Here’s a problem you might not know exists: many of the most notable people in the world don’t have a good photo on Wikipedia. Not because photographers haven’t taken pictures of them — but because those photos are copyrighted and can’t be used on a free encyclopedia.
Enter WikiPortraits.
What We Do
WikiPortraits sends credentialed photographers to high-profile events — film festivals, awards ceremonies, literary festivals, conferences — to capture professional, freely-licensed portraits of notable individuals. Every photo goes to Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons license, meaning anyone can use them for any purpose.
The results are staggering. My portraits alone account for 5 million+ monthly views across nearly 2,000 Wikipedia pages. Some of the most widely seen headshots on Wikipedia came from our cameras: Charlize Theron, Kendrick Lamar, Ronan Farrow, Priyanka Chopra, Lisa Su, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex — the list goes on.
How It Started
It began with a simple observation: I was at events where world-famous people were speaking, and nobody was taking photos for Wikipedia. I started bringing my camera.
At the Pulitzer Prizes in 2018, I photographed winners — journalists, authors, artists — and uploaded every portrait to Commons. Kendrick Lamar’s photo from that night is now used across dozens of language Wikipedias.
The idea spread. We formalized as WikiPortraits, bringing in photographers like Frank Schulenburg (the first Wikipedia photographer with Sundance press credentials) and Jennifer 8. Lee (journalist and author). We’ve covered Sundance, SXSW, the National Book Festival, the Hay Festival, and beyond.
Why Free Licensing Matters
Every WikiPortraits photo is Creative Commons licensed. That means:
- A student in Kenya can use a Charlize Theron photo in a school project
- A journalist in Brazil can illustrate an article about Lisa Su
- An AI training dataset can include diverse, accurately-captioned faces
- A Wikipedia article in any of 300+ languages can show what someone actually looks like
Compare this to traditional wire service photos, which are locked behind paywalls and can’t be used freely. Our photos democratize access to images of notable people.
The Numbers
As of 2025, my Commons portrait gallery generates 5 million views per month. The top photos appear on Wikipedia pages viewed millions of times. A single portrait of Charlize Theron serves 30+ language editions of Wikipedia.
And this is just getting started. With every Sundance, every SXSW, every book festival, we add more faces to the commons.
Want to Help?
WikiPortraits is entirely volunteer-run. If you’re a photographer attending an event with notable people, bring a camera and upload your work to Commons. Tag it with [[Category:WikiPortraits]]. Every photo helps close the representation gap on the world’s largest encyclopedia.