Lauren Pond

Lauren Pond is a Washington, D.C.-based photojournalist who specializes in coverage of religious issues. By documenting how faith is lived and sharing the human stories that underlie doctrine, she hopes to shed new light on a topic that is often opaque and generalized.

A graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Lauren initially sought a career as a reporter. Early in college, she grew fond of visual storytelling and the ability of the still image to resonate in ways that words cannot. Although she does not come from a strong religious background herself, Lauren has long enjoyed learning about and discussing the world’s major belief systems, and, more recently, fringe faiths within the United States. Among other topics, she has photographed Senegal’s controversial Qur’anic education system, America’s flourishing neo-pagan movement, and the Pentecostal serpent-handling communities of Appalachia. Her work has appeared in publications including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and Religion News Service.

Lauren currently oversees the Exhibitions Committee of the Women Photojournalists of Washington, and is a member of the Religion Newswriters Association.