach photography to youth with the South African Environment Project, Cape Town, South Africa

2003 Wheaton College Community Foundation grant to study ‘Natural Healing’ in San Ignacio, Belize

TEACHING/TALKS

2023 ‘Documentary Storytelling’, Vermont Youth Documentary Lab

2019  'Analog Projects', Burlington City Arts, Burlington, Vermont

2018  'DSLR Camera', Burlington City Arts, Burlington, Vermont

2016  'Documentary Storytelling', Burlington City Arts, Burlington, Vermont

2015  'Funding Sources for Artists', Burlington City Arts, Burlington, Vermont

2006  'The Last Morning Milking', Artist Talk, Studio Place Arts, Barre, Vermont

EMPLOYMENT

2006-present Photographer & Multimedia Storyteller, U.S., Europe, South Asia, and Australia

2023-2026 Work-Based Learning Coordinator, U-32 High School, East Montpelier, Vermont

2013-2023 Founder and Creative Program Manager, Collective Focus Workshops

2015-2019 Teaching Artist, Burlington City Arts, Burlington, Vermont

2012-2014 Front of House Manager, Perth Center for Contemporary Arts, Perth, Western Australia