Apple Spotlights Black Photographers in New Shot on iPhone ‘Hometown’

Apple is celebrating Black History Month by partnering with 30 black photographers. Across the US, Apple commissioned a series of photos to be taken that showcase the culture, people, and environments of their cities. All photos were captured using the iPhone 12 Pro’s camera.

A new feature titled ‘Hometown’ compiles the work of black photographers located across the US. The photographers were located in various areas like Chicago, Washington D.C., Detroit, Southern California, and the Bronx. Each of them took the opportunity to capture intimate moments within their neighbourhoods.

Shay, the Bronx, New York | Taken by Lelanie Foster.

The ‘Hometown’ feature largely details each black photographer’s lifestyle and their experience growing up. These moments of insight complement the work published with Apple. The personal stories each photographer tells are very in-depth and all unique in their own ways.

“Since I was young, my mom taught me the importance of knowing our history,” Lawrence Agyei wrote. “She also taught me that everything Black was excellent. Malcolm X was excellent. Martin Luther King Jr. was excellent. I grew up in Italy, where schools didn’t really teach African American history, so my mother made sure that I knew about the leaders and movements of my people. As a photographer, my job is to document the Black experience in Chicago. My hope is that the stories I’m telling will help in changing the narrative of what Chicago is to the rest of the world.”

Ambassador Bridge, Detroit | Taken by Brian Day

Some of the photographers went as far as to detail how the iPhone 12 Pro helped them achieve such shots. Brian Day wrote: “These images have a lot of dimensionality to them. I shot architecture because I wanted to see how iPhone 12 Pro performs with extreme highlights and extreme shadows in the same image. Without needing to edit the images, they pop right away.”

Apple states that it wishes to feature more work from black photographers and to hear their stories. The company encourages everyone to head over to Apple’s Instagram page to see more featured artists throughout Black History Month. Additionally, Apple will be hosting a new Today at Apple virtual session, which will feature Black creators. Participants will learn how to shoot in ProRAW and learn the editing and curating features of the Photos app on iPhone.