Meet Vanessa Charlot | Documentary Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vanessa Charlot and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vanessa, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
My work as a documentary photographer has been successful because of my commitment to visually presenting Black life in Miami and throughout the Americas as authentic, nuanced and beautifully complicated. My work, I hope, disrupts the monolithic story of what it means to be a person of color and instead provides a rich tapestry that people seem to resonate with.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m an award-winning documentary photographer, filmmaker, and lecturer born and raised in the heart of Miami. Rarely, do women who come from my community has the privilege of devoted themselves and their life’s work to art.

But the vibrancy and tenacity instilled in me by amazing Haitian women has led me to work throughout the U.S., Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Where my photographs have been commissioned by the New York Times, Gucci, Vogue, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Oprah Magazine, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Apple, New York Magazine, Buzzfeed, Artnet News, The Washington Post and other national and international publications.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take them to Little Haiti, of course. The itinerary would include getting delicious patties and natural passion fruit juice off of 62nd. Then we would head over to one of the many art studios to talk life, politics, philosophy and everything in between with a group of creatives and locals. My personal hang out spot is the Iris Collective’s photography gallery on 59th street. For dinner would have to be this great Argentinian restaurant named Fiorito for a great steak and wine. And lastly jamming to the Rara Haitian band.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My success is tied to my family and friends who have supported and encouraged me in building a life around my art. Those include my immediate family, my mother Marlene Charlot, partner Gaelle Prophete, son Jacob. I also give credit to my close friends and brilliant photographers CW Griffin, Maggie Steber, Woosler Delisfort and Carl Juste.

Website: vanessacharlot.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessa.charlot/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-charlot-a4b83a216/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vanessacharlot_?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor