The Essence of Photography

A true force! Mosaic Souls had a great time speaking with Essence about her childhood, present moments, and future goals on photography and other personal interests.

Essence spoke to us about what she feels makes art art, and her desire of expressing through a passion project of hers, the diversity of black tribes.

READ OUR CONVERSATION BELOW!

Tell us your first and last name, your age, ethnicity, where you’re from and we’ll get right into it.

My name is Essence Praise Epperson, I’m 19, I grew up in Maryland - Prince George’s County specifically. And I’m black - very black - very proud of it. It makes people uncomfortable and I’ve come to terms with it. I attend Tuskegee University. I’m a makeshift photographer, I paint and I love writing. I feel like I cannot yet claim the professional photographer title because I have not taken any classes. I’ve dedicated a good portion of my time and resources to photography, but I just don’t want to give myself a title when other people have worked so much harder than I have and I haven’t reached that level yet.

So what level would that be? I always say people don’t give themselves enough credit, because if you’re a photographer you’re a photographer.

I don’t want to be known as just someone who takes pictures - because your aunty can take your pictures. I want to create a portrait of you. I want to know how to work my cameras ins and outs. I want to know how to photoshop. I’m just now starting to use Lightroom, which is a software that you have to know. I’m delving into green screens and in my upcoming semester my choir studies are blessing me with the opportunity to be Director of Production, Photography, and Videography. I’m learning the routes of how to successfully work my camera and how to get people to be more comfortable with getting their pictures taken. I’ve noticed people think that when you’re a photographer, you search for beautiful women. Don’t get me wrong I love me a beautiful girl; however that’s not what photography is about. To be a good photographer you can’t just take pictures of pretty girls. Any picture of a pretty girl, a selfie, a Snapchat filter is going to be beautiful. That’s not photography.

“Photography is being able to capture the essence of someone in a picture.”

Beautifully said. So you said that you also have some other passions, tell us about those.

The passions that I know aren’t going away – writing, public speaking, and photography. I also paint to relieve stress. I don't do it everyday or even every month, but when I do I dedicate specific amounts of time to it. I’m in choir. I love music. At Tuskegee we mostly sing negro spirituals in my choir and I’ve gained an appreciation for it, as well as Baroque-style music. I still love some funk; Parliament Funkadelic, and Chaka Khan but then I like nigga music too. I remember I told my mom “I hate rap”, and now I like Joey Badass, Goldlink, and even Skimasktheslumpgod! I just had to find the rap that I like. This morning as I was driving my sister around, I listened to Azealia Banks and some old bops.

Azealia Banks is a hardcore bop!

Everyone has a controversial fave - she’s mine. If y’all can stan Kanye, I can stan Azealia Banks. She gets my whole mood. Just “I’m that bitch.” And I love it.

We agree! Do you listen to music when you do your photo shoots?

Photo shoots are really weird experiences, because everyone handles them differently. When I was doing a photo shoot for someone’s grad photos he wanted photos that made him look like a badass; he has a BMW and he wanted me to take pictures of him in front of it, he wanted to pop champagne, he wanted to just do certain things. He’s in choir with me and he is the most mellow male I have ever encountered. But, he wanted to look like he could have fun, he wanted to pop the champagne and do dance moves. So in order for him to get into that mood he played music. Whereas most other people would be like “Girl, I know this is my side. There is no music - I am the music.”

I have a study I created for black girls, it’s called “Black Girls Undefined.” What I would do is give black girls a questionnaire to fill out, and the reason I stopped in the first five months is because people don’t like to write and it’s apparent. People would be like, “well can you just take pictures of me? Do I have to do the questionnaire?” - That’s the whole point of the study sis! The point of the study was to try and get people to break stereotypes.

Inside of our own race we are so different, because you have Afro Latinos, African Americans, continental Africans, black people from all different walks of life. Single parent households, two parent households, suburban, privileged like I am, and then you have people who are dirt poor but still manage to be great people.

“for people to just put black women in this one box, saying black women are this, black women are that is just not true.”

And that’s what this study was for.

I remember taking pictures of my friend. she was nervous because she didn’t consider herself to be the most attractive, but I felt that was not her purpose in life to be a pretty face. And I could tell she was like, -“Oh my God, you’re going to take pictures of me. How are we going to do this? I don’t know what to do, I’m not photogenic.”

“And I told her, “Just exist.”

And I didn’t know how much those words meant to her, until she posted the photos, and she wrote, “This was such a great experience I had so much fun, I just loved it!” and one of her captions was, “Just exist.” And I was like, that’s what this is.

What was on your list of questions for Black Girls Undefined?

A question I remember asking is, “Have you ever experienced backlash from your people because of a decision you made with your life?” For me I went to an HBCU and my parents looked down on me. Well they didn’t look down on me, but my mom didn’t want that to be an option. Because my mom works at the White House, she had the notion that having an HBCU on my resume would single me out as being black, which would lead to predetermined judgement against me. So for that reason she didn’t want me to go to an HBCU. And she definitely didn’t want me to go down south, but I was like “I hate the north - down south it is!”

Having so many passions, how did photography come to be your prominent focus ?

I am privileged and because I’m privileged the gifts that I used to get for Christmas would be kind of expensive. So I got my first digital camera when I was in the fourth grade. And I would take it to school, I would take it everywhere despite my parents’ wishes. When I was young I always loved to document everything, which is also why I’m a pack rat now because I keep everything.

Do you still have or remember any of the pictures that you took?

I broke that camera from water damage, I cried so bad. I got my second one in the summer between the six and seventh grade, it was a waterproof camera and it was orange – orange is my favorite color. And I remember the camera because I took this really pretty picture of these little girls underwater and it was adorable.

