CAPTURINGJAZ

St Louis has shaped how I do my art because of the racism I've experienced while being here I look at a lot of black photographers and what they did back in the day and what they did to capture the world around them. That's what inspired me to capture the current world around me - good or bad I just want people to see how they see us in this world So when I first started in 2016 when Donald Trump was in office and I wanted to capture the protests I wanted to show what young black kids are going through today. A lot of the time you couldn't really see what was going on with the protests and the media kept trying to sugar coat what was going on So I took that on as my responsibility Asking myself what would the photographers back then have done

Mike Brown was really a defining moment in my career That was when I was at a point where I was really fed up with what was going on My dad was not going to let me go take photos of the protests because he was scared I was going to lose my life I did lose my father in 2016 and so that is what really woke me up I know my father was worried for me as a black child in this world I did not do this to spite him but when Trump was elected that just fueled me to capture what was really going on in Ferguson

I'm so used to being behind the camera I was definitely uncomfortable when I first changed into a model role. It takes a minute to get comfortable but since I"m a creative director I'm able to be creative and see what works. You have to take time and effort when you're modeling. If you have a photographer that is comfortable directing people then you will be better off but if you don't have one that does and you don't know how to direct then you're just out of luck. So even if they don't know what they want I know what I want. I do a lot of looking at the camera when I'm modeling. I do the thrifting and see what type of garment I want for what I'm trying to do.

I love to sit on Pinterest for hours and I even have a folder for my poses. There are going to be times I don't know everything and sometimes I will need that inspiration and it's nothing to hop on your phone and look at some images from time to time. The other day I did a photo shoot and I got to be creative and try all these weird poses and they actually turned out amazing.

Know what you're trying to emphasize. Knowing what I want and the overall vision and mood then I know I"m on the right track. Once I find a pose I'll try different angles so we can get other distances and movement, but I am constantly moving on the set. I always have a mirror when I'm modeling and that gives me the confidence to see what I look like and if I like something or if I don't and adjust from there.

I'm very particular about my photoshoots and how I want them to look. I want everything to look a certain way and a specific type of mood I do wear all the hats but I enjoy doing all the parts of the process.