I’M KADEEM “KJOHN” JOHNSON (B. 1989, NEW YORK CITY), A DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHER WITH A CONTEMPORARY EDGE, NOW BASED IN LOS ANGELES. MY WORK BALANCES AUTHENTIC STORYTELLING WITH A CREATIVE, MODERN APPROACH. I’M DRAWN TO CAPTURING HONEST, STRIKING MOMENTS THAT GO DEEPER THAN WHAT’S ON THE SURFACE. FOR ME, PHOTOGRAPHY IS ABOUT PEOPLE AND THEIR STORIES—FINDING BEAUTY IN THE EVERYDAY AND TELLING THOSE STORIES THROUGH LIGHT, MOVEMENT, AND CONNECTION.

MY ARTISTIC JOURNEY BEGAN IN 2007 WHEN I PICKED UP MY FIRST CAMERA—MY BLACKBERRY PHONE. BACK THEN, I WAS ALWAYS TAKING PHOTOS OF MYSELF AND MY FRIENDS, UPDATING OUR MYSPACE PROFILES EVERY WEEK. IN 2013, I GOT MY FIRST REAL CAMERA, A NIKON SLR. I STARTED PHOTOGRAPHING MY BEST FRIENDS, AND ONE OF THEM, ANDREA, BECAME MY MUSE. I TOOK A FEW PORTRAITS OF HER AND DECIDED TO TRY SELLING MY WORK ON THE STREETS OF SOHO. TO MY SURPRISE, I SOLD EVERY SINGLE PRINT. ENCOURAGED, I WENT BACK THE FOLLOWING WEEK—ONLY TO LEARN I NEEDED A VENDOR’S LICENSE TO SELL ON THE STREET. THAT WAS THE END OF THAT EXPERIMENT, BUT MY LOVE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY KEPT GROWING.

OVER THE YEARS, I’VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO WORK WITH A WIDE RANGE OF PEOPLE AND PROJECTS, AND I’M CONSTANTLY INSPIRED BY WHAT EACH EXPERIENCE TEACHES ME. MY WORK HAS BEEN FEATURED IN THE LA TIMES, VOGUE, THE NEW YORK TIMES, ESSENCE MAGAZINE, AND MORE. ONE OF THE PROUDEST MOMENTS OF MY CAREER WAS BEING ASSIGNED BY ESSENCE MAGAZINE TO SHOOT THE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024 COVER FEATURING VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS. THAT DAY, I NOT ONLY CAPTURED HER PORTRAIT BUT ALSO DOCUMENTED HER JOURNEY LEADING UP TO HER PANEL DISCUSSION AT ESSENCE FEST.

PHOTOGRAPHY HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY WAY OF SEEING AND CONNECTING WITH THE WORLD. IT’S ABOUT TELLING STORIES THAT FEEL VIBRANT, HUMAN, AND ALIVE—AND CREATING IMAGES THAT PULL PEOPLE IN AND LEAVE THEM WITH SOMETHING MEANINGFUL.

THROUGH MY LENS, I BRING STORIES TO LIFE—STORIES THAT FEEL VIBRANT, AUTHENTIC, AND ALIVE WITH MEANING.

Contact

kadeem@kjohnphotos.com