About Renée C. Byer

Curriculum Vitae

Renée C. Byer is a catalyst for change. She is a Pulitzer-Prize winning documentary photojournalist and Emmy nominated multimedia producer and videographer best known for her in-depth work focusing on the disadvantaged and those who otherwise would not be heard. Her ability to produce photographs with profound emotional resonance and sensitivity earned her the Pulitzer Prize for “A Mother’s Journey,” feature photography in 2007 and dozens of national and international honors, including the World Understanding Award from Pictures of the Year International, and Pulitzer Finalist in 2013 for “A Grandfather’s Sorrow and Love.” Known for her ability to translate stark statistics into images that connect us to our humanity, she has traveled throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, covering some of the most important issues of our time. Byer’s stories have deepened our understanding of the environment, climate change, extreme poverty, genetically modified food, healthcare, women at war, domestic violence, Black Lives Matter and the drought and economic crisis in California. In 2016 the Sacramento Bee published a 20-page special section, "No Safe Place," featuring her images chronicling the plight of Afghan SIV's as they struggle in the U.S., facing poverty and violence. Renée's images from that project were exhibited at Visa Pour L'Image the premiere photojournalism festival in Perpignan, France in 2017. A powerful image from the deadliest wildfire in California history of an abandoned walker in front of a smoke filled sky in Paradise, CA was selected as TIME magazines top 100 photographs in 2018. Byer was honored by TIME again in 2019 with her storytelling image of a homeless woman taking a bath near a fire hydrant in a makeshift tub. And Byer’s California homeless projects, “Homeless Crisis Worsens,” and “Dead-end Despair were selected in 2022 and 2023 making that her fourth and fifth screening at Visa Pour L’Image.

Byer’s internationally acclaimed book, “Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor,” illuminates the stories of people living on the brink of survival, and invites you to put an end to extreme poverty. The book won First Place Documentary Book from the International Photography Awards in 2014. Byer narrates an award winning documentary about the project that was released in 2016.

An interactive traveling exhibition by Byer, drawn from Living on a Dollar, inspires viewers through compassion, education and social action. In April and May 2016, it was designated as an official exhibition of the Month of Photography, Los Angeles, and later shown at two venues in Sofia, Bulgaria: at the Global Women Leaders’ Forum, sponsored by the UNESCO Division of Gender Equality and the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, and at UniCredit Bulbank. In February 2017 it debuted with the Youbridge.it mobile web application at MMTH Gallery and Atrium at Western Kentucky University where she was featured on CBS Sunday Morning with broadcast journalist Tony Dokoupil.

A charismatic teacher and speaker, Byer stirs audiences to see how unbiased photojournalism can raise awareness and affect meaningful change. Her compelling TEDx Tokyo talk, “The Storytelling Power of Photography,” and her TEDx Sonoma County talk “The World’s Poor and the Power of Photography to Effect Change,” received standing ovations and can be viewed online. Valued for her critical insight, she served for ten years as a judge for the prestigious Days Japan International Photojournalism Awards. In 2016 Byer was invited to join a UNESCO Who’s Who of Women Speakers. Byer is one of a core group of 70 women chosen to mark the 70th anniversary of UNESCO. 

Byer’s photographs have appeared in publications and exhibitions throughout the world, including Paris Match, National Geographic, Time, Newsweek, and notably at the International Photojournalism Festival Visa Pour L’Image five times in Perpignan, France. Photographs from Byer’s book were selected by renown photo editor Karen Mullarkey for a stunning display at The 2014 Tech Awards gala in San Jose, CA. An interactive video interview with Byer that showed her Pulitzer Prize-winning images were on permanent exhibit in the Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. until it closed. Byer’s work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group shows, including at Viewpoint Photographic Art Center, LOOK3 the Festival of the Photograph, Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, Palm Beach Photographic Center, Annenberg Space for Photography, Hartmann Center Gallery, Exposure Gallery, Chiang Mai Festival of Photography, Photokina, Days Japan International Exhibit, and Angkor Wat Photography Festival. 

Byer’s non-profit “Positive Change Can Happen” that supports her exhibition through education to end exteme poverty by 2030, won a World Report Award Documenting Humanity and her images were exhibited at festival della FOTOGRAFIA ETICA in Lodi, Italy.

