Linda Solomon

Award-winning photojournalist and author Linda Solomon has spent her career photographing and interviewing everyone she’s ever dreamed of meeting. But it is the remarkable children she has encountered—those experiencing homelessness—who have inspired her most deeply. Through her 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation, Pictures of Hope, Linda has provided cameras to children across 56 cities, empowering them to share their heartfelt hopes and dreams for a better life. The camera becomes their voice, and in many cases, those dreams have been realized, including full-tuition college scholarships. One Picture of Hope can change a child’s life forever.
Linda’s photography education programs have reached over one million children across America, using her celebrity portraits to inspire young minds to understand the power of visual storytelling. Her most recent book, The Queen Next Door: Aretha Franklin, An Intimate Portrait, was selected by the Libraries of Michigan as one of the state’s most notable books. Portraits from this award-winning collection were exhibited at Orchestra Hall and featured on NBC Nightly News. Another of her celebrated works, People We Know, Horses They Love—written by her sister Jill Rappaport with Linda’s photography—became a New York Times bestseller and features Linda’s cover portrait of Robert Redford alongside images of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Kim Novak, Morgan Freeman, Richard Gere, and more.
Linda has been honored with numerous awards, including induction into the prestigious Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame. She has contributed as a columnist for The Detroit News and as a correspondent for Good Morning America and CBS, both locally and nationally. She continues to write for her hometown newspaper, The Detroit Free Press, where her recent front-page feature on Tony Bennett stands as a testament to her storytelling legacy.
Beyond journalism, Linda has served on many boards, including the Michigan Chapter of the International Women’s Forum, the Tennessee Arts Academy, and the Farmington Hills Police and Fire Benevolent League, supporting those who protect our communities. Her humanitarian honors include “Michigan Artist of the Year,” “Nonprofit Communicator of the Year,” the “Photographers Who Give Back” award, and induction into the CATCH Hall of Fame for her work changing the lives of children experiencing homelessness.
In her downtime, Linda’s favorite way to “sail” is from one garage sale to another on a typical Saturday afternoon. Linda is deeply honored to receive this recognition and to be included among such wonderful women.