Black Fatherhood Photography Project
Donation protected
UPDATE 09-01-2020:
Written By: Naisha Bailey-Johnson
Foremost, thank you to everyone that has donated so far and have shared this campaign on social media! To date, we have raised $1,091.00 for the project! Thank you for helping bring my vision to life! These initial donations will cover about half the cost for photographing, printing, and framing the fathers in St. Louis so that they are gallery ready. We have been approached by two local galleries in St. Louis, and are waiting to hear back from the Contemporary Arts Museum.
So what now?
Over the next several months, I plan to capture Black fathers with their children throughout the U.S. The next leg will span the mid-west region visiting Minneapolis, MN (George Floyd & Philando Castile), Kenosha, WI (Jacob Blake), Louisville, KY (Breona Taylor) and Cleveland, OH (Tamir Rice & Tanisha Anderson).
If I reach my fundraising goals, I can capture fathers in the cities that have gripped our hearts in recent years due to the untimely deaths of so many, such as Stephen Clark, Gabriella Nevarez, Botham Jean, Alton Sterling, Freddy Gray, and Michelle Cusseaux.
How can you help?
1. Donate to this campaign and share it online via social media and/or email network inviting others to donate.
2. Connect me with your contacts in the cities listed above who may be interested in helping me carry out this work.
Where will my money go?
My biggest expenses are printing and framing costs. Gallery printing and framing is averaging between $125-$175 per photo. For example, the fathers in St. Louis alone could cost about $2,500-$3,500 in enlargements, prints, and frames.
Next there are travel costs to visit each city. My plan is to start in places I can drive to save some funds upfront and hit as many cities in one leg. So, I will spend 48-72 hours in each city. I am averaging these costs at $500-$650 per city which will include housing, food, and gas.
Gallery costs to host the final project $4,000-$7,000.
Finally, I would love to purchase new camera equipment, lighting, and software. The costs of a new camera body, lenses, lighting, and software will be $3,500 total.
Examples of your giving:
$150 Gift – Pays for printing and framing costs for one father
$250 Gift – Could pay for editing software or lighting equipment
$500 Gift – Pays for the session fee for 10 fathers
$1,000 Gift – Covers all the costs of visiting one of the next cities including marketing and photography space
P.S. I am excited to announce that our project will be featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Thursday, September 3, 2020. Check your local listings for showtimes.
Original Post -- St. Louis Photographer Shows Black Fathers With Their Children To Debunk Stereotypes
As Naisha Bailey-Johnson scrolled through her social media feeds she noticed nearly every photograph or video on her timelines were unfavorable shots of African American men. She saw mugshots, stills of boys flashing guns and the lasting images of unarmed men killed at the hands of police.
Alarmed at what she saw, Bailey-Johnson, 33, decided to start a Black father’s photography project to depict that Black men are more than the negative glimpses that are portrayed in mass media.
“I'm taking photos to show the positive images of them being with the children, nurturing their kids, being providers, being their guiding light,” said Bailey-Johnson, who owns YoSnap Photo Booth and Photography.
Her Black fathers photo session is a passion project of hers. Bailey-Johnson said social media plays a major role in the how Black men are portrayed.
African American fathers have long been stereotyped as being absent in their children’s lives. But a recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention report on father-child involvement, found that Black fathers are more involved than Latino, white and other fathers.
Bailey-Johnson wants her photography project to uplift Black people. She originally hoped to photograph 20 Black men who have never taken a professional photo shoot with their children, but due to the overwhelming response (200+ submission) she is now looking to increase that number to 50.
“I hope that it [the images] would humanize the Black male right now,” she said. “There's power in photography. We are in the times where we believe what we see, so if we see positive images, hopefully it will just change the mindset of how people feel about the Black community and Black men in general.”
This project has grown in so many ways and we want to help Naisha accomplish her mission of reclaiming the narrative. Your support is much appreciate!
CREDIT ANDREA HENDERSON | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
ALL PROCEEDS WILL BE GOING DIRECTLY TO THE BLACK FATHERHOOD PROJECT FOR EQUIPMENT, LOCATION, PRINT ENLARGEMENTS, AND GALLERY DISPLAY.
