Celebrating the work of Black Photographers in the GGNRA
"Jammela reaching for the stars" at Baker Beach Chloe Jackman @chloejackmanphotos
Marin Headlands and Golden Gate Bridge Khalil Robinson @krobinsonphotos
Point Bonita from the Marin Headlands Rahman Hayes @moderrn.up
Golden Gate Bridge at night Brandon Nesbitt @imagesbybrandon
Fog rolling over forest at Mount Tamalpais Marion Williams @marionthesecond
Full moon over Golden Gate Bridge James Lyons @jflphotography
Sutro Baths Deario Austin @chose1prod
Golden Gate Bridge sunset Dominick Gray @domdomthebomb
Path down to Kirby Kove Tay Williams @tamonewilliams
Trail on Mount Tamalpais Omar “Meez” Lockhart Jones @iamomeez
Heart rock at Lands End Alicen Holmes @alicenholmesphoto
Steps to Park Beach Kevin Wayne @kevin.wayne
This group of Black photographers has taken photography in the parks to new heights and wider horizons. Their work unlocks some of the most scenic vistas in the GGNRA, from the Marin Headlands to Mori Point. Their stunning photos inspire people to get out and enjoy the wonders of the parks for themselves. The moments they’ve captured offer a portal to the serenity that can be found in the parks. Below, we’ve included some of their brilliant park photos along with some words they shared with us for this article.
You can buy prints from many of these photographers and request to book with them for paid projects through their websites or by reaching out directly on Instagram. This list of Black photographers who take photos in the GGNRA is growing—if you want to be a part of this article or want to nominate somebody else, please DM us on Instagram or send an email to media@parksconservancy.org.
Deario Austin AKA Chose
Website: shotbychose.com
Instagram: @chose1prod
City: Oakland, CA
Pronouns: he/him
This year’s national theme for Black History Month is Black Health and Wellness. Do you feel like photography contributes to your health and wellness? If so, how? What about spending time in nature/public parklands?
Photography definitely feeds me mentally and contributes to my health and wellness in many ways. The most important being that it allows me to get away. I get lost in each photo. I also get to share that moment with people over and over again.
I love spending time in nature. I started out with a group of friends and we would just get in the car and drive. There’s something about hearing nothing but the sound of nature around you and trying to capture that in one moment that makes it fun.
How did you get involved in and develop a passion for photography?
I developed my passion for photography through music. It was a gateway into other people’s lives. I got to see how they live, interact, and exchange emotions with others.
Do you have any messages or advice that you’d want to share with other Black community members wanting to get involved with nature/landscape/scenic photography in the parks or elsewhere?
You can do any and everything you want when it comes to photography. You just have to do it. Often times that is the hardest step.
What do you celebrate with your photography or what inspires your work?
My blackness is what inspires my work. I started out doing street photography, trying to show Oakland in a different light. I always carry the streets with me in every shot. That’s why I feel my perspective is different when it comes to my photos. Beautiful with a hint of grit.
What are your hopes for the future of photography in National Parks / the GGNRA?
I hope that we see more black youth getting into to documenting all of these beautiful places we have access to. Nature is a huge part of healing and I want them to experience that as well.
Is there anything else that you want to say or share in this article?
I would love to leave those reading this with these words. Nothing was done until someone did it. Challenge yourself and never say can’t. Your body morphs into what ever you feed it. So as long as we move with the intent to succeed, you can do anything.
Dominick Gray
Website: SincerelyDom.work
Instagram: @domdomthebomb
City: Oakland, CA
This year’s national theme for Black History Month is Black Health and Wellness. Do you feel like photography contributes to your health and wellness? If so, how? What about spending time in nature/public parklands?
Yes, I feel like photography has helped me overcome struggles I’ve encountered in my life regarding health and wellness. It is a form of meditation for me as well as a creative outlet. Meeting people along way and the stories they share has also opened my eyes to view things differently. The similarities we share shows we’re aren’t all that different.
