As we continue to honor women and their accomplishments during Women’s History Month, it is important to recognize the contributions they’ve made – and continue to make – to the visual arts, particularly photography. The dramatic increase in the number of female photographers in the last few decades illustrates a clear example of this movement’s impact.
Photography is an enduringly valuable tool to the African American community; it affords us the freedom to accurately shape and document our history, culture and identities ourselves. Black female photographers are important contributors to these narratives and, for the past century, have no doubt been working to preserve them in the most captivating ways, but unlike their white counterparts, they’ve only risen to the surface in recent years, so there is still a long way to go before they are on a level playing field.
One of the best ways to move the needle towards equality for these talented artists is to amplify their work and voices. And as the number of eyes directing their stare toward them grows, so will the opportunities.
For this purpose, ahead is a roundup of Black female photographers whose brilliance and skills are not only gaining much-overdue recognition, but with their art they are creating a new, unadulterated world of beauty and change for the better.
Nadine Ijewere
London-based photographer Nadine Ijewere is known for creating ethereal and earthy photos that celebrate the diversity of her models, many of whom do not conform to standard fashion industry stereotypes. In 2019, at only 29 years old, she became the first Black female photographer to shoot an American Vogue cover, as well as the first woman of color to shoot a cover for British Vogue in 2018.
When speaking to the British publication about the lack of diversity in the industry, she shared, “When I was studying, there were virtually no female photographers of color…I feel like in doing this I’m proving to younger girls from a similar background that it’s achievable. It also feels like part of a broader shift within our culture to include far more diversity, both behind the camera and in front of it.”
Lorna Simpson
Best known for her profound photo-text installations, Brooklyn photographer Lorna Simpson made it her mission to use her art in ways that challenge cliché, dated views on gender, race and identity. Along with her photography, she also explores these themes through film, video, painting and sculpting. As one of the early members of the conceptual photography movement, she naturally uses photography to delve into ideas rather than just taking photos of things she sees around her.
Her works have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Guggenheim Museum, all in New York City, as well as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art.
Ruth Ossai
Browse through Ruth Ossai’s striking photos and you’ll find her African roots are the hallmark of her work. Currently based in the UK, the influence of the Eastern Nigeria native’s upbringing serves as inspiration for her campaigns for brands such as FENTY and publications like Teen Vogue and Business of Fashion. She often uses eye-catching floor patterns and backdrops for her subjects that are heavily influenced by Nigeria’s famous, traditional studio photography aesthetics.
Ornelle Chimi
Ornelle Chimi is arguably one of the most renowned portrait and fashion photographers of our time. A Washington D.C.-based photographer originally from Douala, Cameroon, her body of work is full of breathtaking, refined shots that celebrate women of color. Her vivid, full-color and black-and-white, woman-focused images can be found in publications like Vogue Italia, Nylon and New York Magazine.
Tiffany J. Sutton
Tiffany J. Sutton is another photographer who serves up captivating shots that exclusively spotlight Black women. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, she began photographing them as a way to get reacquainted with her culture. She specializes in abstract portraits that challenge the one-dimensional perception of Black women by exploring self-identity.
Dana Scruggs
New York-based photographer Dana Scruggs has made outstanding strides by being the first Black female photographer to shoot an athlete for ESPN’s The Body Issue in 2018 and the first ever Black photographer, male or female, to shoot a cover for Rolling Stone magazine in the same year. Since then, her cover subjects have included notable figures such as Stacey Abrams, Yara Shahidi and Mariah Carey – and Scruggs was among the 15 artist portfolios featured in Antwaun Sargent’s acclaimed book, The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion.
Proving as passionate about advocacy for her profession as about her artistry, in 2020, she bravely led a public callout of the Whitney Museum, forcing it to cancel an exhibition of a series of works by Black photographers it had monetarily exploited.
Grace Bukunmi
Best known for her raw, emotional finishes in her work, Grace Bukunmi has shot for major It girls like Alicia Keys, Ashanti, Dua Lipa and Hailey Baldwin. She often carries the roles of stylist and creative director, which also lends to the uniqueness of her photography. She launched her freelance career with commissioned work from Elle, Hypebeast, Complex and Highsnobiety.
Cherry Archer
Cherry Archer is one of the most famous ecology-based photographers in the world. Based in Vancouver, she specializes in ice tile photography: she snips her favorite plants and incrementally freezes them, portraying a wonderland of all things botanical.
Archer’s art is informed by ecopsychology, a field which fosters ecological thinking and documents how exposure to nature benefits physical, emotional and mental well-being.
Temi Lawson
Temi Lawson’s captivating digital and film photography has been featured in Vogue, Forbes and Wired. Currently residing in Dallas, Texas, she proudly declares that street style thrives beyond New York City. And her impressive portfolio of portrait photography, rich with diverse scenery, wardrobe, colors and shapes, beautifully supports her claim.
