The Street Portrait.

Street portraiture has long existed at the intersection of documentary and dialogue—where the photographer doesn’t just observe but engages. Unlike candid street photography, the street portrait is a shared moment: rooted in proximity, mutual recognition, and permission.

Black photographers have been foundational in shaping this form—not just by recording Black presence, but by dignifying it. Pioneers like Dawoud Bey, Jamel Shabazz, and Ming Smith redefined the street portrait as a political and emotional act, using the camera to celebrate community, self-presentation, and interior life.

My own street portraits follow in that lineage but lean toward restraint. I’m not looking to interrupt or perform connection—I wait for presence, for stillness, for acknowledgment. Some subjects meet me directly, others barely look, but every portrait is a quiet agreement. It’s not about catching—it’s about being with.