Spending time in nature is refreshing and clears my head from the fast moving city. It reminds me to slow down and appreciate everything around me; little or big, it holds its own beauty.
How did you get involved in and develop a passion for photography?
I’ve always been creative growing up, but I felt like the type of art forms I tried were not calling to me like photography does. I picked up a camera my freshman year of college and never put it down since.
Do you have any messages or advice that you’d want to share with other Black community members wanting to get involved with nature/landscape/scenic photography in the parks or elsewhere?
Advice I’d like to give to the community is to always try an art form out once. Doesn’t matter what kind it may be. You never know what will bring you joy; but once you find something that does, give it love and it will give you love back.
What do you celebrate with your photography or what inspires your work?
Something that inspires my work is actually going out hiking and brainstorming ideas with friends.
What are your hopes for the future of photography in National Parks / the GGNRA?
In the future, I hope more POC travel to these parks and experience what we have in our backyard. It will for sure give you a new appreciation and love for the local parks we have here.
Rahman Hayes
Website: moderrn.com
Instagram: @moderrn.up
City: Alemeda, CA
Pronouns: he/him
How did you get involved in and develop a passion for photography?
I got involved in photography in college when I was studying architecture and graphic design. Many of the projects that I worked on in school involved incorporating our own photography into our projects.
What are your hopes for the future of photography in National Parks / the GGNRA?
My hope is for the future of photography in National Parks to remain accessible to a diverse community that wants to experience the outdoors. I think everyone should have the opportunity to experience the National Park Service and I hope that it remains accessible to a wide variety of people with different backgrounds.
This year’s national theme for Black History Month is Black Health and Wellness. Do you feel like photography contributes to your health and wellness? If so, how?
I feel like photography contributes to my health and wellness by providing an outlet to embrace my creative side. After I finish every project I feel a sense of accomplishment in creating work that can communicate a message.
Alicen Holmes
Website: alicenholmesphoto.com
Instagram: @alicenholmesphoto
Pronouns: she/her
This year’s national theme for Black History Month is Black Health and Wellness. Do you feel like photography contributes to your health and wellness? If so, how?
Photography gets me outside and pushes me to explore, which means lots of hiking. It is the perfect complement to my fitness regimen! I love photographing seascapes and simply sitting and listening to the waves come in. I find it incredibly calming and it puts my mind at peace.
How did you get involved in and develop a passion for photography?
I developed a passion for photography by taking photos of my daughter’s dance classes, but quickly transitioned into a landscape and travel photographer because of my love of being out in nature.
Do you have any messages or advice that you’d want to share with other Black community members wanting to get involved with nature/landscape/scenic photography in the parks or elsewhere?
My advice would be to just get out there. There are endless possibilities in this genre of photography and it can be as simple as shooting in your own backyard or as involved as a road trip along the coast.
What do you celebrate with your photography or what inspires your work?
I am inspired by the infinite beauty found in nature and landscapes and how each person sees beauty in different ways. I am also inspired by other photographers and I learn a lot by following their work. It helps me push myself creatively and also gives me insight into new places to explore. Photography is the only reason I would get out of bed at 4 a.m. to hike up Hawk Hill for a sunrise!
Chloe Jackman
Instagram: @chloejackmanphotos
Omar “Meez” Lockhart Jones
Website: www.iamomeez.com
Instagram: @iamomeez
City: Berkeley, Ca
This year’s national theme for Black History Month is Black Health and Wellness. Do you feel like photography contributes to your health and wellness? If so, how? What about spending time in nature/public parklands?
Photography has been my main outlet for my mental health. It’s amazing to be out in different environments and meeting new subjects as well. It’s a release of emotions when you’re out, especially in nature, it’s a really great escape from the distractions living in the inner city. The Bay Area has a lot of great places to offer, a lot of places less than a thirty minute drive to some of the most secluded areas.
How did you get involved in and develop a passion for photography?