As a Senior Photojournalist for the storied Sacramento Bee, Byer’s images are syndicated worldwide through Tribune News Service, AP, Getty and ZUMA Press. Her career has led her to multimedia projects, personal book projects and photography exhibitions. 

Renée C. Byer graduated cum laude from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. She is a proud member of the Centurion Society of the university. Entry to the Centurion Society is the highest honor that the university awards to alumni. Over the years, Centurions have made significant contributions across almost every sector and discipline of human endeavor. In business, culture, science, public service and more, they have been a beneficial force for society and for the advancement of knowledge.

CV

Selected Awards

• 2024 Sacramento Press Club 1st Place Feature Photography: The winner had incredible moments and a wide variety of images that thoroughly told this person’s story. In viewing the work, it is clear that the photographer spent the time necessary to gain trust as well as to be present for several key surprising moments. The result is a story that visually that shares the complex range of challenges that this person faces, amplifying the important story through understanding and empathy. The captions contain research that effectively put this story into a greater context.

• 2023 CNPA 1st place in photo story/essay category of a homeless blind man’s struggle. Judges said: Moving, courageous photos to go with a compelling story, beautifully framed, and unflinching in characterizing the raw reality of this man’s life as his family tries to help him. Outstanding work.

• 2023 CNPA 2nd place News photo for an image of a 2-year-old child crying inside an RV during a homeless encampment vehicle eviction in Sacramento.

• 2022 “Homeless on the Brink,” was recognized in PX3 PRIX DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE PARIS State of the World 2022 photo contest.

• 2021 NPPA Best of Photojournalism, Feature photo, “Homeless Struggle,” Award of Excellence.

• 2020 Siena International Photojournalism Awards, Photojournalism, “Poverty USA,” Honorable Mention.

• 2018-2019 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Achievement Documentary-Topical as Videographer, “When Paradise Became Hell: The story of the Camp Fire,” from the The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences San Francisco Northern California Chapter.

• 2019 Communication Arts Award for “Paradise Lost,” Photo taken in Paradise, California, of a ceramic doll head perched on a branch near a burnt mobile home. The Camp Fire was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history.

• 2016-2017 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Achievement as Field Producer/Photojournalist, “No Safe Place” in the Public/Current/Community Affairs-Program/Special from The National Academy of Television and Arts&Sciences San Francisco Northern California Chapter

• 2017 White House News Photographers Association, mulitmedia team award (Renée C. Byer Photographer and Field Producer), Afghans risked their lives for U.S.and struggle in Sacramento, Documentary category, First Place

• 2016 EPPY for Best Photojournalism, E&P named “No Safe Place” its 2016 EPPY Award winner for best photojournalism of a website with at least 1 million unique monthly visitors. The special report is infused with poignant photography by Bee photojournalist Renée C. Byer that captures the refugees’ struggles in Sacramento. This year’s EPPY Awards recognized the best digital media websites across 31 categories. Winners were selected from an international pool of entries.

• 2016 SPJ NORCAL, COMMUNITY JOURNALISM (print/online): Stephen Magagnini, Renée C. Byer and Jessica Koscielniak, of the Sacramento Bee, for “No Safe Place,” which examines the harsh welcome received in Sacramento by Afghan refugees who were admitted with Special Immigrant Visas because they risked their lives helping U.S. troops.

• 2016 SPJ NORCAL, PHOTOJOURNALISM (photo essay): Renée C. Byer, of the Sacramento Bee, for the beautiful composition and cohesive narrative of her photo essay for “No Safe Place,” a moving story about Afghans who were granted citizenship and the promise of a better life in the Sacramento area in return for helping U.S. troops.

• 2016 Inland Press Association, “No Safe Place,” Creative Use of Multimedia, First Place

• 2016 Inland Press Associations, “No Safe Place,”News Picture Photography Picture Story, First Place

• 2015 NPPA Best of Photojournalism, Nature and Environmental Picture Story on, "Electronic Waste," First Place

• 2015 LensCulture Earth Awards, Documentary Series on electronic waste, Second Place

• 2015 Inland Press Association, Picture Story, “Marshall Hotel,” Second Place

• 2015 Pictures of the Year International, World Understanding Award, “Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor,” Finalist

• 2015 Scripps Howard Photojournalism Award, for a portfolio of work that included photographs of “The Last Days of the Hotel Marshall” and a photo essay “Living on a Dollar a Day,” which appeared in California Forum and documented extreme poverty on four continents, Finalist

