Jessica Taylor

Dallas photographer Jessica Taylor’s “Parkside Portraits: Southern Tour” will be a 21-day traveling storytelling project through Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, and Atlanta, where she’ll be capturing a living archive of Black communities in South—and the historically underserved communities experiencing gentrification. “This next generation isn’t going to know the stories and the places that people worked so hard to build,” Taylor says. “I think it’s very important right now, while we have these spaces, to document them before they’re gone.” ⁠ ⁠ Before the tour kicks off, Taylor is partnering with local events producer @thelisteningofficial for a museum-style exhibition on Sunday, March 8, from 6 pm to 10 pm. Hosted in a historic South Dallas home, “The Artchives” features cocktails, music, and large-scale portraits captured by Taylor at events like the South Dallas MLK Day Parade, Bethlehem Baptist Church’s 156th anniversary, and the grand opening of St. Philip’s Performing Arts Center. Read the full story at the link in our bio. (📷: Jessica Taylor)

Had the pleasure of capturing @keke for BIG BOSS TOUR @hobhouston 🎬. Tomorrow will be a movie @thefactoryde 🍿 - Photography: @jtaylorstudios Editor: @the_nikon_icon ✨

@brikliam on film 🎞️ 2021-2022, a classic 🖤

Playing these strings while democracy swings, reshaping narratives one string at a time. Been HARPN but I’m a guitar girlie first! 🎸 I had the chance to chop it up with Aria Bell from the Dallas Observer about some very important initiatives I’m doing Behind the Strings with my nonprofit, Swan Strings. 👀🪉 From free music education to amplifying Black feminism in guitar culture, we’re building something bigger than music. Head over to DallasObserver.com to read more. 🤠 #AmplifyingBlackFeminisim #BehindtheStrings #SwanStrings #DallasCulture #TexasCulture

“World’s Strongest Women” (2026), Dallas, TX CD: @fashionfwd_ash

“World’s Strongest Women” (2026), Yameka Brown & her children. Muse: @innovative_meka Concept & Direction @fashionfwd_ash @anw.studio Photography & Editing: @jtaylorthehistorian @jtaylorstudios A year ago, Yameka let me and Jess follow her around to capture her routine, as a part of a photo competition. Once she clocked out and finished after school pickups, Ms. Brown and her 3-piece special started the second half of the day. First stop: baseball practice, then a quick stop for dinner, before heading in for homework and bed. What you see here is a glimpse at those last two stops, and the beauty of a mother pouring into her children. Parenting is a thankless job, often with little support. The strength required to be an effective solo parent, and high functioning woman in our western society, is an Olympic level achievement. The competition prompt was to “capture strength”, and I chose to focus on Black single motherhood. Not only because of my experience with the circumstance, but also because of the overwhelming amount of women in our community who lead this lifestyle. 47% of black mothers parent solo, and while this stat can be considered tragic, we also fail sometimes to highlight the grace and strength required for this role, and how many of Us have come from a “Strong Woman” like Yameka, making this look easy. Juggling a mountain of responsibility and still managing to make each child feel seen, loved, and considered.. To Me, Black Women are the World’s Strongest. My submission was not chosen for the grant or publishing, so we’re sharing them with the world on our own terms. Black is Golden. Community First. Happy Mother’s Day. #motherhood #photography #vogue #mothersday photovogue

Testing out the @polaroid I-2 needed something more compact for traveling but still wanted control ! Specs below: 👇 98mm lens manual settings (finally) autofocus actually works can shoot long exposures + double exposures works with i-type + 600 film and yeah… you can hook up strobes 👀 This time around I used constant lighting, just ordered the cord for strobe shots. The only part I haven’t fully mastered is the built in light meter. Sometimes it’s hit or miss so I’ve been double checking with my handheld, overall I love it❤️ Way smaller than my Mamiya RB67 lol😅 Can’t wait to start on my self portraits series with the self timer/app function 😍 🎥: @dancedailey 🤞🏽✨

multiHUED🌀 playtime w/ my fav @jtaylorstudios hair/makeup/styling: @sol.chld_

CALL FOR STORIES 🗣️ Parkside Portraits is hitting the road for the Southern Tour and we’re looking for real stories from real people across the South. As cities change and neighborhoods shift, stories are being lost in real time. We’re creating a living archive to preserve the people, places, and moments that make our communities what they are before they disappear. If you’re based in Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, or Atlanta we want to connect with you. What you can submit: Your personal story A memory tied to your city A person or place that shaped you A story that deserves to be documented Selected participants will be photographed and may be featured in a short film and archive. This is about preserving our history while we’re still living it. Submit your story using the link in bio. Preserve Black stories with us.

Jessica Taylor, @jtaylorthehistorian , founder of Parkside Portraits, @preserveblackstories , on the power of preservation and documentation. 🧩📸 Parkside Portraits, @preserveblackstories , is a donation-based Polaroid series capturing people in everyday spaces- creating a living archive rooted in presence, memory, and connection. Each portrait holds a moment that might otherwise pass, honoring the stories that shape our communities in real time. Tonight Jessica Taylor, @jtaylorthehistorian , is at the Nostalgia and Noise studio with @relatives.is and @blackgirlsinartspaces alongside Uwa Edeosifo, @uwaedeosifo , and Asha Abdul-Mujeeb, @ashaamanabdul for a panel exploring how women shape and carry history forward from a young age. 🧩

I’m honored to hold space and shine a light on Black woman in music. Black women that play the guitar are sacred. My intention is to continue shifting the narrative around who gets to be—and what is possible—behind the strings. 🙌🏽🎸 The guitar is a revolutionary instrument. And through it, we tell the stories that can change the world. 🦢✨ Much gratitude to the Swan Strings team, all of the teaching and performing artists, speakers, volunteers and to everyone who attended our inaugural Behind the Strings: Music Symposium. 🙏🏾✨ 📸: @jtaylorstudios #BehindTheStrings #BlackWomenInMusic #SwanStrings #AmplifyingBlackFeminism #DallasCulture

About Parkside Portraits, @preserveblackstories , with founder Jessica Taylor, @jtaylorthehistorian . 🧩📸 Parkside Portraits is a donation-based Polaroid series capturing everyday people in public spaces- honoring culture, community, and the beauty of being seen, while preserving and documenting Black stories through a growing visual archive. Now on its Southern Tour, a 21-day journey through Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, and Atlanta, bringing portraiture directly into communities. Contribute via @preserveblackstories . 🧩 Tomorrow night, March 27, @relatives.is and @blackgirlsinartspaces take over the Nostalgia and Noise studio from 7-10pm for On Documentation- a panel centered on women’s storytelling and the preservation of lived histories, featuring Jessica Taylor, @jtaylorthehistorian , Uwa Edeosifo, @uwaedeosifo , and Asha Abdul-Mujeeb, @ashaamanabdul , moderated by Isis Kazadi, @isisrkazadi . 🧩