I met Nia many years ago when she hired me to photograph her wedding. She is an entrepreneur, a coach, a mother, and huge inspiration to me. She runs a natural skin care line called Flora Lee named after her, grandmother. I have been using her products for a month and I love them.

Body language is one of the subtle and sometimes not so subtle ways we communicate. I ask almost everyone I photograph to use gestures of some kind. I usually allow them to choose the gesture by offering suggestions, sometimes I ask them to simply close their eyes and reach for the sky. I am able to answer questions in my head by witnessing gestures. Are they giving or receiving. Are they asking for something or offering something? Are they simply letting go? The viewer then gets to experience the gestures for themselves and determine how it makes them feel.

When I photographed Nia a few months ago, things in the world were tense. Things today are still tense. If you have Black friends, please know things have always been tense, and they are exhausted. Mentally, physically, energetically exhausted. Don’t expect them to explain their feelings to you, just support their feelings. Don’t expect them to tell you what to do, research for yourself and please do something.

I asked Nia to use gestures to help release some of the tension she was feeling. I really enjoyed watching her open up to the sky and to get lost in movement. I highly suggest using gestures everyday to help express what you need to say without words. It is good to keep energy moving, especially when it is negative energy. Screaming works too, I have a few photos of that coming up in future posts.

Coming September 2020, ‘Heart and Soul’ is a photo installation project that was created to elevate the voices of some of Cincinnati’s amazing Black Womxn. Commisioned by Artworks and funded by FotoFocus I worked with 8 youth apprentices to make mini murals created with painted photos that will be wheat pasted on Black Owned businesses around Cincinnati.