• 2014 IPA Documentary Book Award, “Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor,” First Place

• 2014 Moscow International Foto Awards, Picture Story, Honorable Mention

• 2013 Pulitzer Prize, Feature Photography,“Picking up the Pieces–A Grandfather’s Sorrow and Love,” Finalist

• 2013 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism, “Picking up the Pieces–A Grandfather’s Sorrow and Love,” Finalist

• 2011 NPPA Best of Photojournalism, Contemporary Issues, “Facing Twin Tragedies: Terminal Illness and Foreclosure,” First Place

• 2010 Pictures of the Year International, U.S. Economy and the Human Toll Picture Story, “California Economy Crisis,” Award of Excellence

• 2010 San Francisco Bay Area Press Photographers Association, Photographer of the Year, Second Place

• 2010 San Francisco Bay Area Press Photographers Association, General News, “Child Rape,“ First Place

• 2010 San Francisco Bay Area Press Photographers Association, Feature Photography, “Exceeds Standards,” First Place

• 2010 San Francisco Bay Area Press Photographers Association, News Picture Story, “Toxic Haze of E-Waste,” First Place

• 2010 San Francisco Bay Area Press Photographers Association, Feature Picture Story, “Hope for Charan Slum,” Second Place

• 2009 San Francisco Bay Area Press Photographers Association, News Picture Story, “California Economy Crisis,” First Place

• 2007 Pulitzer Prize, Feature Photography, “A Mother’s Journey”

• 2007 Pictures of the Year International, World Understanding Award, “A Mother’s Journey”

• 2007 Pictures of the Year International, Multimedia Feature Picture Story, “A Mother’s Journey,” Second Place

• 2007 Days Japan International Photojournalism Award, Second Place

• 2007 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism

• 2007 Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi Award, Feature Photography, “A Mother’s Journey”

• 2007 Pictures of the Year International, Feature Picture, “Waiting at Full Speed,” Award of Excellence

• 2007 UNICEF Photo of the Year Award, Honorable Mention

• 2007 American Society of Newspaper Editors, Feature Photo Story, Finalist

• 2007 National Headliner Awards, Third Place

• 2007 NPPA Best of Photojournalism, Picture Editing, Second Place

• 2007 Pictures of the Year International, Newspaper Series, Third Place

• 2007 Best of the West Contest, Feature Photography, Second Place

• 2007 San Francisco Bay Area Photographers Association, Feature Picture Story, “A Mother’s Journey,” First Place

• 2007 Society of News Design, Photography, Multiple Photos, Award of Excellence

• 2005 Harry Chapin Media Award for World Hunger in Photojournalism, “Seeds of Doubt”

• 2005 NPPA Best of Photojournalism, Nature and Environmental Picture Story, “Seeds of Doubt,” First Place

• 2005 McClatchy President’s Award, “Woman at War,” series

• 2004 Mark Twain Award for Excellence, Associated Press, News Photography

• 2004 Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, “The Ones She Left Behind,” Finalist

• 2004 California Press Photographers Association, Photographer of the Year, Third Place

Solo Exhibitions and Presentations 

2023

“Living on a Dollar a Day,” exhibition at Open Your Eyes Fotofestival Zurich, Switzerland

"Dead-end Despair," screening at the International Photojournalism Festival Visa Pour L’image,  Perpignan, France.

2022

"The Homelessness Crisis," screening at the International Photojournalism Festival Visa Pour L’image,  Perpignan, France.

2020

"Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor," exhibition at Head On Photo Festival, Sydney, Australia.

2019

"Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor," exhibition at Festival della Fotografia Etica, Lodi, Italy.

"Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor," lecture and projection for the Festival La Gacilly-Baden in Baden, Austria at the Arnulf Rainer Museum.

“Paradise Lost,” screening at the International Photojournalism Festival Visa Pour L’image,  Perpignan, France.

“No Justice, Stephon Clark,” screening at the International Photojournalism Festival Visa Pour L’image,  Perpignan, France.

2018

"Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor," World Affairs, San Francisco, California. An interactive photographic exhibition that inspires people to change with compassion, education and action. 

"Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor," Consumes River College Art Gallery, Sacramento, California. An interactive photographic exhibition that inspires people to change with compassion, education and action. 

