When online publication Taji—which celebrates black culture—approached fashion, beauty and portrait photographer Kelvin Bulluck to do this shoot, it was actually the model, Shari Tiandra, and her makeup artist who helped bring the concept to life. 

“The chains represent the oppression that black people have faced since their enslavement,” says Bulluck. “The face paint and head wrap are symbolic of the creativity and culture that flourishes in the midst of oppression. The image is meant to embody the spirit of overcoming.”

Bulluck tried a couple of different lighting setups for this shot, but in the end he landed on this setup: “I felt that the direction of light lent itself to the story. Like a higher power was shining down on the oppressed, giving them the will to live and create, even in the worst of conditions.”

(Photographed on a Canon 5D Mark II with a 24-105mm lens at f/5.6, 1/160 of a sec. and ISO 100. Lighting was a Profoto strobe shot through a 5-foot Octabox, positioned directly above the model, with a silver reflector under her for fill.)

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