Hi, here’s a question for you:
How many photographers do you know?
Another question for you:
How many of those photographers are Black? Black women? Non-binary?
As the world celebrates World Photography Day this week, I want to invite you to check out the Black Women Photographers community. Black Women Photographers, a global community and database of Black women and non-binary photographers, was founded by me, Polly Irungu. I’m a journalist and self-taught photographer based in Brooklyn, New York.
Here are some Black women photographers from the community you should know about:
1. Tumi Tsepe
Photo by Tumi Tsepe.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Centurion, South Africa
Specialty: Portraits, Lifestyle
2. Ebunoluwa Akinbo
Photo by Ebunoluwa Akinbo.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Specialty: Portraits, Documentary
3. Abrielle Williams
Photo by Abrielle Williams.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Washington, D.C./Accra, Ghana
Specialty: Portraits/Music
4. Nailah Howze
Photo by Nailah Howze aka Nai aka CloudNaii.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Los Angeles, California
Specialty: “Queen of Behind The Scenes”/ Culture/Portraits/Music/BTS
5. Idara Ekpoh
Photo by Idara Ekpoh.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Specialty: Portrait, Lifestyle, and Photojournalism
6. Laila Stevens
Photo by Laila Stevens.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: New York, New York
Specialty: Documentary/Portraiture
7. Hibak Mohamed
Photo by Hibak Mohamed.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Specialty: Music/Events/Portraiture/Creative Direction
8. Randijah Simmons
Photo by Randijah Simmons.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Los Angeles, California
Specialty: Conceptual/Fashion
9. Aisha Ife
Photo by Aisha Ife.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Specialty: Portrait, Product
10. Akilah Townsend
Photo by Akilah Townsend.
Pronouns: She/her
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Specialty: Editorial, Portraits
11. Poochie Collins
Photo by Poochie Collins.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Specialty: Documentary/Editorial/Portraiture
12. Brittnee Renee
Photo by Brittnee Renee.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Specialty: Film/Portraits
13. Essence Ransome
Photo by Essence Ransome.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Specialty: Lifestyle
14. Cocoa Rae
Photo by Cocoa Rae.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Rochester, New York
Specialty: Portraiture/Fine Arts/Editorial/Fashion
15. Taia Norwood
Photo by Taia Norwood.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Houston, Texas
Specialty: Portrait/Concert/Lifestyle
16. Polly Irungu
Photo by Polly Irungu.
Pronouns: She/Her
Specialty: Portraiture, Fashion, Concerts
Location: Norman, Oklahoma and Brooklyn, New York
17. Etinosa Yvonne
Photo by Etinosa Yvonne.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Nigeria
Specialty: Photo/Video
18. Jazzmin Holmes
Photo by Jazzmin Holmes.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Specialty: Wedding/event videography; event/portrait
19. Esther Sweeney
Photo by Esther Sweeney.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Specialty: Portrait/Documentary
20. Jada Imani M
Photo by Jada Imani M.
Pronouns: She/They
Location: PG County, Maryland
Specialty: Creative direction
21. Nicole Stephens
Photo by Nicole Stephens.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Miami, Florida
Specialty: Live Music/Portraiture
22. Montinique Monroe
Photo by Montinique Monroe.
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Austin, Texas
Specialty: Photojournalism/Street Photography
23. Dina Michele
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Specialty: Portraits
24. Sarah Huny Young
Pronouns: she/her or they/them
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Specialty: Lifestyle/Editorial/Event
25. Jianna Cousin
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Montgomery, Alabama
Specialty: Business headshots, Portraits, Families
https://spark.adobe.com/page/ve50BU9gGuiF0/
Can we talk about the range?! These 25 photographers are just a small glimpse of the diverse range and talent listed in the Black Women Photographers directory. From Osaka, Japan, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, head on over to view more photographers from the global database.
Who are some of your favorite Black women photographers? Let us know!
To be added to the directory, send an email to database@blackwomenphotographers.com.