“Living on a Dollar a Day,” lecture at the Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, California.

2017 

"Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor," MMTH Gallery and Atrium, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky. An interactive photographic exhibit that inspires people to change with compassion, education and action. 

“No Safe Place,” Exhibition at the premiere photojournalism festival Visa Pour L’Image, Perpignan, France.

2016

"Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor," UniCredit Bulbank, Sofia, Bulgaria
"Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor," Global Women Leader’s Forum: Inspiring the Next Generation of Leaders, Sofia, Bulgaria, organized by UNESCO and the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria
"Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor," Photographs by Renée C. Byer, an official exhibition of the Month of Photography, Los Angeles, sponsored by The Lucie Foundation, Wiznu Studios

2015

"Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor," Photographs by Renée C. Byer, Viewpoint Photographic Art Center in Sacramento, CA

2014  

Video Presentation, Visa Pour L‘Image Festival of the Photograph, Perpignan, France
The Hartmann Center Art Gallery, Bradley University, Peoria, IL

2010  

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY, New Paltz, NY

2008  

Sage Moon Gallery, LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph in Charlottesville, VA

2007  

The Hartmann Center Art Gallery, Bradley University, Peoria, IL
The Muroff-Kotler Visual Arts Gallery, SUNY, Stone Ridge, NY
The Photographic Center in Palm Beach, FL
The Exposure Gallery in San Francisco, CA

Selected Group Exhibitions and Presentations

2023

Open Your Eyes photo festival 2023 Zurich: In the heart of the city of Zurich, world-class science will meet world-class photography from 8 September 2023. Together, they ware creating a new format for communication with a focus on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Renée C. Byer will exhibit : “Living on a Dollar a Day: The lives and Faces of the World’s Poor” as part of the goal on poverty with 18 images displayed along Lake Zurich.

2021

“The New Normal: COVID Times” exhibition at Palm Beach Photographic Centre. Two of my images were selected along with other award winning ZUMA Press photojournalists. COVID Times captures humanity at its darkest hours and witnesses others rise above and beyond, showing that hope never dies, Thanks to these courageous photographers on the frontlines of history, we can see and share the good, bad and beauty of it all.

THE MARK AND THE MEMORY | CURATED BY RYANN CASEY at the James Kerney Campus Gallery in Trenton, N.J. The Mark and The Memory will explore the ways the contemporary photograph can document, embrace, and process trauma. From personal narratives to collective responses, the exhibition will examine how the photographic medium uses history, intervention, and self-documentation to address and respond to traumatic experiences. Dates: The exhibition runs from June 21, 2021 to September 17, 2021. See link to the exhibit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9TW6CBnd3M

2020

“I Can’t Breathe” exhibition at Couvent des Minimes at Visa Pour L’Image in Perpignan, France. Six of my images were selected along with others from The Sacramento Bee, New York Times, Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.

2018/19

Contributer to the outdoor photo festival for Eyes on Main Street, Wilson, North Carolina

2018

Women in the Field: Female Photojournalists, Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles, California.

2016

UNESCO World Headquarters, Paris, The Fence, "What does peace look like?" from the 2015 International Contest Alfred Fried Prize which annually recognizes the best photography on the theme of peace. Extended through August, then travels to Rome
The Pulitzer Prizes at 100, Video presentation by Newseum and Pulitzer Prize Centennial Celebration                                Futures of Waste: Photographic Perspectives that exhibited at the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery in the Hawke Centre from Sept.-Oct. and the Adelaide Convention Centre in Australia from Oct. –Nov., in conjunction to an Unmaking Waste conference coordinated by Dr. Robert Crocker the Deputy Director, China Australia Centre for Sustainable Urban Develoment, School of Art, Architecture and Design, University of South Australia, Selection of Electronic Waste images.

