15 Black Woman Music Photographers to Follow on Instagram Right Now
In honor of #BlackMusicMonth, we’ve been inviting some of our favorite Black woman music photographers to take over our Instagram feed. This joyous month may be concluding, but the festival and the touring season are just getting started.
Here’s our list of 15 Black woman music photographers that you can follow on Instagram (and hire!).
Juneteenth Through the Lens of Black Women Photographers
Check out our Juneteenth gallery.
5 Black Women Photographers to Follow on Instagram This Month
Every month, we will curate a global list of five Black women photographers to follow on Instagram.
The photographers featured will be from our global directory, selected by BWP founder Polly Irungu.
Why Photojournalist Dee Dwyer is the Visual Voice for the People
Dee Dwyer is motivated by trying to demystify the “misunderstood.” You’ll often find her photographing in Black and White to capture the nebulous grey areas that are neglected under the mainstream media’s eye. Her latest projects are no exception. The first photo that caught my eye browsing her Instagram was Black women twerking in a circle at a celebration for Women’s History Month in Washington, D.C. Though the white gaze often sharply portrays Black pain and Black joy as distinct from each other, Dee’s uncensored imagery disrupts these specific parameters of the truth, adversities, beauty, and culture of the Black experience.
Cheriss May’s Photojournalism is Highlighting the Hidden Figures of Our Communities
Cheriss May’s passion to connect the souls of those she photographs from lens to paper all began when she received a Kodak film camera for Christmas. Several photography classes and successful shoebox camera experiments later, she got admission into Howard with a major in advertising. Through happenstance steered her toward a career in graphic design, photography was always the crux of her destiny.
5 Black Women Photographers to Follow on Instagram This Month
Every month, we will curate a global list of five Black women photographers to follow on Instagram.
The photographers featured will be from our global directory, selected by BWP founder Polly Irungu.
“Something big is about to happen”: In Conversation with Endia Beal
“The history of photography for Black women is still being written. Photography, in general, was never designed for Black women to thrive,” Beal said.
Black women photographers are here. We are doing the work. We are continuing a thrilling narrative started by creatives like Endia Beal, Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson, and LaToya Ruby Frazier to name a few.
So, buckle up. Something big is about to happen.
10 Photographers Show Why International Women’s Day Should Be Every Day
Black Women Photographers is countering the long history of erasure by championing the ethical responsibility to document and amplify photographers from around the globe. By hiring local talent, we get to celebrate the spirit of International Women’s Day all year-round.
How Lola Akinmade Åkerström is Inspiring Black Women Photographers to Travel Outside the Box
On this journey of life, if travel is a source of knowledge, Lola is the worldliest of them all. Since her first assignment in Fiji, Lola has chased the northern lights, written about the Arctic cultures, and has since dispatched from over 70 countries. For her efforts in breaking barriers in the realm of travel photography, she received the 2018 Travel Photographer of the Year Bill Muster Award.
Black Joy Through the Lenses of Eight Black Women Photographers
As an organization committed to amplifying the voices of Black creatives, we are shattering the invisibility of our bliss in mainstream media. We spoke to eight emerging photographers about what we mean when we talk about Black joy and the responses were glorious.
Sarah Waiswa is the Ugandan Documentary and Portrait Photographer Showcasing the Complexities of African Identity
Sarah Waiswa’s photography is the epitome of poetic justice. Her vivid color palette and expansive portfolio boast her attempt at capturing the full spectrum of human emotion as she documents everyday life on the African continent.
Gabriella Agnotti Jones is the Trailblazer Encouraging Other Photojournalists to Photograph Through an Ethical Lens
Before Gabriella Agnotti Jones was Artsy’s 20 rising woman photojournalists to watch, she was an ambitious young photographer eager to take up space in the predominantly white photojournalism world. Since taking that leap of faith, her journey into the field has propelled her to internships at The New York Times, Tampa Bay Times, Las Vegas Review-Journal which secured her place as a former staff photographer at the Los Angeles Times. Gabriella shares that her experiences have challenged a moral reckoning within her. We spoke about the limitations of representation and why we shouldn’t solely focus on who is behind a camera, but how photojournalists today can ethically engage with socio-economic commentary.
Faith Couch’s Photography Creates an Escapism Beyond the White Gaze
"Search for what is good and strong and beautiful in your society and elaborate from there. Push outward. Always create from what you already have. Then you will know what to do." - Michel Foucault.
Faith Couch’s journey as one of the artist’s shaping Baltimore burgeoning art scenes began with a fated rude awakening. Nurtured by her father’s good judgement, she recalls a priceless life lesson he delivered to her. “Growing up, my father told me that the best don't always get to play.” Though this could be interpreted as a sign of a well-intentioned father’s skepticism, the premonition dared her to dream.