My studio works with models and creative talent in the Syracuse and upstate New York region. I had an opportunity to work with Black Monarchy, an Afrocentric fashion label from Buffalo. Their first runway show in NYC featured The Joseph Collection, hand sewn clothing formed from multicolored tattered cloth swatches, evoking the Biblical exodus from the perspective of African slavery.

The designer, Phylicia Dove, introduced me to a South Sudanese model, Kaji Modi. They brought a large array of clothing and tribal-styled jewelry. Using a feathered soft box light on a high boom, I isolated the subject which left the background elements in shadow. At the same time I asked Kaji to reflect on her exile from South Sudan. This created a dramatic and intimate effect.

Several photos from the series were selected for exhibition by The Rest Gallery in Ithaca and the Wilson Gallery in Syracuse. Black Monarchy used them for promotion of their business. Sadly, a few months later, in May 2022, there was a mass shooting of Black supermarket shoppers in Buffalo. Phylicia Dove --an active member of that community -- put her business on hiatus to help people deal with the emotional and physical aftermath of the racially motivated attack.