2015

ARTTN Gallery, Inaugural exhibition, gallery for social impact artists and organizations, "Free to Be: Photographs to Liberate the Human Spirit"

2014

The 2014 Tech Awards Gala, San Jose, CA, Video presentation from "Living on a Dollar a Day"
Splashlight Studios, New York, NY, IPA Best of Show/Lucie Awards Exhibition
Espace Beaurepaire Gallery, Paris, France, IPA Best of Show/Lucie Awards Exhibition
Beijing Academy of Art, China, IPA Best of Show/Lucie Awards Exhibition
Chiang Mai Festival Of Photography, Thailand, IPA Best of Show/Lucie Awards Exhibition
Rooftop Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand, IPA Best of Show/Lucie Awards Exhibition

2010

Pictures of the Year International, 2009, The Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles, CA

2008

Photokina, Cologne, Germany

2007

Days Japan International photojournalism exhibit, Yokohama, Japan
FotoWeek, Washington, D.C.
Angkor Wat photography festival in Siem Reap, Cambodia
International Children’s Cancer Day, Madrid, Spain

Permanent exhibit FROM 2007 UNTIL NEWSEUM CLOSED: 

The Pulitzer Photographs Gallery, Newseum, Washington, D.C. An interactive interview with Byer and her Pulitzer Prize-winning images is displayed in a kiosk exhibit. 

Traveling Exhibitions: 

• Capture the Moment: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs, photographs from every Pulitzer Prize photographer, from the year of the first prize in 1942, to the present. Traveling throughout the U.S. and worldwide, with over two million visitors. 

• In South Korea, Renée C. Byer’s feature Pulitzer image was selected as the iconic image representing the show, displayed on a large banner hanging high on the building façade, and at the entrance to the exhibition inside the Daegu Culture and Arts Center in South Korea. The image was used in all the PR images for venues in South Korea.

• Venues include: the Newseum, Washington D.C.; National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA; The Frost Art Museum, Miami, FL; multiple city tours in South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
  The American Soldier, A Photographic Tribute: The Civil War to the War in Iraq, traveling throughout the U.S. to museums and historical societies.

Renée C. Byer Books

• Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor, The Quantuck Press, 2014, Ranked #1 Best Seller on Amazon.com for photojournalism in 2014

• A Mother’s Journey and Selected Photographs, Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY, New Paltz, 2010

Renée C. Byer Books, Contributor

We the Children, Edition Lammerhuber, 2015, in collaboration with UNICEF Germany and GEO, on the 25th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Moments: The Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographs, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc., 2015
The Pulitzer Prize Photographs: Capture the Moment, Newseum, 2010 and 2014 editions
The First Ten Years, Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY, New Paltz, 2011
The Mercy Project, Mado-sha Publishing Co., 2010
The American Soldier From the Civil War to the War in Iraq: A Photographic Tribute, Business of Entertainment Inc., 2008
America at Home, Running Press, 2008
Photojournalism: The Professionals‘ Approach, Focal Press; 6th edition, 2008
Book of Days, Dorsoduro Press, 1990
Best of Photojournalism 8, National Press Photographers Association, 1983
21st Century Reading Student Book 1: Creative Reading and Thinking with TED Talks, Cengage, 15th edition, 2015, in partnership between TED and National Geographic Learning
Best of Photojournalism 11, National Press Photographers Association, 1987

TV, Film And Radio (Selected)

2019

NPR Phoenix , "What goes through a photojournalist’s head when shooting tragic events?”,"interview with Mark Brodie of KJZZ

2018

NPR Los Angeles , "Camp Fire Photos”,"interview with A Martinez of KPCC

2017

CBS Sunday Morning, "Living on One Dollar a Day,"interview with Correspondent Tony Dokoupil

2015

Insight with Beth Ruyak for Capitol Public Radio, Sacramento, “Living on a Dollar a day,” interview
KCRA 3 News TV, Sacramento, with Mike Rienhart, “Award-winning Sac photographer shares compelling photos in new book,” interview
Von Documentary Photography Workshop, Busan, South Korea, interview

2014

NBC's Depth of Field with Ann Curry, “Living on a Dollar a Day: Reality of Extreme Poverty Revealed, interview
ABC's Real Biz with Bob Woodruff and Rebecca Jarvis, “'Living on a Dollar a Day' - Shocking Photos from Around the World,” interview
The Kathleen Dunn Show on Wisconsin Public Radio, “Living on a Dollar a Day,” interview
Truthdig with KPFK, Los Angeles, interview
NBC's Depth of Field with Ann Curry, “Love and Loss - A Family's Struggle with Childhood Cancer,” interview
The Photography Channel, Renée C. Byer - A Mother's Journey, interview

Articles authored by Renée C. Byer

2017

Photo District News "Can Photography Effect Lasting Change? These Photo Projects Prove it Can"

