Episode 3.3 of the Show Me Podcast features LA-based fashion photographer Dallas Logan in a frank conversation about racial bias in photography. Dallas and Geoff discuss racism in fashion photography including recent controversies surrounding Vogue magazine covers of Simon Biles, Kamala Harris, and Amanda Gorman.
Then Dallas and Geoff dive deeper, discussing bias in hiring, the challenges black photographers face with their portfolios, and even the way some photographers initially interpret light. The two wrap with conversations about what progress looks like and mentorship.
Dallas Logan is a well-known and sought-after fashion photographer whose works have been published by GQ and People and numerous brands. Interested parties can join Dallas and his partner Dae every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights for more hard truth chats via the Light is Light conversation on Clubhouse. You can also follow Dallas on Instagram here. Finally, interested parties can get his Light is Light tutorial on studio lighting here.
Show notes follow.
Show Notes
0:00 Intro
1:27 Dallas share a little bit of history about his life and how and why he decided to be a professional photographer
3:21 Dallas talks about his company Light is Light and the reasons behind its creation and how it serves its customers
6:25 Dallas talks about race and the rolling controversy that seems to happen with fashion magazines and covers particularly when they feature black models photographed by a white person
10:32 Dallas also talks about the challenges that comes with being a photographer who is all concerned about the race
12:44 Dallas and Geoff talk about the importance of knowing your subject really well as a photographer to really come out with the best shots even with limited time
13:59 Dallas explains if the opportunities of black photographers are getting better and how they are progressing
17:14 Dallas and Geoff talk about diversity in relation to photographers getting a particular job and how it’s impacting black photographers today
20:03 Dallas talks about how black photographers are more questioned about their expertise than the white photographers and what needs to be done
22:10 Dallas shares what he thinks the progress in photography should look like and what photographers like Geoff should do to make a difference
24:12 Dallas talks about the importance of developing other people and mentoring them in the right direction and where he got that sense of developing others from
28:36 Dallas talks about how Clubhouse helped him get the chance to meet up with a lot of diverse talented photographers out there in the world
30:05 Dallas talks about his book, Light is Light and also talks about how people can get it and get a better understanding about photography