Kwaku Alston
What does today’s Black Hollywood look like through the lens of a seasoned Black photographer?
Presenters:
Kwaku Alston
Location:
Online
What does today’s Black Hollywood look like through the lens of a seasoned Black photographer?
What does it mean to be positioned as a standard bearer or gatekeeper of sorts, when it comes to the creation of imagery that will ultimately be used to sell to and be relatable to diverse audiences?
What is the view from the intersection where deep experience, sweat equity, and professional growth meet the demands of cultural commerce and the institutions that still hold sway in determining which photographers get which assignments? A photographer of color in Hollywood is at the crossroads of commerce, art, and cultural identity brand building.
How do I choose to represent myself, a person of color, within the context of commercial photography and advertising?
The emerging black aesthetic is grounded in dynamic and debatable notions of black authenticity and cultural relevance.
I will present images that span a 25 year career that has visually contributed to the black narrative in Hollywood. Portraits and editorial work from Hollywood glossy magazines to key art for movie posters, and rare behind-the-scenes images of day to day Black Hollywood. Additionally, I will share some of the insights and stories behind the imagemaking process.
Presenter Bios
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Kwaku has photographed some of the most famous faces of our time–from Oscar® and Grammy® winners to Barack Obama and the First Family. His many and diverse clients include The New York Times Magazine, TIME, and ESSENCE Magazine, global brands like Amgen, Pfizer, Coca-Cola, Target, and Verizon, and media giants such as Universal Studios, Disney, Amazon, Sony Music, and ESPN. His portraits have a fresh, unaffected feel, and yet they celebrate the extraordinariness of his subjects, striking a balance between contemporary documentary photography and classic celebrity portraiture.
After graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Kwaku launched his career in New York City, where he began shooting for major magazines and ad agencies while in his early 20s. Today he is based in New York and Los Angeles, and his photos have appeared on everything from movie posters to the covers of best selling books, and in advertising spreads for international brands such as Apple and HBO. Kwaku has also partnered with a variety of charities and nonprofits, including the Design-A-Cure Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, the Black AIDS Institute, and the Smiley Faces Foundation. Giving both his work and his time, he traveled to Ethiopia to document a shoe drop by TOMS Shoes, which donates footwear to children in need worldwide.
Kwaku’s world travels continue to inform his work, and reminds him that curiosity, encouragement, and sincerity are universal languages. As the director of photography on a documentary titled In Search of Voodoo, he has made multiple trips to West Africa. He is inspired to bridge still photography and filmmaking to tell great stories.
Organizations
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For 50 years, Leica Galleries across the globe have existed as more than mere exhibition spaces. They are places for imagination, dialogue, and connection. Since the first Leica Gallery opened in Wetzlar in 1976, a global network of Leica Galleries has grown across continents. These galleries are united by the belief that images have the power to move people and change perspectives. The Leica Galleries celebrate the art of seeing and the power of photography. They have been bringing cultures, generations, and stories together, spanning borders, for half a century—reinforcing the idea that true photography is timeless and that seeing is still a universal language.