It all started in Tracy, CA. It’s an hour right outside of the Bay Area. I didn’t think it was going to be a big thing until I picked up a camera and started shooting. I was just a young kid from the Bay taking pictures where I could and eventually it turned into a lifestyle. Now I’m here, still grinding hard and able to make a difference and influence others in visual art. I wanted to be able to bring my audiences artistic expression and collaborating with global scale brands and also be the vessel to show that the impossible can be done.
Do you have any messages or advice that you’d want to share with other Black community members wanting to get involved with nature/landscape/scenic photography in the parks or elsewhere?
The best I could give my community is to get out as much as you can. It’s nice exploring other areas outside of a couple street blocks. I’ve always found that traveling to other places as well is very much a self-aware education for yourself. Encourage others to join and disconnect from the daily chaos in the world. Also reaching out to other black or brown creatives who want to share the same experiences with you.
What do you celebrate with your photography or what inspires your work?
The work that I highlight takes you on my storytelling journeys of Lifestyle, Urban, Editorial, Commercial & Documentary Style; Photography & Cinematography in all visual aspects. My belief is that Photography and Visual storytelling through Cinematography can and will inspire the masses to pursue their passions.
What are your hopes for the future of photography in National Parks / the GGNRA?
I hope this expands more to communities and also would love to see familiar faces from my community enjoying all these amazing places in the Bay Area. So many quality areas and so many acres of land to explore. I hope this continues to tell more stories to share with the upcoming future!
Have a Blessed 2022 everyone make this one prosperous.
-Meez
James Lyons
Instagram: @jflphotography
This year’s national theme for Black History Month is Black Health and Wellness. Do you feel like photography contributes to your health and wellness? If so, how?
Photography has been a way for me to decompress and work through life’s stresses. Photography is an integral part of my well-being. Many of the best locations to capture images require some hiking. My favorite hike is along Slacker Ridge.
How did you get involved in and develop a passion for photography?
In the fall of 2015, my barber suggested I try photography as a hobby. That suggestion changed my life. I captured my first picture of the Golden Gate Bridge in 2016 and I’ve been chasing increasingly more creative images ever since.
Do you have any messages or advice that you’d want to share with other Black community members wanting to get involved with nature/landscape/scenic photography in the parks or elsewhere?
It’s likely you already know some great locations to capture images. If you can’t think of any ask friends, family or a photographers work you admire for ideas. Get involved with other photographers, ask questions, ask for help. Exploring in a group is also good for safety reasons. Enjoy the scenery safely!
What do you celebrate with your photography or what inspires your work?
We take the Bay Area views for granted. Prior to buying my first camera in December 2015 I can’t recall a time that I’d deliberately gone out to enjoy a sunset. Now I make time to do so a few times a month. The Bay Area is special for many reasons and my desire is for my images to share one perspective.
Is there anything else that you want to say or share in this article?
I’d like to connect with more Military Veterans who are photographers. That’s a community in addition to black photographers that I’d like to connect with more.
Brandon Nesbit
Website: Imagesbybrandon.com
Instagram: @imagesbybrandon
This year’s national theme for Black History Month is Black Health and Wellness. Do you feel like photography contributes to your health and wellness? If so, how?
For me, photography contributes to my health and wellness. The relaxation of soaking in the moment of the landscape in front of me that comes with photography, allows me to enjoy capturing the scene. I love to see how I can capture what is happening in front of me on my camera. Photography and wellness really showed how they are connected during the start of the pandemic. When I was finally able to get back to photographing the area, I could feel my stress levels lowering. I remember watching the fog rolling over the Golden Gate for the first time after the Hawk Hill area re opened in 2020 and it was so fulfilling.
How did you get involved in and develop a passion for photography?
I have been interested in cameras for a long time. I got a point and shoot camera back in the early 2000s and I started messing around with the different modes and discovered “night photos.” In 2011, I purchased my first DSLR and moved to Philadelphia. Philly is where my passion for photographing skylines started. I kept that going around the country and to date I have photographed cities in all of the lower 48 states.
What do you celebrate with your photography or what inspires your work?
