Was there resentment and frustration? Yes.
In a cluttered garage studio, this group of ladies created a space to speak freely and without judgment, which opened a dam of thoughts and emotions.
#BLACK GIRL MODELS HOW TO#
We even talked about the delicacies of having non-black friends who aren’t always sure of what to say or how to act to show their support and appreciation for their black friend’s culture without saying the wrong thing. And even the youngest of the girls opened up about experiences at school where the n-word is regularly used by kids who claim to have a “pass,” but are never disciplined by the staff.
#BLACK GIRL MODELS SKIN#
They talked about makeup artists who didn't have the proper foundation colors for their skin tones or asked them to bring their own and photographers who actively changed the color of their skin. They talked about strained relationships with blended families, about feeling forced to hide or embrace their blackness depending on who they were with, or feeling like they had to choose a side. They talked about strangers touching their hair, about weaves, about who can wear what hairstyle, and how wearing their hair in a traditional or protective style was likely to get them scolded at work or before walking in a fashion show. Followed by that, the strange dichotomy of what it feels like if their mannerisms or attitudes are considered “too white” by members of their own community. They talked honestly about what it feels like to be treated as if their skin is too dark, their lips too big, their hair too textured to be traditionally beautiful. Not just as women, because all women share in that sisterhood, but as black women in America. They talked about their experiences as black women. This is where the weight of what we were making came crashing down. When the shoot was over and the final group photo taken, no one left the studio. During the entire shoot, the women and girls who were not being photographed stood behind me, cheering my subjects on, shouting encouragement, praising their sisters, and making one another feel beautiful. The group photos of women with different skin tones, hair types, and features were meant to showcase the support these ladies want to foster in their communities. One by one, we cycled ladies into my studio to capture individual headshots, then we began with groups of two or three. I was surrounded by women chatting, laughing, helping one another put the finishing touches on their hair, and generally elevating the atmosphere with camaraderie. Emotionally speaking, it was a different story.įrom the very start, it was clear this was not going to be a run of the mill shoot. Easy peasy, right? Photographically speaking, yes. There were two white -flats from V-flat World on either side to give me some light in the shadows and help make the skin glow. For light, I used two Elinchrom monolights in what I think of as a "stacked light" setup: the key light was directly in front of and above the model's eye line, modified with a 72 cm white beauty dish to create some spectral highlights and let their skin texture show. On the second light, I used the 39" Rotalux Deep Octa for fill, placed directly behind the first light. Paired with Susan's very clean, minimal retouching, we were able to celebrate the beauty and diversity while removing distractions. We didn’t want to glamorize or hide these ladies behind clever light tricks or excessive makeup, turning them into objects more than people, but to photograph them cleanly and let their features, expressions, hairstyles, and personalities tell the story. I knew I wanted to keep the lighting and style as simple and natural as possible.
We were united on the goal, and now we just had to tell the story. We approached photographer and retoucher Susan Rockstraw, who was also excited to be part of the project. Aside from the fact that my visual style suited her vision, she felt that working with an outside perspective could create an open doorway for the kind of conversations and learning experiences we desperately need. Bridges reassured me that my reservations were part of the reason she wanted me for the job. Maybe these were shoes I had no right stepping into.
As a storyteller, my job is to empathize, but I thought maybe my voice wasn’t the right voice to help her tell this story. I can do my best to empathize by listening and using my personal experiences as surrogates, but I’ve never lived with the social ramifications of issues like the ones these ladies deal with on a daily basis. I was hesitant to accept her offer, not because I had any reservations about partnering with these incredible women to create the work, but because I realize that I’m an outsider to their experiences.
0 kommentar(er)
