By Dr. Ralph Basui Watkins, MFA, PhD
Founder, The Scholar with a Camera Photography LLC

When Dean Lawrence Carter—founding dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College—stepped into my studio, we weren’t just making photographs. We were creating history. After 47 years of uninterrupted service, Dean Carter is preparing for retirement, and I was commissioned to honor this pivotal moment in his legacy. Together, we set out to do something far greater than take pictures—we co-created a visual testament to a life well lived.

This is what I do. This is the heart of fine art Black portraiture.

For years, I dreamed of crafting dramatic, museum-worthy portraits rooted in the tradition of Black excellence. I studied the work of Roy DeCarava—how he embraced shadows, honored our skin, and framed us in dignity. I envisioned classic cloth backdrops, nuanced lighting that caresses the face and separates it from the background, and timeless posing that lets the subject’s authenticity shine.

Dean Carter’s session was the realization of that vision.

With every image, we leaned into the legacy of our people—the elegance, the strength, the soul. This was more than a portrait session; it was an act of cultural preservation.

Fine art Black portraiture isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.

It’s how we honor our ancestors and inspire future generations. It’s how we say, “We are here. We are worthy. We are beautiful.” It’s how we ensure that Black stories are not just told—they are seen, celebrated, and archived with grace.

This is not just what I do—it’s who I am. This is FINE ART Black portraiture.