Locally based photographer and the artist behind ShotsByNadar.
“My connection to visual media began long before I considered myself a photographer. As a child, I remember filming the school announcements in elementary school and recording church services at my home church in Chesapeake, Virginia. Those early experiences introduced me to the power of capturing moments and preserving stories through a lens.
My passion for photography truly developed in high school, when I took an introductory photography class and fell in love with the art form. Since then, photography has become more than simply taking pictures. It has become an escape, a form of self-expression, and a way for me to allow others to experience the world through my eyes.
Through ShotsByNadar, I look for beauty in every aspect of life, especially in moments that may otherwise go unnoticed. I am particularly drawn to candid photography because there is an honesty in an unplanned moment. A glance, an expression, a movement, or an interaction that exists for only a second.
I believe that we are all students of life, constantly learning from the people, places, and experiences around us. My photography is my way of documenting that journey. I am not trying to create perfection. I am simply trying to be present, observe life as it unfolds, and capture the moments that make it worth remembering.”
Granby St. Jazz was born from an unexpected encounter on a quiet, calm night on Granby Street. I was selling pictures to patrons on Granby st. when I came across a street performer named Chance playing his trombone. Drawn to the moment, I approached him and simply asked if I could take his picture. These photographs were the result.
What began as a simple interaction became an opportunity to capture the character of Granby Street through one of the people bringing it to life. Against the stillness of the city at night, Chance’s movement, expression, and trombone created their own sense of energy and rhythm.
From the moment I saw Chance, my mind went to the streets of 1920s New Orleans. A lone musician, his instrument, and the city around him. I chose black and white to lean into that sense of nostalgia. I believe that when you strip an image of its color, you expose a certain rawness beneath it.
