Janeé Smith: Exploring a natural progression toward movement

Portraits are typically regarded as a depiction of stillness where viewers can read emotions and character on a subject’s face. Once in a while, however, we encounter photographers who are adept at exploring the possibilities of expression through movement. Their work encapsulates the idea of capturing a moment in time while also showing beauty in form and action. Among them is New York and New Jersey-based Janeé Smith, whose “Dance” and “Portrait” projects incorporate movement.

Smith, who also works in Talent Acquisition in Corporate America, squeezes her photography projects into her busy schedule. Interestingly, while she was always intrigued by anyone with a camera, her photography journey only started during the pandemic.

“I was in complete isolation, quarantining by myself, and the lack of human interaction affected me,” she shared. “I realized that I needed an activity that I could safely do outdoors. So I bought my first camera as a birthday present for myself.”

In such a relative short span of time, however, she was able to try a lot of things. Starting out with landscapes and nature photography allowed her to learn about shutter speed, ISO and aperture. Later on, she found herself photographing dancers during a photo session with American Photographic Artists (APA). This, she described as a “watershed experience.”

Moving toward movement

Smith describes her photography journey as “a natural progression toward movement.” Given her prior experience photographing dancers, most of the models she has worked with have a dance background. “Working with dancers is beautiful to experience. They have such control and self-awareness of their physical capabilities,” she observed.

It’s easy to see how her fascination with capturing action and movement naturally unfolded. But she also wants to break away from the usual approaches to dance photography or portraits of dancers. Photos of them taking flight are a dime a dozen that she actually tells them not to jump. She also found that dancers have their preferred style of movement. So, she can simply give them minimal direction to start with, and make sure they have ample space to move relatively freely.

“I try not to beat a dead horse — most dance images that I have seen are of dancers taking flight. They are beautiful captures but it has been done before. So, I typically tell the dancers NOT to jump, stay low to the ground, or create shapes. If they do a jump, I want to photograph a jump that I haven’t seen before.”

Meanwhile, she takes a minimalist approach for her “Portrait” projects to incorporate some movement. “I usually have the subjects remove something like a hat or their jacket. Very much a Coco Chanel approach of ‘take one thing off.’ I want the focus on the subject with as few distractions as possible.”

Part of Smith’s approach to portraiture comes from how she wants to be photographed herself, and keeping things simple. “If I don’t like it, I won’t do it. For example, I’m a big Janet Jackson fan. So when I did my self-portraits, Janet’s Velvet Rope album cover was my inspiration.

“Another aspect of my process is, I don’t use complicated lighting setups either. I live a relatively simple life and I have that same approach to my projects. I used natural light for a long time. Now it is one or two lights maximum. Less is more for me; you can create and capture beautiful moments with very little.”

On being a Black photographer

Smith raises some important points and questions about how the world sees and appreciates Black photographers (and creatives). While there has been some improvement, she finds that more can be done in terms of recognition, equal opportunities, and fair wages.

“Sometimes I question people’s intentions; do they want to work with a Black photographer or is this performative? Are they merely just checking the box? That said, there are a plethora of Black photographers with different styles and approaches. Being Black is not a monolithic experience, therefore, being a Black photographer isn’t monolithic either. We can bring our own unique experience, style, and point of view to each shoot/creative vision. I can shoot the same subject or creative vision as someone else, but the other photographer won’t pose the subject the same as me, shoot the subject the same or edit the image the same.

“We can do anything and everything. Black photographers should be hired for every type of job just as non-Black/POC photographers have been in the past. We can photograph Black people, white people, Asians, Hispanics, EVERYONE. Black photographers can do everything! Also, pay us! Don’t lowball us thinking that we are just ‘happy to be there.’”

“Sometimes I question people’s intentions; do they want to work with a Black photographer or is this performative? Are they merely just checking the box?”

Janeé Smith

Fortunately, there are groups and communities by and for Black photographers, which enable creative minds like Smith to thrive and prosper. Joining Black Women Photographers (BWP), which was founded by Polly Irungu, for example, turned out to be a major turning point for her photography. Not only did it allow her to connect with talented Black women photographers like her. It also

“I can’t thank BWP enough. Having a network of other Black women and non-binary photographers is just beautiful. It’s a network of so many talented Black photographers, from all over the world with various backgrounds. Polly created and cultivated a beautiful community. She is constantly helping us; she actually helped me with my very first publication.

“BWP gives me reassurance that I’m not alone. In my experience, outside of BWP, most events or workshops I have attended, not only am I the only Black photographer, I’m the only Black woman photographer. BWP is a game-changer.”

On her dream portrait session

Every portrait photographer has an idea of a dream portrait session with someone they look up to, dead or alive, famous or otherwise. For Smith, it’s New York-based Dana Scruggs, an amazing Black woman photographer whose dynamic portrait portfolio has evidently been a big influence on her movement-driven work.

“She’s photographed Denzel Washington and Simone Biles, to name a few. She created her magazine earlier in her career and initially started her career photographing men. She has very dynamic movements in her images and manages to create these striking images unlike any I’ve ever seen. Outside of photography, she is an intelligent person with so much integrity. One of my favorite quotes of hers is, ‘Experience doesn’t mean taste.’ Once I heard her say that, it resonated so much with me. I’m such a fan.

“I would want Dana Scruggs to be comfortable for the shoot. She ALWAYS wears white, so I would want to photograph her in white. However, I’ve never seen her in a white dress, so I would try to capture her in a white dress with her dog. My overall approach would be to capture her interacting with her dog. I wouldn’t want to over-direct her at all. I just want to witness and capture her in her natural interactions with her dog. Just a very simple approach with a very familiar setting for her.”

Don’t forget to check out Janeé Smith’s website and Instagram to see more of her photography projects.

All photos by Janeé Smith. Used with permission.