I celebrate city skylines and bridges in my photography. I love the look of a skyline lit up right after the sun goes down. I am inspired when I see other photographers take on a scene that I am very familiar with. For example, I was photographing the painted ladies with a friend of mine at sunrise. I am literally standing right next to him and we both aiming at the painted ladies with the sunrise behind them, so I thought. Later that day, he sent me an image where he focused on the streetlight with the painted ladies out of focus behind them. I was standing right there, how do I not see this line up or even think to do that? The artistic take on the scene keeps me motivated.
What are your hopes for the future of photography in National Parks / the GGNRA?
I would love to see more ranger hosted photography events with access granted to locations that may be closed off normally or access at times that areas might be normally closed.
Khalil Robinson
Website: Krophotos.com
Instagram: @krobinsonphotos
This year’s national theme for Black History Month is Black Health and Wellness. Do you feel like photography contributes to your health and wellness? If so, how? What about spending time in nature/public parklands?
I think it has helped me be alone, be present in my own thoughts, has helped me focus on the task at hand and put noisy thoughts aside until work is finished.
The best thing about spending time in public parklands is that you can take amazing photos of places and monuments that people have visited and can bring them different perspectives of those already familiar spaces.
How did you get involved in and develop a passion for photography?
I developed a strong love for photography that grew into an obsession later — I had been traveling to places while in the Coast Guard that I knew I would never see again. I knew I needed a camera after the first time at sea with no other boat or land mass to be seen for miles. I only have memories of those deployments. Had I had a camera, I'd have prints of those amazing sites instead of fading memories.
Do you have any messages or advice that you’d want to share with other Black community members wanting to get involved with nature/landscape/scenic photography in the parks or elsewhere?
The best piece of advice for people that want to get involved with photography is to get yourself an actual manual camera, and shoot photos of everything you find interesting until you know your equipment inside and out. You can then start to narrow down what you want to shoot and get really proficient at photographing those subjects. Never stop educating yourself photographically!
What do you celebrate with your photography or what inspires your work?
I get inspired by other great photographers, street photography, shadows in my house, so many things inspire me for fleeting moments but the more I exercise that muscle of openness, the inspiration finds me. When you begin to think in photos, you will start to compose your world into the viewfinder, and almost every scene can become a photograph.
What are your hopes for the future of photography in National Parks / the GGNRA?
I hope more photography meetups are hosted in the National Parks, I hope more tutorial sessions and photography classes happen in the parks because they are preserved and cared for in a way that is scenic, natural, raw even. These aspects of National Parks and specifically, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, deserves to be cherished and guarded because our children deserve to experience them too.
Is there anything else that you want to say or share in this article?
Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts on photography and these beautiful parks that we are so lucky to have access to!
Tay Williams
Website: Taywill.com/photography
Instagram: @tamonewilliams
City: Oakland, Ca
Pronouns: he/him
This year’s national theme for Black History Month is Black Health and Wellness. Do you feel like photography contributes to your health and wellness? If so, how?
Most definitely! Photography is super relaxing for me. I love going photo walks with my friends or discovering beautiful spots to shoot while hiking. It’s like visual therapy, we just talk and shoot beautiful things.
How did you get involved in and develop a passion for photography?
I got into photography in college, and I would take photos here and there, but I wouldn’t say it was my passion. However, last year a friend of mine gifted me a film camera and challenged me to shoot 1-2 rolls of film a week for a year. That challenge made me fall in love with photography and really ignited my passion for it.
Do you have any messages or advice that you’d want to share with other Black community members wanting to get involved with nature/landscape/scenic photography in the parks or elsewhere?
The best advice I can give to them is get out there and shoot. Once you get started, you’ll figure out what your style is, how to create a good composition, and you’ll be able to determine what you like and what doesn’t quite work for you.
What do you celebrate with your photography or what inspires your work?
My photography celebrates being in the moment. My style is snapshot photography, I like to take pictures of my friends or people walking by, capturing their authentic expressions and memorializing life’s every day moments.
What are your hopes for the future of photography in National Parks / the GGNRA?
I hope more people go out more national parks, hike, shoot and discover more hidden gems!
