Decolonize Photography

Non-Black photographers need to step aside and let Black people tell their own stories. It's the most helpful thing they can do. | Insider

“As a photographer, you have the capacity to decline an assignment that you do not adequately understand. If white photographers and photojournalists cared about Black people and their Black peers, beyond putting a pointless black square on their Instagram profiles as some foolish attempt at public solidarity, they would simply decline these assignments, state the reasons why, and recommend someone from these communities to tell their own story.”

Photo Bill of Rights

This document brings attention to the pervasive issues surrounding health, safety, access, bias, ethics, and finance throughout the visual journalism and editorial media industries and offers solutions to establish equitable standards through actionable steps.

Color film was built for white people. Here's what it did to dark skin. (video)

This short video explains the origin of Kodak’s color reference cards, later known as Shirley Cards. They used a single White woman as the standard and set up a bias towards light skin in color film development. 

Dark Skin People Get Their Ideal Photographs (video)

This video includes history and firsthand accounts of the harm that is caused when photographers do not know how to light and photograph dark skin tones. 

“In the 1950s, most of the people who bought cameras in the US were white, so Kodak didn’t feel the need to expand their equipment for a wider range of skin tones. As time went on, color palettes became more diverse. But some believe that the same standards for a perfect color image are still held in photography today.”

How To Photograph Dark Skin Tones | Aundre Larrow (video)

In this video, Aundre shows how to mindfully shoot dark skin tones with a DSLR or phone camera. Learn how to nail photographing dark skin tones both in natural and artificial light.

Keeping ‘Insecure’ lit: HBO cinematographer Ava Berkofsky on properly lighting black faces | Mic

“‘When I was in film school, no one ever talked about lighting nonwhite people,’ Berkofsky said in a phone interview with Mic. ‘There are all these general rules about lighting people of color, like throw green light or amber light at them. It’s weird.’ These rules are a start, but they’re far from a complete picture.”

Find Black Photographers

• Women Photographers of Color is a database for promoting diverse hiring practices across all identities.

• People of Craft is a growing showcase of creatives of color and their craft in design, advertising, tech, illustration, lettering, art, and more. It’s time to redefine what a creative looks like.

• Nappy Studio is a photo studio that helps brands commission branded stock photography that features Black and Brown people.

Find Black-Owned Businesses

• I Am Black Business

• Support Black Owned

• Official Black Wall Street searchable directory

Find Diverse stock images