9 minute read
Skin, Deeper
Yolanda Hoskey’s portraiture is a deeply felt tribute to a difficult upbringing. Dissecting stereotypes and typecasts, X-H2 facilitates her powerful portrayals of disadvantaged black Americans
“It’s all about opportunity. I may not have had access to resources, but I was able to attain knowledge. I was taught that your environment is a part of who you are, but it doesn’t have to define you.”
Raised in the Louis Heaton Pink Houses of Brooklyn, East New York, Yolanda Hoskey’s formative years were characterized by a series of hardships and challenges. Known for its disproportionately high rates of crime, the area was subject to a comprehensive termination of public funding in 2000. Soon after, ‘The Pinks’ plunged into disrepair and disrepute, rendering the district ever more susceptible to lawlessness and degradation.
For residents, living amidst the hostility of such conditions was a daily struggle. Yolanda’s biological mother would suffer from addiction issues. Her largely absent father made the neighborhood an isolated place to live. Eventually, she was adopted by her great aunt, an intercession that would steer the youngster towards better and brighter horizons.
“It shouldn’t be a hindrance or limit your possibilities. My community was so impactful. A big part of my identity is about debunking the labels people associate with this area,” she notes.
Photo 2022 © Yolanda Hoskey | FUJIFILM X-H2 and XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1/100 sec at F5.6, ISO 1600
Photo 2022 © Yolanda Hoskey | FUJIFILM X-H2 and XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1/100 sec at F5.6, ISO 1600
“Thanks to my adoptive mother, I’m able to look past the outward ugliness, and pick apart the beauty beneath. It would be dishonest for me to paint a rose-tinted portrait. It can be rough, but people can overcome it. Those trapped there are just dealing with the burden of context.”
Encouraged and inspired to pursue hobbies and interests, Yolanda’s domestic environment was always conducive to creativity, but perhaps more crucially, it represented a sense of hope. From an early age, she was able to recognize the potential for a clearer future, and what that vision might eventually look like.
In time, Yolanda would attain a degree in theatre from The City College of New York. For the past three years, she’s become actively involved in photography, documenting a mixture of fashion-based editorials with a unique twist.
The importance of her roots takes center stage – performative, dramatic imagery that exemplifies the energy and joys of her success, while also imparting the significance of her humbler origins.
“It all came from a love of good storytelling. I used to intern for a theatre company, and still use those skills in the projects I approach. I was a stage manager – I also did set design. I dabbled in directing too, which I loved.”
A thorough and detailed understanding of the entertainment world has proved beneficial in creating aesthetically appealing images, but Yolanda’s photographs are far more than superficially attractive. Hers is a story defined by determination, adversity, wisdom, and skill.
Photo 2022 © Yolanda Hoskey | FUJIFILM X-H2 and XF18mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1/125 sec at F2.8, ISO 800
Photo 2022 © Yolanda Hoskey | FUJIFILM X-H2 and XF16mmF1.4 R WR, 1/200 sec at F3.2, ISO 800
For her latest venture, Yolanda returned to Brooklyn to create a project with FUJIFILM X-H2. Framing high fashion amid the milieu of her childhood, Trendsetters explores the intricacies of a lived experience, examining the ins and outs of an underprivileged African American culture.
“There were two main focuses. The first was about revealing memories of the place I lived,” she says.
The opening selection of photos feature the affectionate exchanges of a typical Louis Heaton family, candidly engaging in various domestic activities. In one snap, Yolanda depicts a father and son occupied by a playful shaving session. Although ostensibly silly, the photo is warm and sincere; its central message one of togetherness and bonding.
“The intimate moments in the bathroom are straight from my past – that’s what my dad used to do with my brothers,” she recalls. “Black masculinity is a common theme in my work. I like to showcase black men as soft and vulnerable, to provide a counterpoint to the widespread stereotypes. They’re always seen as hyper-macho, so I aimed to alter that perception.”
In another photo, the man tends to his partner’s hair with care and attentiveness. Close-ups of a nearby hot comb emphasize the attention to detail.
“I tried to consider where I learnt certain styles from – the themes that come to mind when I reflect on the true meaning of the term ‘trendsetters’. I started thinking a lot about traditions and rituals. As a child, I became accustomed to the idea of caring for myself. I remember begging to have my hair curled or using the hot comb when I wanted it straightened.”
Photo 2022 © Yolanda Hoskey | FUJIFILM X-H2 and XF18mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1/80 sec at F4, ISO 800
Photo 2022 © Yolanda Hoskey | FUJIFILM X-H2 and XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1/80 sec at F2, ISO 400
As well as the explicit recollections of her own past, Yolanda’s pictures also represent a kind of wish fulfilment, summarizing a ‘traditional’ family unit that wasn’t entirely stable in her own life. That said, compassion was a feeling she knew instinctively.
Money was scant and opportunities more so, but thanks to the efforts of her adoptive mother, Yolanda was cultivated in what she describes as a ‘house of love’. The sensation is evident throughout these photographs.
“She was here in spirit for this session. She found me and raised me as her own. I attribute every part of who I am to that.”
Countering the grittiness of her family portraits, a series of luxurious clothes juxtapose the crumbling walls of a public housing structure. It’s a purposeful creative choice – as styles are reclaimed and repurposed, the genuineness of these surroundings situates the style as something raw and true.
