Chelsea Pineda is a photographer and director based between London and New York City.

Her creative storytelling practice explores the intimacies of
cultural identity, familial relationships, and memory.

With a decade-long background in journalism and documentary art, Chelsea centers narrative and identity in her approach to photography, film, and writing as it spans across fine art, editorial, and commercial spaces. 

Chelsea began producing, filming, and editing video pieces within the fashion and music realms while pursuing her bachelor's degree at Rutgers University. After graduating in 2015, she became one of the first members of Insider's lifestyle video team and spent the next six years honing her skills in both short-form and long-form video journalism. Her experiences directing, producing, and presenting further developed her detail-oriented approach to documentary storytelling when she became a supervising producer / interim executive producer overseeing production and post-production for Insider's global 100+ member video team. 

She completed her master's degree in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London in 2022. Her debut project, "Barako," meditates on masculinity and intergenerational familial trauma through the visual exploration of her father's street fights in the 1960s and 1970s Philippines. Chelsea is actively exhibiting and publishing this work internationally, and is currently open to commissions.

AWARDS

2024: Danny Wilson Memorial Award: Professionals’ Choice for Emerging Photography, Online Exhibition — Winner
2022: Hahnemühle Student Award — Nominee
2021-2022: University of the Arts London International Postgraduate Scholarship
2018: Winner - PDN’s Ultimate Music Moment — Amateur, Crowd

EXHIBITIONS

FRESH EYES International, Haute Photographie, Rotterdam, NL, March 27 - 30, 2025
The Champions Within: The Lightbox Exhibition, Photofusion, London, UK, February 3 - August 3, 2025
Barako, Photo Fringe, Online, Brighton & Hove, UK, October 4 - November 17, 2024
The Champions Within: Portraits of a Boxing Community, Brixton Tate Library, London, UK, April 4 - May 3, 2024
Open Juried Exhibition, Vermont Center for Photography, Brattleboro, VT, USA, September 1 - October 29, 2023
Fantasy, Family, and the Strangely Familiar, Clay Space, Toronto, CA, May 13 - May 28, 2023
Current Obsessions, London College of Communication, London, UK, November 16 - November 19, 2022
Variations, Peckham Safehouse, London, UK, June 18 - June 20, 2022

PRESS + FEATURES

“Chelsea Pineda.” FRESH EYES, Vol. 3, GUP Magazine, 2025: pp. 136-139
Sponda, Ilaria. “Chelsea Pineda disentangles conditioned masculinity through tenderness,” British Journal of Photography, (February 27, 2025)
Warner, Marigold. “Chelsea Pineda reconstructs her father’s past in a tender study of masculinity and survival,” It’s Nice That, (February 24, 2025)
De Padua, Emily. ”Color Studies,” Data Visualization, Iron Viz Global Qualifier, (February 3, 2022)
Earle, Liz. “FOUND with Photographer Chelsea Pineda,” Original Fuzz Magazine, (January 20, 2018)

TALKS, WORKSHOPS + PERFORMANCES

Video Storytelling for Social Media, Guest Lecturer, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA, October 16, 2024
The Champions Within: Portrait and Sports Photography Workshop, Workshop Leader, Miguel’s Boxing Gym, London, UK, February 15, 2024
Photojournalism Night - 37th Edition by Photojournalism Hub x Riverside Studios, Artist Talk, London, UK, November 15, 2023
Current Obsessions Symposium, Poetry Performance, London College of Communication, London, UK, November 19, 2022
The Light Leaks’ “Glow Up: A Panel on How to Build Your Creative Future”, Brooklyn, NY, March 23, 2019

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS + CLIENTS

GUP Magazine, Billboard, BrooklynVegan, Business Insider, Webster Hall