A year of photojournalism with @tonl ’s “Narratives” Series.
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One of my biggest goals as a photographer is to tell stories that uplift the voices of the underrepresented. Over the past year, I had the honor of doing so on behalf of TONL’s “Narratives” Column, where I interviewed and photographed an array of people from diverse communities about themselves and the dope things that they do.
I learned so much about the world, and myself, through these projects. First, that Black Stories Matter. The ways in which Black people show up in this world is ever expanding and it’s important to give a lane for all of these stories to be told. Second, that it’s important to center the communities in which these stories are told throughout the entire creative process. That takes a lot of listening, a lot of checking one’s own biases about the world, and recognizing that, as the photographer and interviewer, you’re only a vessel in which another person’s story may live. And finally, that if you are well-intentioned and move with integrity, it is possible to tell truthful, meaningful stories about groups and communities that you aren’t from. Telling these stories was such a humbling experience, and I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who volunteered their time to tell their stories, from their perspective.
If you’re interested in learning more, the #linkinbio will direct you to a list of all of these stories for you to read about. Check them out and enrich your perspective today. In order:
1) Black History Month: The Groom Guy
2) "On My Own Terms": A Black Woman's Experiences Navigating Judaism
3) Tribesgiving: The Friends We Choose
4) Black Men Do Yoga: Yoga and Accessibility for Black Men
5) Big Babes on the Beach: Fat Liberation
6) Love is Love: LGBTQIA+ Love Stories
7) Storytelling Through Food: Suhoor at Mama Dely’s Supper Club
8) Nurses Appreciation Week: Meet Francesca
9) Here's the Scoop!: Community Impact Through Ice Cream
10) From PhD to Policy: A Black Woman’s Journey to Capitol Hill
I’m looking for new publications to continue telling these stories. Stay tuned for that. If you have any leads, please let me know!
GHANA AFFILIATED (2020)
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The following images are from an artistic project I completed during my trip to Ghana in December 2019 for the Year of Return. This project features three prominent Ghanaian tribes (in order): The Ashanti People, The Hausa People, and The Ewe People. The model in each set of images belongs to the tribe that the images represent, and the backdrops reflect the traditional cloth associated with each tribe. The models are colored in Black and White to showcase the facial features unique to each tribe. The color contrast between the model and backdrop express the vibrance of each tribe's traditional cloth. Link in bio to read more about each tribe.
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Models: @the.loret@kennyjimparku@ellie_agbee
Photo Assistant: @kafuiagboh
Model Sourcing: @biamah_24
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#ghana🇬🇭 #ghanafoundersday #ghanatotheworld #okayafrica #afripedia #afropolitainmagazine #afropolitan #africanart #african_portraits #ghanaphotography #yearofreturn
@ab_cole16 for @tonl ’s “The Business of Resilience” Narrative Series. Photos and write-up by me. Photojournalism is a passion of mine as a creative, so I’m extremely proud of this one. Link in bio to read more.
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From @tonl : “With Juneteenth upon us, the stories of Black resilience are the first things that come to mind to properly commemorate such a historic moment in American and truly the world's history. While the government distracts us with performative allyship in the form of making Juneteenth a federal holiday, we want to divert our attention for a moment on the people in the Black community making a difference. Therefore, TONL sat down with Brandon “Cole” Coleman, a former wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints, to talk about his experiences as an NFL athlete from 2014 to 2018, at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. We discuss his journey to the NFL, his participation in the U.S. national anthem protests, and how these experiences led him to a pathway of philanthropy and entrepreneurship after retirement.”
Year in Review: Shutterstock Editorial Features in 2025
From Super Bowl LIX, to The Met Gala, to the U.S. Open; and beyond; From CNN, to E! News, to Cosmopolitan, to People Magazine; From Kendrick Lamar, to Charlie XCX, to Martin Luther King III, to Bill Belichick (😭😭😭), to Jake Gyllenhaal; From The USA all the way around the world; ya boy was active in 2025 and the work paid off! Eternally grateful for all of the opportunities. Here’s to more features in 2026 🤲🏿
All work done for @shutterstocknow
🚨 EXHIBITION ALERT 🚨
Excited to share that I was invited to display my works at @monadnyc ’s “Here & Now” group photography exhibition in Brooklyn on Tuesday, December 16th alongside over 50+ amazing photographers over the course of two days. I decided to present these two images from a recent trip to Keta Village in Ghana’s Volta Region in October, where I had the honor of photographing Awadada Agbesi Awusu II, Chief Warlord of the Ewe tribe (and my dearest uncle) during the 25th anniversary celebration of his enstoolment. Link in bio for FREE RSVP!
Funny enough, these images are right in line with the exhibition’s “Here & Now” theme. Photographing this whole experience showed me that the tribal traditions of our diasporic ancestors are still alive and well. I feel blessed with both my familial ancestry and the gift of photography, in that I have a unique opportunity to share a glimpse of these traditions with others. I have so many photographs from this celebration and I’m still brainstorming the best ways to share them with the world. This exhibition is a great start.
Come tap in with me next week!
“There is no smoke without fire” // “Dzudzɔ adeke meli dzo manɔmee o” - A Ghanaian Proverb
Photo made with #fujifilmx100v in Accra, Ghana (October 2024)
