Laneecia Ricks

Hey! My name is Laneecia Ricks, I am 19 years old, and I am a freelance photographer. I mainly take photos of fashion, editorial, and runways. I first started photography in my junior year of high school. I have always watched Youtube videos on gear, editing, and the shoots themselves. I would always learn and study photography but didn’t get my camera until my junior year of high school. I got my camera mainly for video because ultimately I want to be a documentary filmmaker; however, I started photography to learn my camera. Photography stuck and dominated over the past three years and I cannot complain. Over the past three years, I found the most fun shooting black, afro, and African subjects and concepts. I can relate to and express myself through my photography by connecting myself with other black creatives.

The photography industry is still a white male-dominated industry and it lacks any sort of representation. This project means a lot to me because it focuses on POC talent and creatives. Representation matters in our communities and it is very crucial. What I hope will come from this project is someone seeing a photo of a POC person that is in the business industry and I hope they feel like they don’t have to feel discriminated against because of their color, hair, attire, etc. I want to make people of color feel like they belong in a space that is discriminated against. Forever Grateful.