In uncomfortable times like these, it’s easy to stay silent and shut everything out. While I don’t normally use my business voice for anything much than photography, I felt now was as good time a time as ever to use my platform and discuss a number of topics that matter to my heart.
First and foremost, it’s not enough anymore to “not see color” anymore. It’s not enough to be a “non-racist” nowadays, we need to be anti-racist. Now, before any of you look on my website and social media and say, “But Melania … the majority of your portfolio is white. You don’t have much diversity in your portfolio.” Oh, I know. Trust me, it bothers me. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything about who inquires and who books, but this is what I can do.
I can guarantee you that ALL of my weddings have been REAL weddings. In my career, I have never once posted on my social media any work that has been from a workshop, conference, and didn’t label it as such. Also, any styled shoots that I’ve done in the past haven’t used models. I’m really finicky about that. After all, my goal is to keep my work as authentic and real as possible. I can only do that by photographing REAL people with real connections feeling real emotions.
Now, the big one. Over the years, I’ve slowly been stepping away from Shoot and Share and PASS. Have you ever had a weird feeling about someone, and you just couldn’t quite put your finger on the why. David Jay is one of those people. I’m not going to write libelous statements about him or any other employees/ex-employees, but I just want to make my position about certain things perfectly clear. I absolutely will not, now or ever, do any kind of business with anyone who supports or condones any form of racism and/or bigotry. In addition, there have also been sexual harassment allegations within the PASS organization. With that being stated, I am severing all ties with the PASS organization. Again, I fully believe if you don’t like how something is being handled, do something about it.
CLIENTS: Here’s what I need YOU to do. If you haven’t already, PLEASE BACKUP YOUR FILES. Over the next months, I will be slowly be changing things over to another provider and DELETING old galleries. Please be patient with me as the process takes a LOT of time. Uploading takes a LOT of time. We’ll be working with our new provider to see if they can help us make the switch a little easier, but older galleries have to be manually switched over. Once your gallery has been switched over, you’ll get a new link with our new provider. I promise, you will LOVE the new gallery layout and I will love supporting a business whose core values align with my own.
We stand with you to end systemic racism. We are here to help support black-owned businesses. But most importantly to say the names of those we have lost. Their lives matter. BLACK lives matter.
EMMETT TILL – ERIC GARNER – JOHN CRAWFORD III – MICHAEL BROWN – EZELL FORD – DANTE PARKER – MICHELLE CUSSEAUX – LAQUAN MCDONALD – TANISHA ANDERSON – AKAI GURLEY – TAMIR RICE – RUMAIN BRISBON – JERAME REID – JOSEPH MANN – MATTHEW AJIBADE – JAMES N. POWELL JR. – FRANK SMART – NATASHA MCKENNA – TONY ROBINSON – ANTHONY HILL – MYA HALL – PHILLIP WHITE – ERIC HARRIS – WALTER SCOTT – WILLIAM CHAPMAN II – ALEXIA CHRISTIAN – BRENDON GLENN – VICTOR MANUEL LAROSA – JONATHAN SANDERS – FREDDIE CARLOS GRAY JR. – JOSEPH MANN – SALVADO ELLSWOOD – SANDRA BLAND – ALBERT JOSEPH DAVIS – DARRIUS STEWART – BILLY RAY DAVIS – SAMUEL DUBOSE – MICHAEL SABBIE – BRIAN KEITH DAY – CHRISTIAN TAYLOR – TROY ROBINSON – ASSHAMS PHAROAH MANLEY – FELIX KUMI – KEITH HARRISON MCLEOD – JUNIOR PROSPER – LAMONTEZ JONES – PATERSON BROWN – DOMINIC HUTCHINSON – ANTHONY ASHFORD – ALONZO SMITH – TYREE CRAWFORD – INDIA KAGER – LA’VANTE BIGGS – MICHAEL LEE MARSHALL – JAMAR CLARK – RICHARD PERKINS – PHILLIP PANNELL – NATHANIEL HARRIS PICKETT – BENNI LEE TIGNOR – MIGUEL ESPINAL – MICHAEL NOEL – KEVIN MATTHEWS – BETTIE JONES – QUINTONIO LEGRIER – KEITH CHILDRESS JR. – JANET WILSON – RANDY NELSON – ANTRONIE SCOTT – WENDELL CELESTINE – DAVID JOSEPH – CALIN ROQUEMORE – DYZHAWN PERKINS – CHRISTOPHER DAVIS – MARCO LOUD – PETER GAINES – TORREY ROBINSON – DARIUS ROBINSON – KEVIN HICKS – MARY TRUXILLO – DEMARCUS SEMER – AMADOU DIALLO – WILLIE TILLMAN – TERRILL THOMAS – SYLVILLE SMITH – ALTON STERLING – PHILANDO CASTILE – TERENCE CRUTCHER – PAUL O’NEAL – ALTERIA WOODS – BOBBY RUSS – JORDAN EDWARDS – AARON BAILEY – RONELL FOSTER – STEPHON CLARK – ANTWON ROSE II – MALICE GREEN – AIYANA STANLEY JONES – BOTHAM JEAN – PAMELA TURNER – DOMINIQUE CLAYTON – ATATIANA JEFFERSON – CHRISTOPHER WHITFIELD – VICTOR WHITE III – CHRISTOPHER MCCORVEY – REGINALD DOUCET JR. – DANROY “DJ” HENRY JR. – ERIC REASON – KORRYN GAINES – REKIA BOYD – KIONTE SPENCER – DARIUS TARVER – MANUEL ELLIS – VICTOR DUFFY JR. – KOBE DIMOCK-HEISLER – COREY JONES – TYRE KING – MICHAEL LORENZO DEAN – TRAYVON MARTIN – RENISHA MCBRIDE – OSCAR GRANT III – BREONNA TAYLOR – KALIEF BROWDER – DARRIEN HUNT – WILLIAM GREEN – AHMAUD ARBERY – TONY MCDADE – JAMEL FLOYD – GEORGE FLOYD.
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