Atlanta photographer Jena P. Jones is amazed that she still gets surprised looks from some people when they see her with a camera.
They say “oh, wow, I didn’t know there were black female photographers,” said Jones, who started her own photography business in 2006 but has been shooting photos since she was in high school.
Jones hopes to raise awareness about other women like herself and to encourage other women and young girls to pick up the camera.
She is the local coordinator of a special event, the fourth annual National Black Female Photographers Day, which will be held in various cities around the nation, including Atlanta.
The local group will lead a guided photo tour, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, at Oakland Cemetery, the historic burial site near downtown Atlanta. The group will meet at the security guard house just inside the cemetery.
Jones said program is open to everyone, regardless of age or gender. Jones and other experienced photographers will offer tips for taking a good picture and share their techniques. It’s free, but participants are asked to bring their own cameras. About a dozen people attended the event last year.
At noon, the group will later go to a nearby restaurant, Six Feet Under, 437 Memorial Dr. S.E., for lunch. Participants pay for their own meal.
The initiative is part of a national program started a few years ago by professional photographer Kym Scott of New Hampshire.
After running into the same kinds of confused stares that Jones did, Scott decided to start a group for black women photographers. The group’s Facebook following grew from 100 the first year to more than 1,400 today.
Registration is suggested. To register: http://blackfemalephotographers.com/national-black-female-photographers-day-2015/.
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