Beauty photographer Jamil Brown focused his lens on editing and perfecting his skill in capturing beauty in diverse cultures, specializing in darker skin tones. He highlights the unparalleled beauty found in the Black community. In the entertainment industry, he is well known by first name, Jamil.
Editing Black people in digital photography is a skill that takes a keen ability; one must master picking up on mahogany skin tones and illuminating ageless beauty against what society has labeled attractive.
As a small business owner, Jamil reflected on his growth. He started his career shooting landscape images and moved to capture editorial and beauty photography.
Jamil shared that his uncle inspired him to pick up a camera, he recalled memories of his uncle taking pictures of family trips; he realized that his uncle captured countless memories, and this led Jamil to find his purpose.
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Jamil has been a photographer for over six years, he reflected on his journey and stated, “I started with landscapes—and then landscapes led to capturing images of people.” It was a pivotal moment when Jamil decided to start capturing images of people.
Describing his mindset when he was exclusively shooting landscapes, Jamil said, “You have mother nature, you never have to wait. You know at a certain time the sun is going to set and you’re not going to be disappointed.”
His uncle works in the entertainment industry and provided an opportunity for Jamil to work as a production assistant on The Steve Harvey Show.
“As I was on the show, I got close to the photographer and that’s when everything changed,” Jamil stated that he watched the show’s photographer, Adam, turn out extraordinary visual work from a small space, igniting his motivation to pursue photography.
Jamil reflected on the motivational messages Harvey would share with the live audience on the show. He left that production knowing that at any stage in life, one can make things happen for themselves.
Jamil described his photography as “clean and true.” Jamil stated, “When I say true—how you see it on your phone, or a screen is how she (the model) looks in real life. You can see the texture; you can see the pores—you can see everything. It’s not airbrushed, which a lot of photographers are doing these days.”
As a beauty photographer, Jamil manages anywhere from 3-4 photoshoots per week. He confirmed that it takes approximately 8-10 hours to edit the images. “The editing varies, depending on what I am going for—I’m editing longer than I’m shooting,” Jamil said.
Jamil painted a mental picture depicting his love for capturing headshots, by stating, “It’s really the lighting, the end result, and the editing— it’s my favorite. It’s almost therapeutic.”
Jamil harvested a sense of purpose through a camera lens. He recalled a time when he didn’t know what he wanted to do in life before photography. He stated, “Being able to be happy doing something, being good at it, and being able to service people—you’re making other people happy, that’s my purpose.”
Jamil’s studio is located in Moreno Valley, California, but he conveyed that he travels with a lot of his clients. Jamil studies different types of photography, but his bread and butter are headshots. One day he would like to work with fashion model, Aslayy Baugh.
To find out more information follow Jamil Brown on Instagram, @milly2s
To book your next headshot with Jamil, email [email protected]