But my pictures of myself from back then are so ugly. I have always been natural I’ve never had a relaxer, or perm, or any chemical of any sort. But my mom used that hot comb with a passion. I don’t think she started straightening my hair until I was like 10 or 9, which is still young when you think about putting that much heat towards a child’s head. But you know I think black people have this idea, “Oh this is an important event”, a.k.a. let’s straighten your hair because it’s a professional event and you can’t just wear your naps on stage. So my hair was always pressed and curled and I don’t have the type of hair to keep straightening. My hair would turn brittle and thin because I have very soft hair. And people say, “Oh your hair looks like it must be so thick“, well - no it’s not that thick at all. So those pictures, terrible!

MS:
Girl we’ve all got bad fourth grade pictures.

I didn’t get a new camera until I had the idea for the study. I was noticing so many people around me that were my age that were doing things with their lives and I felt I had nothing to show for myself. People knew me to be into politics, and to care about black people and our progression, but I didn’t want to be a ‘social media activist’. I thought, let me do something! So I created the study and added the photo aspect to capture time and the memory of the people. I knew my dad had a camera he wasn’t using so I asked him for it - and it was so janky. I had to use a hair pin to take the photos. So I took my first photos for the study with that camera and I thought “hmm I like this.”

So you want to be a mortician and you are studying History and Psychology?

Yes. But I am going to college not for the classes but for the experience, and after college, mortuary school. I want to do natural mortuary work. The funeral industry just like every other industry is kind of corrupt. They charge you all this money for things that you don’t need. Bodies do not have to be embalmed. Embalming is not only bad for the deceased, but for the morticians themselves and it’s a known cancer causer.

With these goals of becoming a mortician how do you plan to pursue your photography career as well? Do you have goals to take photos of famous people, travel photos, or any other style outside of portraits?

I want to do all types of photography. I really like interior design photography and I’ve also been thinking about a career in the police department. I would love to be the person who takes pictures of the crime scene. I just love taking pictures of people specifically. I like live photos, natural photos of people who don’t know you’re taking photos of them, like grandmas kissing their grand-babies, black women doing their hair, and I love nature photography because it is peaceful and innocent. Since I have grown passionate of photography I’m definitely considering it as a lifelong side hustle.

MS:
I love the poetry of you being a photographer and being a mortician. You are able to capture these memories of life as a photographer and then as a mortician you are able to capture the passing and closing of life.

I never thought about it that way.

A little more generic, can you define art for us? And why do you consider photography an art form?

Photography can be art. I would love to believe that art is anything anyone can make it. However, I think art comes from true dedication and having a passion for whatever you are doing. So if the artist actually finds beauty in what they are doing then it is art. Someone could be good at drawing, look at something and duplicate it - but that’s not their passion so technically to me it’s not art, you just copied something. It can be a chef, a dancer, it’s what makes you joyful.

“Art is passion. Being in love with a project even when it frustrates you, is art and takes passion.”

So photography is art because I am passionate about it. I make sure that I feel good, the person feels good, and the picture feels good.

MS:
I’ve had the pleasure of standing in on some of your work and your direction is spectacular. The way that you communicate what you want to see come through with your lens and how you want the person you’re taking pictures of to be portrayed. You truly do capture the essence of them “being” in that photograph.

Did you always know, “I have to tell her to put her chin down?” Also, how do people take that? Do you always give direction?

Thank you! So we paid a woman to take my graduation photos and they were terrible. Luckily, I can fix about anything. But my mindset when behind the camera is, “do you want a photoshoot, or do you want for me to just take pictures of you?” There’s a difference. I think photography is one of the most disrespected art forms. A lot of people think it is just you snapping photos. And that’s not all it is. I want for people to look their best. You may think it’s cute for you to wear your shirt on the outside, but maybe it looks better when you tuck it in. Minor changes make a difference. We don’t notice certain things about ourselves when we’re walking down the street, but photos allegedly add ten pounds, and everything in person doesn’t look the same on camera. So knowing what you look like through the camera lens and how to edit is important. My neck looks like it doesn’t exist if I don’t position my face a certain way. If I know which side of your face looks more flattering I’ll shoot that side, if I notice you have an amazing jawline I’ll shoot beneath you, if you look better with the camera up, we’re going up - and that’s just that.

MS:
It was an experience watching you work. I love listening to your voice, so I was listening and watching - and your direction, your command - it wasn’t aggressive or like, “let me tell you what to do”, it was “let me create this look for you sis”, “let me give you what you’re really here for” type of shit. And I was moved.

Our last question for you is what do you aspire to share with the world with your photography and your art? And have you come across realizing your purpose?

Even though I’m Christian, I’ve never really liked church. But I have met some beautiful people in church, and have heard some of the most beautiful things there that will always stick with me throughout life. I believe there was a reverend at church one day, and he had a gift of telling people their purpose. He told me, “I see you speaking to people.” At that time I hated people. But now that I’m older, I’ve come to understand that it’s the purest way of me expressing myself, because whatever’s on my brain I just spit it out. You can say a lot of beautiful things and not even notice. Maya Angelou didn’t speak for seven years of her life, and that woman had probably so many beautiful words in her during that time period. She had so many beautiful words in her after that. And you never know how the things you say can affect people so much. And I know I ain’t no fool, I can act ditzy if I want to but I know I’m not stupid. Like my mother I know how to give tough love. Unlike my mother I know how to give it in a way that doesn’t make you hate me. So I am thinking that speaking to people may be my purpose. Part of me believes my purpose may be to bring a better way of living to this area, part of me feels my purpose is to make people happy, to make people laugh. I’m not too sure because I’m not there yet.

MS:
I think that’s perfectly fine. I think your purpose is forever growing, as long as you’re willing to learn and willing to listen to what God is telling you. The fact that you’re willing to figure it out is what matters.