If you're looking for a brand new perspective, try taking a peak through Johanne Rahaman's lens.
“Photographing life as I see it, which is through non-judgmental eyes,” she says.
Any given weekend, you can find her out and about, camera in hand, with one goal in mind.
“To tell a different story of life in black communities,” she says.
They are stories that are less about crime and more about culture.
That’s the basis of the 'Black Florida' project.
“I wanted to show the other side that I'm used to and what I grew up with,” Johanne says.
Her travels have taken her all over the sunshine state.
The project and the pictures she's taken have been featured in National Geographic and Vogue.
This week, she was in the Pleasant City neighborhood in West Palm Beach.
For Johanne it's not just about taking pictures.
“I want to get an idea of their journey. What brought them here to where they are, and what keeps them here.”
In her travels across the state, she's noticed that not everyone stays.
“Black people are being forced out of communities that have historically been theirs,” she says.
So with each snap, she preserves what she can, while she can.
“There's a lot of warmth. A lot of togetherness. I always get this feeling of family.”
Johnanne is helping to show the world what makes these underrepresented communities beautiful.
“If you look at it from outside eyes, and you're not from the black community, it forces you to suspend judgment.”
Click here for more on Rahaman’s ‘Black Florida’ project.