"One Frame," blog with Mark Carruthers 

2014

The Sacramento Bee, “Why must this misery continue?” 
Life Force, “Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor” 

Select Publications and Interviews with Byer

(Print And Web)

2023

CANVASREBEL: Thinking outside the box Conversations with Entrepreneurs, Artists & Creatives

2022

TALKING PICTURES: Interviews with photographers around the World: “Renée C. Byer: Catalyst for Change” by Alasdair Foster, Melbourne Australia. Foster is a writer, researcher and award-winning curator who works worldwide, especially in Asia and Latin America. He has a BSc in physics (University of Edinburgh), and a PhD in participatory culture and the democratisation of twenty-first-century arts policy (Monash University, Melbourne). He has twenty years’ experience heading national arts institutions in Europe and Australia and over thirty-five years of working in the public cultural sector. He is currently Ambassador to the Asia-Pacific PhotoForum – a group of festivals in Asia, Oceania and the west coast of the Americas.

The Sydney Morning Herald: “Bearing Witness To Our Shared Humanity,” by Neha Kale

2019

National Italian weekly Famiglia Cristiana: “Ecco I Volti De Gli Ultimi Della Terra,” by Giulia Cerqueti, Milan, Italy.

2018

World Press Photo Witness: How do you turn a viewer’s empathy into action? by Alison Stieven Taylor.

Monterey County Weekly IN FOCUS cover story by Dave Faries, “Photojournalist Renée Byer talks about documenting poverty.”

2017

NYTimes Lens Blog “They Worked for America. Now These Afghans Face Violence and Poverty Here.”

Proust Nature Questionnaire, Q and A with Daniel Fox who inspires the public to reconnect with the wilderness.

Lens Culture, "The Art of Photojournalism," video interview 

Medium, "Walking in their shoes," Women photojournalists break new ground by Ruth Landy

2016

Wysokie Obcasy, Warsaw, Poland, "How Can We be Tired of the Suffering of Others?" nine pages including the cover profiling Renée C. Byer and her “Living on a Dollar a Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor,” images.

Photo District News, "Telling Complex Immigration Story in Video and Stills" 

2015

News Photographer magazine, “The Best of Photojournalism 2015,” eight pages of images from First Place Environment Picture Story Award, National Press Photographer Association
The Sacramento Bee, “Sacramento Gallery puts World Poverty on View,” exhibition preview
Flipboard, “The Shot: The Faces of the World’s Poor - An Interview with Renée C. Byer”
Fast Co.EXIST, “These Photos Show How Hard It Is To Live On Less Than $1 A Day” Lenscratch, “Living on a Dollar A Day: The Lives and Faces of the World’s Poor”
Truthdig, book review
Feature Shoot, “Living on a Dollar a Day Captures the Silenced Minority on Poverty’s Edge”
Fast Co.EXIST, “Meet The Children Who Live In Ghana's Hellish Digital Dump”
Feature Shoot, “Photographer Renée C. Byer On The Most Defining Work Of Her Career” 
El Tiempo, "La difí­cil tarea de fotografiar los rostros de la pobreza en el mundo” 
BBC Brazil, “Fotógrafa captura a pobreza dos que vivem com US$ 1 por dia”
BBC Mundo, “Estos son los rostros de quienes viven con un dólar al dí­a”
My Modern Met, “Living on a Dollar a Day: The Grief-Stricken Faces of the World’s Poor” 
Peace Corps Worldwide, “Heads Up about Living on a Dollar a Day” 
Feature Shoot, “16 Photographers From Diverse Backgrounds Reveal Why They Take Pictures” 
The Needs via Feature Shoot, “16 Photographers From Diverse Backgrounds Reveal Why They Take Pictures” 
Feature Shoot, “We Asked 19 Photographers: Would You Ever Work for Free?” 
Feature Shoot: “We Asked 19 Photographers: Would You Ever Pay Someone In Order To Take Their Portrait?” 
L‘Oeil de la Photographie, “Living on a Dollar a Day at the Viewpoint Center for Photographic Art exhibition” 

