Congratulations to Rashod Taylor who earned his place as a Finalist in the 4th Edition.

Who are you?

I am a Fine Art and Portrait photographer from the United States. I grew up in Bloomington, IL and I hold an art degree from Murray State University. 

What inspired you into photography?

When I think about experiences that have pointed me towards photography I tend to go back to when I was around 8 years old when I was very interested in our family albums. We would have boxes full of photos and albums that my mom would put together. Growing up, my parents would take photos for all our events, birthdays, vacations, and family gatherings with this little 35mm Vivitar PS:35 point and shoot. I remember that little camera till this day. It’s probably sitting in a box somewhere at my parent’s house. Those memories have stuck with me and really sparked my interest in photography. I continued to get more into photography in high school working at the school newspaper and yearbook covering events and making portraits. Ever since then I gravitated to photographing people and that has stuck with me ever since.

Can you explain why you choose photography as a medium for your work and voice as opposed to others?

Photography was a natural fit for me, I always went back to photography for self-expression. I tried other mediums which helped me develop as an artist coming up in school, but I found that I had a natural eye for photography, and I wasn’t as good at the other disciplines. I have the utmost respect for artists who make work in multiple mediums at a high level.

Have you experimented with other mediums?

I did use other mediums in college which was very helpful in discovering how I best express myself. I enjoyed drawing and design class. However, my singular focus has been photography since. 

Can you discuss the choice to create your work solely in black and white?

I learned photography in the darkroom and it really stuck with me, I am also a creature of habit and also enjoy the process of it all. Black and white is timeless and lets me focus on my intent and the people in my photographs. It gives this raw vulnerability that I look for when making images.

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind "LJ and His Fort" as well as the person in it? 

This image was spontaneous, My son was making a fort and wanted me to take a picture. I had a few flags around for other projects and he was using the flag as part of his fort. I told him to get in his fort and I will take a picture. I have lots of ideas that I want to incorporate in my photography, and most of my images are set up with this in mind. However, sometimes it is about capturing what is going on in that moment and using intuition on what to photograph. In this case, my son made it easy for me. As I set up the camera I saw the importance of this image. 

"LJ and His Fort" is part of a series, can you discuss the series and its inspiration/process? 

It is part of my Little Black Boy series in which I document my son growing up in the United States. The series is about him growing up and the Black American experience. It also touches on fatherhood and how I navigate that being a black father. The inspiration came from photographing my son from birth and wanting to say more with my images. I didn’t just want to document his life with snapshots, I wanted those images to have a deeper meaning and provide insight into our experience as a black family living in the United States.

What projects are you working on currently? Can you discuss them? 

Little Black Boy is an ongoing series that I am working on along with a series called My America in which I connect the past to the present as it pertains to the Black American experience.

Lastly, I would like to ask what advice you would give to your fellow artists/photographers?

I would say focus on making work that you are truly passionate about. When you are operating in this capacity you make your best art.

To view more of Rashod Taylor’s work

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