St Louis Public Radio NPR Coverage
CBS KMOV4 COVERAGE
ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH NEWSPAPER COVERAGE
Written By: Naisha Bailey-Johnson
Foremost, thank you to everyone that has donated so far and have shared this campaign on social media! To date, we have raised $1,091.00 for the project! Thank you for helping bring my vision to life! These initial donations will cover about half the cost for photographing, printing, and framing the fathers in St. Louis so that they are gallery ready. We have been approached by two local galleries in St. Louis, and are waiting to hear back from the Contemporary Arts Museum.
So what now?
Over the next several months, I plan to capture Black fathers with their children throughout the U.S. The next leg will span the mid-west region visiting Minneapolis, MN (George Floyd & Philando Castile), Kenosha, WI (Jacob Blake), Louisville, KY (Breona Taylor) and Cleveland, OH (Tamir Rice & Tanisha Anderson).
If I reach my fundraising goals, I can capture fathers in the cities that have gripped our hearts in recent years due to the untimely deaths of so many, such as Stephen Clark, Gabriella Nevarez, Botham Jean, Alton Sterling, Freddy Gray, and Michelle Cusseaux.
How can you help?
1. Donate to this campaign and share it online via social media and/or email network inviting others to donate.
2. Connect me with your contacts in the cities listed above who may be interested in helping me carry out this work.
Where will my money go?
My biggest expenses are printing and framing costs. Gallery printing and framing is averaging between $125-$175 per photo. For example, the fathers in St. Louis alone could cost about $2,500-$3,500 in enlargements, prints, and frames.
Next there are travel costs to visit each city. My plan is to start in places I can drive to save some funds upfront and hit as many cities in one leg. So, I will spend 48-72 hours in each city. I am averaging these costs at $500-$650 per city which will include housing, food, and gas.
Gallery costs to host the final project $4,000-$7,000.
Finally, I would love to purchase new camera equipment, lighting, and software. The costs of a new camera body, lenses, lighting, and software will be $3,500 total.
Examples of your giving:
$150 Gift – Pays for printing and framing costs for one father
$250 Gift – Could pay for editing software or lighting equipment
$500 Gift – Pays for the session fee for 10 fathers
$1,000 Gift – Covers all the costs of visiting one of the next cities including marketing and photography space
P.S. I am excited to announce that our project will be featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Thursday, September 3, 2020. Check your local listings for showtimes.
Original Post -- St. Louis Photographer Shows Black Fathers With Their Children To Debunk Stereotypes
As Naisha Bailey-Johnson scrolled through her social media feeds she noticed nearly every photograph or video on her timelines were unfavorable shots of African American men. She saw mugshots, stills of boys flashing guns and the lasting images of unarmed men killed at the hands of police.
Alarmed at what she saw, Bailey-Johnson, 33, decided to start a Black father’s photography project to depict that Black men are more than the negative glimpses that are portrayed in mass media.
“I'm taking photos to show the positive images of them being with the children, nurturing their kids, being providers, being their guiding light,” said Bailey-Johnson, who owns YoSnap Photo Booth and Photography.
Her Black fathers photo session is a passion project of hers. Bailey-Johnson said social media plays a major role in the how Black men are portrayed.
African American fathers have long been stereotyped as being absent in their children’s lives. But a recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention report on father-child involvement, found that Black fathers are more involved than Latino, white and other fathers.
Bailey-Johnson wants her photography project to uplift Black people. She originally hoped to photograph 20 Black men who have never taken a professional photo shoot with their children, but due to the overwhelming response (200+ submission) she is now looking to increase that number to 50.
“I hope that it [the images] would humanize the Black male right now,” she said. “There's power in photography. We are in the times where we believe what we see, so if we see positive images, hopefully it will just change the mindset of how people feel about the Black community and Black men in general.”
This project has grown in so many ways and we want to help Naisha accomplish her mission of reclaiming the narrative. Your support is much appreciate!
CREDIT ANDREA HENDERSON | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
ALL PROCEEDS WILL BE GOING DIRECTLY TO THE BLACK FATHERHOOD PROJECT FOR EQUIPMENT, LOCATION, PRINT ENLARGEMENTS, AND GALLERY DISPLAY.
St Louis Public Radio NPR Coverage
CBS KMOV4 COVERAGE
ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH NEWSPAPER COVERAGE
Organizer
LEONARD JOHNSON
Organizer
St Louis, MO