2014

Time, “These Photographs Show What Life is Like on $1 a Day”
National Geographic: PROOF,“Q & A: Renée C. Byer’s Living on a Dollar A Day”, blog post received an outpouring of 4,139 shares and 14,492 likes on Facebook with an additional 94 concerned responses
Newsweek, “Living on a Dollar a Day Features Stark Portraits of Humanity”
Slate.com BEHOLD blog, “The 1 in 6 People Around the World Who Continue to Survive on $1 or Less a Day–  Interview with Renée C. Byer”
The Huffington Post, “ Striking Photos Show What It’s Like to Actually Live on $1 A Day Around the World “
The Guardian, “Portraits of People Living on a Dollar a Day–  in Pictures”
Yahoo News, “Living On A Dollar A Day wins IPA's best documentary book for 2014”
zPhotoJournal, “Renée C. Byer: Living on a Dollar a Day–  Interview,” Legendary photo editor
Jim Colton interview with Byer to inaugurate zPhotoJournal
News Photographer magazine, National Press Photographers Association, NPPA, publishes an unprecedented sixteen pages of Byer’s images plus the cover from Living on a Dollar a Day, in April 2014 issue
Mail Online, “Living on a Dollar a Day: New book puts a face to the 1.6 billion people on earth who live in extreme poverty”  –  Interview with Renée C. Byer
Mother Jones, “Portraits of People Living on a Dollar a Day” 
L‘Oeil de la Photographie, “Renée C. Byer: Living On a Dollar a Day”
Aparte 20 Minutos, “Retratos de quienes tienen que vivir con un dólar al dí­a,” print and online
VON magazine, “An Interview with Renée C. Byer” 
News.com.au, “Heartbreaking photos show what it’s like to live on less than a dollar a day”
Thinking in Practice, “Living on a Dollar”  –  Interview with Renée C. Byer
The Oloo Blog, “Q & A: Renée C. Byer”
Daily Review Atlas, “Living on a dollar a day: Change and hope are possible”
Design Taxi, “Poignant & Heart-Breaking Portraits Of People Who Live On A Dollar A Day”
Oracle Talk, “These Powerful Photos Capture What Life is Like for the Billion People Living on a Dollar a Day”
Journal Star, “Pulitzer Prize-winning Bradley grad Renée Byer Returns to Her Alma Mater for 2014 Robinson Lecture” 
Fast Co.EXIST, “These Powerful Photos Take You Inside The Lives Of People Living On A Dollar A Day”
Boreddaddy.com, “Striking Photos Show What It’s Like To Actually Live On $1 A Day Around The World”
Dazed Digital, “Meet the families who live on a dollar a day”
Days Japan, book preview

2010

Annenberg Space for Photography, Renée C. Byer, Biography and gallery of photographs from the Living on a Dollar a Day project and the Sacramento Bee. 

Byer’s Sacramento Bee photographs are represented by ZUMA Press, and have been published in worldwide outlets:
Present  zReportage displays ten of Renée C. Byer’s most notable projects

2012

KFBK Radio, “Picking up the Pieces: A Grandfather’s Sorrow and Love,” interview

2011

MSNBC photoblog, “Facing twin tragedies: terminal illness and foreclosure”
New York Times LENS blog, Russian born photographer Diana Markosian states in Turning Point that she was inspired by a photograph by Renée C. Byer

2009

New York Times LENS blog, “Must See Websites Worth Visiting, ‘Marlon and Pearlie Barton”

2007

Paris Match featured Byer’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalism, “A Mother’s Journey,” in an unprecedented eleven pages
Bradley Hilltopics, “Pulitzer Prize-winner Pulitzer winner focuses lens on “A Mother’s Journey”

Other publications include: Newsweek Asia; Days Japan; El Mundo and El Pais, Spain; View magazine, Germany; BHMAGAZINO, Greece; Marie Claire; Business Week; People; Rangefinder; Photo District News; AARP

Education

1980 Graduated cum laude from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois
2008 Inducted into the Bradley University Centurion Society, established to recognize Bradley University alumni who have brought national and international credit to the University

Teaching

2016/2017

Photo Coach at Western Kentucky University's Mountain Workshop. The Mountain Workshops are an intense week learning visual storytelling from professionals while documenting Kentucky Communities.  

