5 Important African American Photographers that You Should Know

Through their lenses, African American photographers have documented the African American Experience.  With their images, our experiences, history, and perspectives have been shared.  From portraits portraying life in the Harlem Renaissance to powerful imagery surrounding the Civil Rights Movement to the young men with boom boxes on the subway in Brooklyn, these African American photographers have given us a complex view of our culture. Which in turn, becomes a part of American Culture.

 

 

1. Gordon Parks:

The first African-American photographer hired at Life and Vogue magazines, Gordon Parks  was a prolific photographer,writer, composer and filmmaker.  His photo essays that he produced primarily for LIFE magazine from the 1940s to 1970s focused on issues related to poverty, race, segregation and life of African Americans .

 

 

2. Addison Scurlock

Addison Scurlock came to Washington DC in 1900 and opened up a Studio in 1911 on U Street, in the heart of the African American Community. He established himself as the preeminent African American photographer in Washington DC at a time when minstrel caricature was common.  His photos captured black culture in its complexity and showed black people as they saw themselves.

 

 

3. Jamel Shabazz

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Jamel Shabezz has documented urban New York for the last 40 years.  In 1980 he embarked on a mission to extensively document various aspects of life in New York City, from youth culture to a wide range of social conditions. Due to its spontaneity and uniqueness, the streets and subway system became backdrops for many of his photographs.

 

 

4. Moneta Sleet Jr

Best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of the funeral of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr..  Moneta Sleet Jr started working for Johnson Publishing in 1955, where he shot for the  Ebony and Jet Magazine, capturing, among others Muhammad Ali, Stevie Wonder and Billie Holiday. He also shot the funeral of Malcolm X.

 

 

5. James Van Der Zee

James Van Der Zee was a Harlem-based photographer, renowned for his glamorous, detailed portraits and depictions of the African American middle class in Harlem in the 1920s and 30s.  He labeled each of his photos with a signature and date, which would prove to be important for future documentation.

 

 

 

 

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Black History is AMERICAN history. And this month, the Fab 5 is celebrating it with a new series about Black History.  Check out the rest of the posts!

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Mimi: 5 Places to Visit that Highlight African American History

Bernetta 5 African American Child Entrepreneurs to Watch

MJ:  5 Must Read Books on Black History