“I had my eye on this house for well over a year. I loved the textures and how beaten down it was,” Yolanda says. “It reminded me so much of the place I grew up in. It’s not pretty, but there’s so much richness in these walls.
“I tied together opposing elements: people who actually hail from these areas, clad in these garments. They’re almost never seen in these settings, but I think the spirit of creativity and expression is at the heart of what drives these communities. It’s symbolic, in that sense – highlighting their true nature.”
Photo 2022 © Yolanda Hoskey | FUJIFILM X-H2 and XF16mmF1.4 R WR, 1/200 sec at F2.8 ISO 800
Photo 2022 © Yolanda Hoskey | FUJIFILM X-H2 and XF16mmF1.4 R WR, 1/200 sec at F3.2, ISO 800
Framing bodies amongst the scenery of a ramshackle building, the disparity produces an intriguing effect. As negative stereotypes of black Americans persist throughout popular culture, Yolanda was eager to match the ‘respectability’ of catwalk styles with an uncompromising realism, scrutinizing where these pigeonholes originate, and how they can be challenged.
The result is a confrontational query, valid and vivid in its pitch: why can’t project kids dream of better lives too, just as Yolanda did?
“The socially acceptable version of these communities isn’t what you see in pop culture. When you come from these impoverished locations, you’re automatically perceived as a negative force. I think it’s my job to challenge those assumptions,” she says.
Situating each individual as a carefully chosen archetype, Yolanda’s subjects are entrenched in the truths she breathed.
“Every character was a sort of compendium… pseudonyms of the people I actually knew,” she explains. “The woman in the blue dress with the church hat – she was the matriarchal auntie. The woman with the cropped blue tank top was supposed to represent the quintessential ‘around the way girl’, or my younger self, to be more exact!
Photo 2022 © Yolanda Hoskey | FUJIFILM X-H2 and XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1/80 sec at F1.4, ISO 320
Photo 2022 © Yolanda Hoskey | FUJIFILM X-H2 and XF56mmF1.2 R WR, 1/200 sec at F4, ISO 800
“When it came to the children, I placed the baby in specific shots, always clad in white. It was about stressing innocence, and underscoring her virtue. I’m making a larger point about naivety – nothing should be predetermined for these kids, in an ideal world. Unfortunately, that’s often not the case.”
While researching the collective black experience with fashion over the years, Yolanda found herself consistently encountering the idea of ‘Sunday’s Best’.
“I wanted to unpack what that term really meant. I was shocked when I discovered where it originated – from slavery.”
In order for owners to be deemed ‘good Christians’, they were required to purchase their slaves ‘presentable’ clothing to be worn at church. Being spick-and-span was borne out of fear and abjection, but Yolanda aspired to reclaim autonomy. Matching streetwear with this historical precedent, she infuses the concept with a courageous spin.
“I wanted you to see them in formal attire, then have that directly contrast with high-end streetwear. The principles are effectively the same. We define it, as individuals. Nobody else.”
Using X-H2 to communicate these ideas, Yolanda speaks to the capacities of this system, and how it handled her various sessions.
Photo 2022 © Yolanda Hoskey | FUJIFILM X-H2 and XF23mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1/60 sec at F1.4, ISO 200
Photo 2022 © Yolanda Hoskey | FUJIFILM X-H2 and XF18mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1/200 sec at F2.8, ISO 800
“I absolutely love X-H2. It’s helped me produce some really strong work. I’m constantly asked if I use film. Everyone’s surprised to discover it’s all digital!
“There’s such a cinematic sensibility about this camera. Forty megapixels of detail brought my ideas to life in amazing ways. The eye sensor reaction times are super-fast – as a portrait photographer, you want the autofocus to be unparalleled, and here, it is.
“For lenses, I used six in total – all primes. XF16mmF1.4 R WR, XF18mmF2 R, XF23mmF1.4 R, XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR, XF35mmF2 R WR, and XF56mmF1.2 R. For me, there’s a level of crispness you just don’t get with zooms. The range is wider with primes too. I had the complete package – any effect I needed; it was available to me.”
It’s clear that these subjects share something indispensable with their photographer. Like her, they’ve overcome the adversities of strenuous backgrounds, conquering the bleakness of circumstance to create positives out of negatives. It’s this context that lends the photographs an unparalleled gravitas – Yolanda Hoskey’s vision manifesting in each and every frame.
“I don’t photograph models… I tend to focus on those who’ve come from similar places to me. They’ve got this complexity and duality that’s really captivating. Contrary to how we’re portrayed, I think black people are non-monolithic. There’s no totality – we’re all individuals. It’s layered, and I felt that was worth exploring.
“Given the subject matter, I wanted these pictures to feel stoic. There are smiles and expressivity, but I also wanted that passion and resolve, almost as if they were being framed in a museum.
“Take a look. I want you to see the strength in their faces.”
Photo 2022 © Yolanda Hoskey | FUJIFILM X-H2 and XF16mmF1.4 R WR, 1/200 sec at F3.2, ISO 800
More from this series...
FUJIFILM X-H2
New ground is broken with every X Series release, but rarely so significantly as X-H2. The camera introduces a new 40.2-megapixel sensor, which documents any subject in all its stunning detail. And that’s not all. Creativity is also fostered by AI-based autofocus, seven stops of IBIS, 8K Apple ProRes RAW, and more.
Shop now Learn more