2015

Asociación de Fotoperiodestas 25th Aniversario, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Von Documentary Photo Workshop, Busan, South Korea

2014

Foto Fusion, Palm Beach, FL

2010

James H. Ottaway Sr. Endowed Professor, SUNY, New Paltz, NY

2008

Hearst Visiting Professional, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, ASU, Tempe, AZ
Visiting lecturer on ethics and photojournalism at the Poynter Institute of Media Studies, St. Petersburg, FL
Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, Mexico City

2007

Photography Workshop, Angkor Photography Festival in Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photojournalism Mountain Workshops, Western Kentucky University, KY
Chinatown in Tokyo, Japan
FotoFusion, Palm Beach, FL

Byer has critiqued portfolios at the renowned Eddie Adams Workshop

Talks and Guest Lectures (selected locations)

2024

Day of Women in Photojournalism, San Francisco State University Journalism Deptartment co-sponsered by the Department of Women and Gender Studies, San Francisco, CA

2023

Keynote speaker, Open Your Eyes Fotofestival, Zurich, Switzerland

2017

TEDxSonomaCounty, Jackson Theater at Sonoma Country Day School, Santa Rosa, CA
Keynote Speaker, Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium, Newhouse School’s annual Fall Workshop, Syracuse, NY
Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, Hilton Atlanta Northeast, GA
Iris Night Lecture Series, Living on a Dollar a Day:  The Lives and Faces of the World's Poor," Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles, CA
Newseum Photo Day and poster signing, Knight Studio, Washington, DC

2016

Global Women Leader’s Forum: Inspiring the Next Generation of Leaders, organized by UNESCO and the Council of Women in Business, Sofia, Bulgaria

2015

Member, UNESCO Who’s Who of Women Speakers. Part of core group of 70 women marking the 70th anniversary of UNESCO
Keynote Speaker, Asociación de Fotoperiodestas 25th Aniversario, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Robison Endowed Lecture in Journalism, Bradley University, Peoria, IL
Open Show #69: Bay Area Photojournalist Rockstars!, San Francisco, CA

2014

Los Angeles Center of Photography, CA
Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno
Barnes and Noble, Sacramento, CA
The California Museum, talk with Sacramento Bee publisher, Cheryl Dell, Book Signing, Sacramento, CA

2010

Iris Nights Lecture, Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles, CA
TEDx Tokyo conference, Japan

2009

TEDx Tokyo youth conference, Japan

2008

Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno
Distinguished Bunn Lecture in Photography, Bradley University, Peoria, IL
The Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, Mexico City

2007

Keynote Speaker, Adidas‘ Collaboration Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Keynote Speaker, Bellingham Visual Journalism Conference, Bellingham, WA
Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, GA

Previous Selected Talks and Guest Lectures: 

The Brooks Institute Photography and Film school, Santa Barbara, CA
Northern Short Course in Photojournalism, Cherry Hill, NJ
Pictures of the Year International, Berkeley, CA
National Press Photographers Association Flying Short Course - Chicago, IL, San Jose, CA and Washington, D.C.
National Press Photographers Association Multimedia Immersion conference, Portland, Oregon
Inspirational Speaker, National Press Photographers Association Women in Photojournalism Conference, Chicago, IL, where Byer served as co-chair for several years
Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, GA
College of Physicians of Philadelphia, PA

Photography Judge 

Byer has judged numerous photo contests including Days Japan International Photojournalism Awards ten times, the WPJA many times, Pictures of the Year International, Alexia Foundation for World Peace, and the National Press Photographer Association’s Pictures of the Year competition and College Photographer of the Year. 

Ethics Consultant

Having served as a consultant on ethics in photojournalism at the Mainichi newspapers in Tokyo, Japan, Byer was also a member of an ethical panel that included a Supreme Court Justice and several editors from leading publications in Madrid, Spain. 

Permanent Public Collections

Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery, Newseum, Washington, DC: The gallery features photographs from every Pulitzer Prize-winning entry dating back to 1942. Interactive touch screens feature more than 1,000 images and 15 hours of video and audio compiled from interviews with the prize-winning photographers. An interactive interview with Byer showing her Pulitzer Prize-winning images is part of this exhibit.

Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, Calif., selected images published in the Sacramento Bee.

DID You Know? 

Renée C. Byer is a proud board member of her brother Tom Byer's T3 company since 2008. T3 Academy is based in Tokyo, Japan.  Tom is a former professional soccer player and one of the most decorated and admired grassroots soccer coaches and consultants in the world. She is also a cousin to Dr. Virginia Apgar who developed the renowned Apgar Score for newborns.