The Black Shutter Podcast is a series of conversations with Black photographers filmmakers, editors, and creative business folks. You will hear about their work, their challenges, and their inspirations revolving around photography. The Black Shutter Podcast is hosted by Idris Talib Solomon, a creative director, photographer, and filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY.
Tune in to Episode 29 where we speak with Los Angeles-based portrait photographer, documentarian, and photojournalist, Tara Pixley. She holds a Ph.D. in communication and her personal projects explore Black joy, gender, sexuality, and the different representations of femininity. She is the co-founder of the Authority Collective whose aim is to bring up and support the next generation of women and non-binary photographers.
Tune in to Episode 28 where we speak with Polly Irungu, a Kenyan born multimedia journalist, photographer, and founder of Black Women Photographers, a global community and online database of Black women and non-binary photographers.
International photography comes with a set of rules that apply from one culture to the next. You have to respect the culture you are visiting in order to successfully photograph the story. You need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and that takes a certain type of personality. Nicky Woo is from Brooklyn, is half Black and half Hawaiian, and has spent the last few years telling stories in East and West Africa, Indonesia, and Vietnam. She has photographed stories ranging from bombings in ...
New York-based filmmaker, Thomas Allen Harris sees the Black Family Photo album as a battleground for representation. It is where Black families have the freedom to present themselves as genuinely as possible. He is the creator of the documentary Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People which was released in 2014. He is a filmmaker and artist whose work across film, video, photography, and performance illuminates the human condition and the search for identity, fa...
Kris Graves blurs the lines between portrait and landscape photography. He creates artwork that deals with his perspective of what's wrong with American society and aims to use art as a means to inform people about social issues. Kris has a long list of clients, including Vanity Fair and National Geographic. He also has two publishing companies to help photographers print books of their work.
Khalik Allah discovered drama on the corner of 125th st and Lexington Ave and turned it into a Street Opera. He practices camera ministry and it’s evident in how visceral and beautiful his films and photos are. His work forces us to see the beauty and humanity of people who have been discarded by society. This Harlem corner served as the foundation for his feature length film, Field Niggas as well as his first photography book “Souls Against Concrete. His award winning films have been seen in fe...
Thank you to the Black Shutter Community for tuning in and supporting us as we share stories of some amazing Black and Brown photographers.
Tune in to Episode 22 to hear Washington DC based documentary photographer Dee Dwyer discuss the importance of connecting with the communities she photographs. She talks about gaining access and gratitude and why it’s important to say ‘Thank You’ to the community when the project is done.
Tune in to Episode 21 where we chat with London based fashion and portrait photographer, Aisha Seriki. Aisha remembers growing up visiting museums and not seeing herself represented on the walls and how that fed her insecurities about who she was as a black person and as a black woman. That prompted her to pick up the camera and document black women in an empowering and respectful light with honor and dignity. She is a fashion and portrait photographer and she has recently been considered one of...
Jean Andre Antoine is a Brooklyn based street photographer who’s made a living taking portraits of people on the streets of New York City. He has the challenge of getting a New Yorkers attention and gaining their trust. It takes a certain type of personality to wake up, pack your gear and hit the streets of NY to sell street portraits. Jean Andre Antoine has been doing this for 10 years and his dedication has landed him commissioned jobs with Nike and Tiffany and Co.
When it comes to photographing athletes and entertainers, people who treasure their private time, that trust has to be magnified. Our guest today is a sports photographer from Baltimore, Maryland. He lives his life based on the principle of personhood. Personhood centers around the concept of consciousness and the capacity to feel pain. His personhood has granted him access to document his high school basketball team which lead to him landing his first internship with the Boston Red Sox where he...
Tune in to episode 18 of the Black Shutter Podcast. We speak with Atlanta based, Unit and Stills Photographer, Eli Joshua Ade about his career path to working on one of the top shows of 2020, HBO’s Lovecraft Country.
Tune in to Episode 17 to hear how New York-based portrait photographer, painter, and illustrator, Nichole Washington, finds balance and meaning by combining her different skill sets and interests.
Tune in to Episode 16 to hear New Orleans based documentary photographer, L. Kasimu Harris, discuss the importance of documenting a community that is slowly being erased and how that influences both his photography and his writing.
Tune in to Episode 15 of the Black Shutter podcast. I speak with Maryland and Los Angeles based fashion, portrait, and commercial photographer, Jabari Jacobs. We chop it up about betting on ourselves, taking risks, and how to level up our presentation when it comes to the business side of things.
Tune in to hear 2-time Emmy Award-winning photographer, Jarrad Henderson, discuss how Black History sparked his love of photography. The Washington DC-based photographer and video producer also breaks down the joys and challenges of choosing between photography and video.
Tune in as we speak with Ugandan Multicultural Wedding photographer, Petronella Lugemwa, who speaks about the importance of owning her heritage while growing up in a foreign environment.
Jamel Shabazz, Brooklyn native and documentary photographer, discusses the importance of using photography to freeze memories of his changing environment.
Montreal based portrait photographer, Naskademini, discusses the importance of repairing the way we see the world as Black photographers. He speaks about legacy building by capturing the grace and dignity of Black people. This is the power of representation in front of the camera and behind the lens.
Tune in to hear Washington DC-based photojournalist and professor, Cheriss May, discuss her time photographing politics as a Black woman. She also speaks on her experiences as both a student and professor at Howard University and the importance of having that community.
Arlington, VA, based photographer, Lawrence Jackson, shares his journey to becoming an Official White House photographer for the Obama administration. He discusses the importance of being a Black man photographing the first African American president.
Los Angeles based photographer, Kwasi Boyd-Bouldin, captures mundane scenes with detail and importance. No matter which city he photographs, he wanders their streets with respect and a curious eye.
Michael A. McCoy, Baltimore native, photojournalist and Army veteran, discusses how he copes with PTSD and the importance of having mentors. As a Black Veteran, he feels it is his responsibility to photograph the humanity of Vets because, in many cases, it can mean life or death.
Photographing grief is a challenging task. Michael M. Santiago, staff photojournalist at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, discusses the importance of having empathy while covering traumatic stories.
Tune in as we speak with documentary and portrait photographer, Melissa ‘Bunni’ Elian, about her experiences photographing the diaspora in the U.S., the UK, and South Africa.
Michael Starghill, Houston based portrait and editorial photographer, discusses the art of self-assigning projects and the importance of paying dues.
Lynsey Weatherspoon, commercial and editorial photographer, moved from Alabama to Atlanta and photographs an aspect of ‘home’ wherever she is.
Afro-Dominican portrait, dance and fine art photographer, Luis Alberto Rodriguez, reflects on his career as a dancer and its impact on his photography.
Brooklyn based portrait and sports photographer, Anthony Geathers, discusses his time in the military and how those experiences prepared him for a career in photography.
