I’m A Black photographer Man In A White World

Reflecting on some of my anecdotal experiences and observations of being a black photographer, particularly over the last 4 years and my creative life/career path since it began at 11.

This one is long.

Cold take we are all aware of

Photography has always been a White Man’s Game, and you can apply this to a multitude of crafts and creative endeavours out there.

I know a lot of black people who currently/used to work or live in predominantly white areas or companies who can relate to this; where if you see or meet another Black person you do that head nod when you’re passing by or you naturally gravitate to each other in a certain vicinity and quickly talk the breeze in a way you wouldn’t with your fellow un-melanated creatives - familiarity through being a minority I supposed.

Unfortunately and typically, I am the sole minority in a room or a space. Sometimes I cannot tell if I’m the token or I am actually rather decent at what I do.

The beginning is rather lonely for those finding their footings

Whilst I was living in Leicester for university between 2013-16, photowalks weren’t a thing and the photo department wasn’t too friendly to non-photography students using their studio space, so making those sorts of connections & networking with photographers was hard at the time. Even within my course in Graphic Design & Illustration, I felt like I wasn’t being pushed by my tutors, or felt rather discouraged by people on the course with multiple incidences of racial and colourist aggression.

However, I did manage to find solace in running a music society that needed a photographer and designer during the latter part of my time there - as I was able to develop leadership and managing skills, practise all three of my crafts and hang out with friends who didn’t just push my musical talents but a way of thinking… but like all good things they must end.

When I came back to London, I put my cameras and instruments down for more than a year - focused on just working as a Graphic Designer and that was it for a bit. Thinking back on it, I was rather lonely during that time regardless of the people I had around me - all I really remember was working and drinking week in and week out, without any purpose or meaning to stand on.

I knew I wanted something MORE from this world that wasn’t based on solely on pleasure or grinding for money but I wasn’t ready for that yet, 21-23 year old me wasn’t ready for that.

Meeting black photographers has become easier as the years go by.

It wasn't until 2017/18 that I met another black person who would say they're a photographer...

What I mean is, not just anyone who happens to own a camera, but someone who would say it adamantly and without hesitation, "I am a Photographer, and I do X Type Photography."

Someone I could talk to about photography, was in the process of learning, committing to the craft, and willing to share their experiences from failures to hilarious moments, to of course - Gear Acquisition.

Just about everyone knows somebody and having endless options of Photowalks from London Camera Project, Analogue Meet ups, Kosmo Foto, Capital Ports, to name a few are a blessing to many out there but I dare say even more so for creatives who are the minority within the field.

And let's not sideline Instagram; as much as we love to hate and hate to love it. The gram has been one of the best tools for me to interact with other black photographers across the medium.

It's vital that black creators, makers, brains and brawn across all fields recognise and support one another the best we can - it will only make it easier for us tomorrow and in the future.

Why are you doing that? That's some white shit!

As you may know, I focus on street style portraits and documenting social and political ongoings in the streets of London, very straightforward. (For the sake simplification and conversation, I'll refer to 'documenting social and political...' just as photojournalism - much quicker but you get the point)

From my anecdotal experiences, The portrait part never seems to bother or get questioned. It's like, "cool, You take pretty pictures of people... can I have one like that please" end of conversation. People seem to grasp that part of photography as a medium.

But I'm typically challenged and questioned when it comes to the latter. "Why are you running around photographing random peoples problems on the street, following angry people who go around fighting the police or people who just sit and glue themselves to the roads to show how much they care about the planet." And I used to think like this too, It's a rather ridiculous thing to do with your time when you think back on it.

This image below is the first time I photographically encountered Extinction Rebellion, mere days after the Canning Town Incident and I already had the same mindset as everyone else, 'just a bunch of privileged white people making noise about saving the world without considering their actions of others being a hindrance to their daily lives'.

Whilst there's truth in that, there are more people in that collective who genuinely give damn about our way of living and the destruction of our planet - and the only way for me to know if that's true or not is by following these white people doing their white people shit to see if they're full of shit or not.

But this can apply to any group, movement, cult, religion, etc - it's much easier to know if people are full of shit or have an ulterior motive to their words and actions when you are the observer and listening as an outsider.

Product, Byproduct and the Migrant Parent Mindset

I want to go back a bit and explain why I feel that I am questioned and challenged. I think there are two anecdotal but probably true reasons:

A: Many of us are used to thinking of photography as either a product you buy (like family photos, professional headshots, and wedding photography) or a byproduct of social experiences (like taking selfies or using photo booths). We don't often see it as a tool for documenting, collecting, or sharing information in a visual format or just for fun.

The second reason is something I've experienced myself and heard from my African, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and South Asian friends and colleagues throughout the years, especially during our teenage years.

B: Children of parents who have migrated from countries with lower economic status, poverty, or conflict to wealthy western countries like the UK, US, Canada, France, etc. may not support their children in choosing a creative career path due to the difficulties of having a financially successful career. Until they see financial success from those choices, they will continue to doubt them until proven otherwise.

It's easy for them to understand and support a "wedding photographer" because it's a product that has intrinsic value in society, unlike a "photojournalist" which few people understand or appreciate. In most cases, people simplify it to paparazzi who chase famous people or assume you work for a news organisation, instead of asking how you can make a living, gain connections, trust amongst groups, or collect information.

Even outside of my photography career, my parents constantly questioned my choice of becoming a graphic designer because they didn't understand the value of visual communication, even though it's something they interact with daily. They still see it as "making pretty pictures on a computer" which is not completely incorrect but not accurate either.

Learning about Politics in the Flesh and Discovering People of the World

When I first explained to my mother about me following a pathway of photojournalism, all she did was worry and ask me not to go to certain places, especially after the riot in Trafalgar Square in the summer of 2020. I had to stop explaining myself and just go! She just wants me to be safe at a desk, and ironically, I do that for a living.

But it's days, weeks, and months like that which make it worth going and interacting with people. I'm interested in a variety of people, cultures, movements, and experiences in the world. Getting to learn about why something happened and meeting people of different cultures to understand them better fulfil my youthful complaint of disliking education but enjoying learning, even though racism affects learning.

The fact is that I will always experience racism and prejudice wherever I go in the world, either directly or witnessing it. I can either let it limit my progress and be scared of the potential dangers or be a more socially and politically engaged person who is attuned to their surroundings.

I will become frustrated. I will find hardship. I will be pushed aside. My mere presence may disturb certain people or groups due to their prejudices.

But I cannot, must not, and will not allow others to control, dictate, limit or pause my progress in the field because all they see is a black man with a camera.

Anyways…

Don’t expect anyone to read all of this or make sense of my thoughts, but here's the TLDR:

I've been trying to put into words why black and brown photographers are seen in a flawed and highly specific light, and why we have to struggle and suffer more than any other group just to be respected. We just want to be respected and feel equal. However, it's apparent to me and many others that the bare minimum is too much of an ask for many out there in the world.

Til next time ✌🏾❤️