My Hair is a Reflection of my Soul

OVERVIEW & BACKGROUND

This project functions as a celebration and a conversation about the impact of hair within black culture. This body of work was inspired by the negative experiences people of color have had in response to their hair, including my very own experience. When I was 17, I worked a job where my manager told me that my braids were not professional and that I needed to cover my head up, and even proceeded to ask me if, "My people always wore our hair like that". This has been just one of many micro-aggressions I have had to experience in my life when my hair has been the topic of discussion. The intention of this work is to embrace the true essence of black hair, its beauty and versatility, and its importance as a whole in shaping identities. "My Hair is a Reflection of my Soul", is currently a collection of studio portraits utilizing soft box lighting to capture dynamic and detailed depictions of hair. It is my hope that the culmination of lighting techniques, texture, props, and posing all work cohesively to illustrate an emotional yet meaningful narrative highlighting black hair.

DURATION

September 2022 - December 2022

3 months

MY ROLE

Creative Director

Lead Photographer

Photoshoot Coordinator

Post Production Coordinator

TOOLS

Photoshop

Lightroom

InDesign

Blurb

For The Culture

OVERVIEW & BACKGROUND

Giving black-identifying individuals a safe space to express themselves was important to me for many reasons. For so long I had seen black students on my campus specifically have their voices not heard. Making up only 3% of the overall student population, black students are not always represented or respected. One prominent example of this is the backlash and angry response students and staff received from the news of a living community for black-identifying students on campus. Once again, showing how the spaces people of color try to create for themselves are not always valued.

For this project, I reached out to various individuals and asked them to write a short response to what it meant to be black to them. The responses were all unique and personal to them. Some talked about how they struggled with loving themselves and how they tried to change themselves to fit the standards of others. Some discussed the prejudices and inequalities that black people are faced with. These are some of the many things that make up the black experience. This is the reality that we are faced with. Doing this project, not only is it giving people a platform to speak their truth but is also an opportunity for others to learn.

DURATION

March 2021 - May 2021

3 months

MY ROLE

Creative Director

Lead Photographer

Photoshoot Coordinator

Post Production Coordinator

TOOLS

Photoshop

Lightroom

ESSENCE

OVERVIEW & BACKGROUND

This work explores the identity of black women on a personal and intimate level. I was inspired by the representation of women of color in the media and my passion to create something that challenged the ideals typically associated with black women. Growing up, I was always told that I was aggressive and too assertive. I grew up thinking that I wasn't fulfilling my own identity as a young woman of color if I didn’t present myself as a strong and courageous activist or rebel. However, with time I came to understand that black women do not always have to be strong, overbearing, or assertive characters to still be black women. In response to this, I set out to create a series mixed with portraits and landscape photography, to illustrate the softness, vulnerability, and femininity that encompasses people. It was important to me to stay true to the personality of the model photographed, while still creating a representational narrative of the essence of black femininity.

The inclusion of landscapes in this narrative was imperative to me for several reasons. In a literal sense, nature is constantly changing and growing. As seasons pass nature evolves to take on a different appearance. In relation to the representation of women, I felt the two aligned for obvious reasons. Spiritually, nature has been viewed as a divine entity, one that is idyllic and pure yet still mysterious. All of these qualities I felt were representational of the message I wanted to convey with this work. Women of color are more than just the stereotypes and assumptions they may have grown up hearing. They can be gentle, they can be peaceful, they can have fun, and more importantly, they can just be their authentic selves.

DURATION

September 2021 - December 2021

4 months

MY ROLE

Creative Director

Lead Photographer

Photoshoot Coordinator

Post Production Coordinator

TOOLS

Photoshop

Lightroom

InDesign