Chisom Nwosu


Since my journey with photography progressed through the Art 376 course, my collection of work over the past semester has been focused on emphasizing different parts of the black experience. In my opinion, the media and our current society have pushed a stereotypical narrative of what blackness is supposed to be. During this class, I have strived to tell my story and my relationship with blackness through our major projects. With this, I am to show my viewers different aspects of the black community that are just as important as what is portrayed in mainstream culture.

My goal with the final project is to portray the black experience at Pepperdine with a specific event. I was able to attend the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority probate on campus where they initiated 3 new sorors into our black sorority on campus. This project displayed the camaraderie, unity, and pride that is not only just amongst the AKA members but also among the wider black student population on campus and across campuses. I took inspiration from the photographer Bruce Davidson for this project. In Davidson’s book Subway, he was able to capture various individuals on the subway in a way that seemed very authentic and “in the moment.” I used his technique to take pictures at the probate that looked stylistically candid and “un-staged.”