Kitchen Table Series : Patonya Parker

Last week, I got the honor of working with a beautiful black young lady by the name of Patonya Parker. She is a 16 year old student photographer at ICP. Patonya reached out to me through Instagram and asked me if i would be interested in being a female subject for one of her major projects she was working on in the studio. As soon as she said, ‘Celebrating Black Female Culture through a remake of Carrie Mae Weems: Kitchen Table Series‘ i was SOLD. So i happily accepted and we set the date and time. She told me to come as myself, which was a breath of fresh air for me and we shot in a studio loft apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC. She rented the space for some hours, i got there early in the morning and breakfast was provided with a smile. The studio was so amazing and also the home of an award winning photographer. Nothing was moved around to create the scenery either, it was just me, the kitchen table and Patonya. She was such a sweetheart and made me feel so comfortable. Everything was set up nicely and all her equipment was in order before i arrived. This is by far one of the most driven, passionate and professional people i have worked with. Did i mention she’s only 16? Yeah, let that sink in. Also, this is shockingly the first female photographer that i have shot with. Energy upon energy! We shared music playlists, had laughs and had cool convos during the shoot. There was also one other beautiful young lady that arrived at the shoot a few hours later to join us, Sydney Fucci and she was a sweetie too. All female empowerment. You guys have no idea the feeling that gave me. I was most definitely inspired by this experience and we will definitely be working again.

Before i reveal to you her beautiful work, I would like to reveal to you her inspiration.

So before you look at the photos, click this link and take a look at the work please.

Carrie Mae Weems : The Kitchen Table Series

I would also like to quote an excerpt from the series

“…the woman stands alone, strong and self-reliant, looking directly at the viewer, her arms squarely planted on her kitchen table, where the events have unfolded under a light of interrogation. “

The twist on our recreation is, instead of showing the “traditional” family structure/gender roles shown in Weems’ original series, it portrays an independent confident black woman, that neglects the idea of the classic “American Dream” in today’s society.

*You can click on the photos to see the full image.*

These were the black and white choices, but i would also like to share with you guys the photos that weren’t black and white plainly because i just love them so much.

So, Yay look its Me. Ya girl. All Black All Culture. 🙂