I am an image maker.

I don’t simply call myself a “photographer” because what I do is more than taking pictures. The word photographer can sound technical, mechanical — as if all I’m doing is clicking a button. But image maker — that’s a calling. That’s soul work.

When I step behind the camera, I’m not just composing a frame. I’m stepping into a sacred space with another human being. The person before me isn’t a “subject” or a “client.” They are not someone I am taking something from. We are there together — tethered in spirit — co-creating something true.

In that space, I’m not just capturing a face. I’m witnessing the God-given dignity, humanity, and beauty of someone made in the Imago Dei — the image of God. The image we make together becomes a reflection of that divine likeness.

Every image-making session, for me, is a move of the Spirit. God is present in the room, in the light, in the stillness, in the eyes. To create an image in that space is to testify — not only to the holiness of God — but to the holiness of the person standing before my lens.

I am an image maker. A spirit guide. Guided by the Spirit to create in the spirit, images that reflect the spirit. This is essence portraiture — work that seeks to reveal the power, beauty, and humanity of everyone I have the honor to co-create with.

I am an image maker.
For me, image-making is especially urgent in the work of African American portraiture. To make an image of a Black life with dignity, joy, and truth is an act of resistance. Each portrait becomes both witness and prophecy — saying to the world, This life is sacred. This face bears the image of God. And that, my siblings, is holy work.

Images of the Imago Dei: The Spirit of Image Making
by Dr. Ralph Basui Watkins, MFA, PhD
The scholar with a camera!