2026 was the year that we said yes to having a booth

 

Since the first Photography and Video since Covid we have been one of their community partners. Each year we have only had an exhibition space but this time we switched things up.

This year we wanted to come out of the box. May last year we launched our new website with our rebrand, new logo, a new membership portal and finally one of our major goals of having a directory of black female photographers in the UK. Taking it that next step of having a dedicated booth for our members to meet up and hang out while at the show just felt right.

We were able to build a INSTAX wall with meet up moments we have captured over the years.

Thanks to One vision Imaging we were able to get some of our favourite group meet up shots mounted and ready to go up on the walls.

Thanks to the support from Solo Press, we were able to have flyers to hand out to bring awareness about our community with easy QR codes so they attendees could join our public mailing list and black female photographers could sign up to become members.

It was more than booth it was a safe space

One big lesson we learned was that our space wasn’t just for our community to hang out in, it was for the whole photography community. What do we mean by that, you may wonder?

In our booth, we were offering free headshots for everyone. People thought there was a catch and there was. The catch was to be yourself, and that is exactly what everyone was. We did over 160 people’s headshots, and they allowed us to capture them in their full character. We didn’t realise that doing something so simple in our heads would end up impacting so many people in such a lovely way.

The reactions to their headshots were unforgettable, from people not really wanting to do it because they weren’t 100% comfortable being in front of the camera, to seeing their finished image and being amazed that the person they were looking at on the screen was themselves. That was something so beautiful to witness. Even those who weren’t 100% sure would see someone else’s finished shots and say, “Wait, get up, I need to get mine done now.”

One thing that really surprised us, and was a bit of a lightbulb moment, was when attendees started coming up to us and asking for tips. Tips on what first camera they should get, how to build their portfolio, how to photograph Black skin, camera settings, how to use lighting, and their client journey from enquiry to delivery of images.

One of the main questions we got asked over and over again was, “Why only Black female photographers?” And our answer was always, “Look around you, where do you see us?” You could see the change in people’s faces when they realised… you can’t see us. And that is exactly why our community exists.

It doesn’t exist just because why not. It exists because we are not seen or represented. It exists because we are constantly questioning if we are good enough. It exists so we can share our journeys in a safe space. It exists so we can inspire each other to do more. It exists to tell the community, “You can do it too.” It exists so we can walk into rooms with confidence. It exists so no Black female photographer ever feels like they have to do it by themselves.

 

Yep, that’s right, for all 4 days we offered headshots to all attendees. There were so many beautiful moments because you could literally see everyone slowly let their guard down as the roles were reversed, with someone taking a picture of them instead.

It became a real conversation starter, it went from “Do you want your headshot taken?” to speaking about people’s journeys, making connections, asking for tips, giving advice, and inspiring each other to take that leap they’ve been meaning to take. We were honoured to be a part of that for the over 160 people we photographed.

A big thank you to our supporters who made our headshot pop-up even possible: Elinchrom, FUJIFILM, Capture one, Manfrotto and Tethertools.

An even bigger thank you to our member Jade for doing headshots on saturday our founder Jemella for doing the rest of the days and Member Rahimat for jumping in when she needed a break and Rebecca for her nonstop support taking deliveries, to making sure we were all fed, speaking with people. The power of community when we come together.

 

 

 

Thank you to every single person who entrusted us to capture them on the photography we loved hearing about your journey. We loved telling you all about our community and we can’t wait to see you all again in the photography world soon!

See you Next Year 13-16 March 2027 Excel, London