How I became a Fujifilm X-Photographer

2020 has been a wild ride so far, hasn’t it?
Between the protests to remind people that my life matters, COVID, travel bans, lockdowns, face masks, and Chadwick Boseman’s passing…it’s been a lot.

But it hasn’t been all craziness.

Through it all, the stars have aligned to make a long-time, secret goal come to fruition at a pace I could not have imagined.

Many already know my basic elevator pitch, but in case you missed it:

I’ve been a photographer since 2010, found my heart drawn to boudoir and births, (though I’m currently on hiatus from both) and self portraiture has always been a constant throughout the journey. I switched from Nikon to Fujifilm cold turkey in 2017 and have zero regrets.

As a professional photographer, I always thought it would be pretty dope to be an ambassador for a camera brand (like I said, secret goal) but it wasn’t something I legitimately thought was attainable (mainly due to the lack of representation in the faces of all these big brands). I tried shooting my shot a few years ago, but the timing just wasn’t right. 

Fast forward to June of this year when Fujifilm announced an opportunity to collaborate with them. I just happened upon the announcement email in my “spam” folder that I occasionally check for lost inquiries. The application process was surprisingly easy.
They requested some basic info and asked a simple question:
Why are you interested in working with our (Fujifilm) brand?

And, on June 11th, my response was just as simple:

“The most obvious is that I love my Fuji gear.
The tones are amazing.
The feel in my hand is intuitive.
And I proudly tell anyone that I’m #teamfuji.
Also, because I want to see more people who look like me (black women) to be represented within Fujifilm.”

I applied on whim, knowing that the talent pool would be ridiculously amazing and my chances of being one of only five photographers chosen was pretty slim. I submitted the application and carried on with life as normal.

On June 16th, Fujifilm announced their commitment to inclusiveness and diversity that made me glad to own Fujifilm gear.

On June 23rd, I received an email from Victor at Fujifilm North America, that shocked the hell out of me.  I was told that the team loved my work and that they would like to offer me $3000 in Fufjilm Digital Camera and Lens Products in exchange for my time and services. 

[Mind. Blown.]

From the beginning, in conversations with Victor and Stacey from Fujifilm, I felt like I was already a part of an amazing team that felt more like family. It only reinforced my love for the brand.

I partnered with them on my first official project, Plant-Based, seen below.
You can read the article here.

Being a Fujifilm Collaborator was an amazing experience, but I had bigger goals. In July, my family and I did a little goal setting exercise. I felt like it was finally time to put my goal of being an X-Photographer into the universe and, with it finally seeming within reach, I was going to do whatever was necessary to make that happen.

In practice, that looked like just being myself. Showing my skills and business acumen and exceeding any expectations of me.

On July 1st, Fujifilm announced how they were making their U.S. X-Photographer program more diverse and inclusive. In doing so, they gave clear steps to make that happen. My next immediate goal was obvious…become a Fujifillm Creator.

From what I remember the application process was also simple and straight forward, I just had to be a Collaborator first, be an image making professional, have a desire to mentor, teach, or be an advocate, be exclusive to Fujifilm, and have an LLC.

Since these were all things that I was already doing, the transition was smooth and swift and by August 1st I was officially part of an insanely beautifully diverse team of brand new Fujifilm Creators.

On September 18th, the team at Fujifilm gave all the Creators an opportunity to become an X-Photographer with another simple application. They asked:

as a FUJIFILM x-photographer, how will you give back to the photographic community and make it a top priority throughout your 4-year term?

And this was my response/submission that got me selected as an X-Photographer!

So boom. That’s how I accomplished my goal of being a Fujifilm X-Photographer amidst this amazing group of people.

It’s possible for you start your own journey with fujifilm, too!

To keep FUJIFILM’s content fresh and offer more opportunities for up-and-coming creators, FUJIFILM will revisit these collaboration submissions on a regular basis — every six months.

You can find out more about the process directly from Fujifilm, here.