About the Artist
A District of Columbia native, Earl moved to Virginia while in the 4th grade and currently resides in Hampton. Earl took a liking to photography early on in life. He captured his first pictures on his grandfather’s old camera at the tender age of 10, but his love of taking photos did not blossom until his senior year of high school. He has used his ever-growing skills as a photographer to branch into cinematography while still being an eager learner of his original love.
Earl grew up in a black family that instilled the importance of self-love into him. He learned to love his black skin while young which helped him develop a great love for black culture. He was introduced to music and films such as “Crooklyn” and “Do the Right Thing” that inspired him to incorporate a feeling of pride and beauty of black culture and skin into his artwork.
Earl’s main area of interest is in portrait and landscape photography. Earl enjoys working with shadows and natural lighting as well as editing his pictures in black and white to show off black skin against a usually lighter background. His work is known to explore all facets of blackness including skin, hair, music, events, sexuality, and notions of masculinity and femininity. Earl also wants to show off Hampton’s rich history and beauty just as his idol Spike Lee has done for Brooklyn. His photographic inspirations include Gordon Parks, Moneta Sleet Jr., Dawoud Bey, and Anthony Barboza.
