Annabelle Agnew Photography is committed to change, inclusion and diversity. As well as I am actively concerned about the global actions taken toward stemming climate change. I believe that small changes, continued education, and activism are the only way forward - and try to apply these beliefs into my business practices. It’s not perfect, but it’s a work in progress.

I have sat for a while, reading anti-racist literature (and am still reading) and considering how I, as sole proprietor and employee of a wedding & portrait photography business can amplify the #blacklivesmatter movement without centering the narrative back to me — as well, work to dismantle the systems of oppression that do not benefit most of us.

Here’s what I am actively doing

  • I took the Anti-racist Small Business Pledge that commits to building an equitable, anti-racist organization. Go give Rachel Rodgers a follow and watch the Town Hall in the link I’ve supplied.

  • Reading recommended literature and think-pieces

  • Putting a percentage of my revenue towards amplifying the invisible: as an artist, I see how valuable it is in opening up ourselves to hearing other people’s experience and how they choose to express themselves, so after some research (ensuring that the people who are running these platforms are BIPOC) I have set up monthly donations to the following organizations:

    • Black Artists’ Networks in Dialogue (BAND): a Toronto-based platform dedicated to supporting, documenting and showcasing the artistic and cultural contributions of Black artists and cultural workers in Canada and internationally

    • Montreal’s Black Theatre Workshop : a theatre that promotes and produces Black theatre that educates, entertains and inspires. The company strives to create a greater cross-cultural understanding by challenging its audience and the status quo.

    • And a monthly Patreon donation to The Conscious Kid: an education, research, and policy organization dedicated to equity and promoting healthy racial identity development in youth. We support organizations, families, and educators in taking action to disrupt racism in young children.

    • UPDATE DECEMBER 2020: since July 2020 I have donated $525 in total to these organizations

  • Engaged in uncomfortable conversations with peers, my family, and my friends. Diversified my social media feeds to be exposed to art, vendors, educators, entertainers, authors, politicians and so on that are supporters of the #blm and are also BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+

  • Wrote to Montreal mayor & city officials in an effort to #defundthepolice and call out the denial of systemic racism within the province of Quebec (read: Francois Legault)

    • For those of you who do not understand/feel threatened with the notion of defunding, please watch Ava DuVernay’s The 13th

Here’s where my mind is at when I seek to better understand Diversity & Inclusion in the wedding & portrait photography industry

  • Privacy tax: I know that there are photographers our there that apply a tax to clients who request privacy clauses in their contracts. (This means that for the request for privacy, clients PAY MORE to have it in their packages). Most times when I get requests for privacy it’s because clients either have professions that preclude the necessity for privacy and/or they are BIPOC + LGPTQIA+ and have suffered at the hands of online trolls and bullies and are not interested in having their wedding photographs an opportunity for more harassment. So why, as a photographer, do we tax this request? I know that for a while I felt put out by requests for privacy, but I have come to understand that our portfolios are a glimpse to the experience of working with people — but it’s not the reason for my job. My job is a service to tell stories, not to build my portfolio. This is a nuanced differentiation, but it’s very important.

  • Photography was a tool for racist propaganda: Understanding the history of photography as a tool for racist propaganda is important to moving our craft and the language of our craft forward and outside of the systems of racism. Did you know that there are terminologies like “Master & Slave” for photographers’ flash kit systems? That’s something that needs to go. Did you know that Kodak created film that benefited white skin? Did you know that black skin should have different lighting? These are important things we don’t learn in photography school and it’s up to us as to change that

  • Tell THEIR story: I am completely guilty of this, but often when I blog post or write a caption on social media with an image, I center that image back onto myself and/or involve myself in their wedding story in the blog post introduction. This is often a creative way to increase my SEO but it’s also self-serving in marketing my work. I’ve rebuilt a few things recently where I am consciously working on re-framing client stories through their own voices. This has started simply with a questionnaire in my clients Wedding Day Package (that you can have here FREE to download). However, given my love for creative process, I will continue to post about my own as a way to inspire other peers and be open about how I work. UPDATE DECEMBER 2020: my writing on my blog and instagram works to center client stories, not mine. I am not always able to do this, but it’s getting much much better with having client-curious questionnaires now a part of my process.

  • Choose my investments in BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and B Corporation in my business vendors and suppliers. Small businesses (not Amazon) need our financial support; supporting businesses who work toward sustainability, inclusion, diversity will also win my support; climate change needs our support. Here is what some of that looks like for me now but I can do a lot better in this department:

    • Shoes: so, so, so important to lasting a 12 hour wedding. A company that I became obsessed with after listening to them on How I Built This is Allbirds — and the best shoes I’ve worn on a 12 hour+ wedding day.

    • Earrings: I always wear statement earrings on the job and while I have yet to do this, I am eyeing these two companies as a place to invest in new earrings - SOKO & Warren Steven Scott

    • Clothing: Frank & Oak is a popular clothing supplier here in Montreal and I have invested in some of their clothing —BUT my intention is to do more research and include more new & vintage clothing suppliers on my list (with the constant intent to buy less). UPDATE: I’ve added clothing vendors like Everlane, Nadaam!

    • Local book & camera stores: less Amazon. It’s not ok that one person has so much wealth in the world. I am making the concerted effort to order books from local book stores (In Montreal: Argos, Saint Henri Books, Drawn & Quarterly) and get my camera equipment locally too (my go to is Lozeau).

    • Vendor & Supplier referrals

  • Accountability check-in on a quarterly basis with KPI’s that can be measured: what have I read, what did I buy, how much did I donate, how did I amplify, what did I protest and here are the months that these check-ins will happen: January 2021, April 2021, July 2021, (and so on)