February is Black History Month. It’s a time to honor and appreciate the contributions that Black people have made and continue to make to culture and society. It’s also a time to renew our efforts to foster representation and safety for Black photographers on Flickr and beyond.
This month’s Explore takeover will be dedicated to the Black photographers on Flickr sharing their work and contributing to the community. If you would like to be part of this Explore takeover or you want to connect with other photographers to share what you’re working on, please join the conversation here.
Please meet some of the amazing photographers that will be featured in next week’s takeover and who have shared their stories with the Flickr community. Join us in appreciating them and their work all year long.
Elvert Barnes
Elvert’s photostream serves as a walk through history and social movements spanning more than three decades.
Al Thomas
Al Thomas is an educator and photographer with a passion for street and portrait photography.
Belinda Vickerson
Belinda Vickerson is a fashion and portrait photographer. Her photostream also shares serene landscape and nature photography.
Asha Blake
Asha Blake is a photojournalism student and her photostream features portraits, barbershop scenes, and springtime memories.
There are many other photographers who will be participating in next week’s Explore takeover and there’s still room for more! Please join the discussion in Flickr Social to get to know them, their work, and to introduce yourself if you’d like to be part of this month’s Explore takeover.
Meet the Black Women Photographers community
In 2021, Flickr and SmugMug partnered with Black Women Photographers to provide a $1,200 photography grant to one member of the community. Applicants were asked to share a photo that aligned with the theme “The Intimacy of: Change.” Thank you to Wild Gina for suggesting this theme and for serving on the grant panel.
Several members of the Black Women Photographers community also generously shared the stories behind their photography in our 16 Questions About One Photo interview series.
Kourtney Iman: Cotton Is Still Grown Here
Kourtney Iman is a photographer and creative director. Her work explores the overall notions of Blackness, including the culture and the aesthetics that follow.
Meika Ejiasi: Moody Asparagus
Meika Ejiasi is a food, lifestyle, and portrait photographer. She loves capturing the marriage between food, people, and their current locations and ambiance.
Iko-Ojo Mercy Haruna: “This is Home”
Iko-Ojo Mercy Haruna is a portrait and documentary photographer dedicated to documenting the fleeting moments of family life. She focuses on stories that capture the beauty of the everyday as well as those that dive into deeper conversations about the realities of motherhood. Her photo, The Harpist, was the winning photo in the People category of last year’s World Photography Day contest on Flickr.
Tobi Sobowale: Representation in Beauty Photography
Tobi is a British-Nigerian multidisciplinary artist. Her photography showcases the beauty and diversity of Black women – that they are strong and bold but also soft and vulnerable.
Thank you to these photographers and the many others who share their work and support others in their photography journeys. For everyone reading, please be sure to follow your favorite photographers from this post and the upcoming Explore takeover so you can see and appreciate their inspiring photography year round.