afropunk atlanta through chelcea’s lens.

Prior to returning to ATLANTA for the annual AFROPUNK Festival, we collaborated with Black Women Photographers on a campaign to spotlight various Black women who are changing the game in the industry. The collaboration was extended to a competition on social media where a call to action for Black women & Non-Binary identifying individuals to submit their work for a chance to experience full access at the festival. After a vigorous process, five finalists were selected. First up on the series is Chelcea Stowers who shares some of her images from the AFROPUNK Atlanta Festival.

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What are your preferred pronouns?

My pronouns are she/her.

How long have you been doing photography and why this career path?

I felt I was in a dead-end job and wanted to do something creative and something that I enjoyed. I picked my camera back up and began building a network in Detroit and connected with promoters to shoot weekly events. No two days are the same and photography allows me to showcase my creativity from my eye.

What inspires your work and do you have a fave Black woman who is a photographer?

My mother inspires me most, growing up she would always capture family moments and keep albums full of photos. Being able to capture people in moments that can be looked back on for years to come is something that inspires me. BreAnn White from Detroit is a Black woman photographer that I admire. Her work is art and she really pushes for other black women photographers.

Is there one thing that excited you about this year’s AFROPUNK festival? 

I was excited because this was my first Afropunk experience and being able to capture black joy brought me joy.

If you had a wishlist of people shoot, who would be your top three and why?

Spike Lee, Diddy, Ari Lennox. I love Spikes directorial vision and how he captures scenes, he is someone I admire in the industry. I would love to work with Diddy and Ari Lennox as well to capture their style and personality.

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Processed with VSCO with 1 preset

Processed with VSCO with a1 preset

Processed with VSCO with a1 preset

Processed with VSCO with a1 preset

You can follow Chelcea’s  Instagram page @just.chelcea.