{"id":2413,"date":"2023-08-08T08:16:19","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T08:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/news\/camera-club\/zay-monae-s-85mil-series\/"},"modified":"2023-08-08T08:16:19","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T08:16:19","slug":"zay-monae-s-85mil-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/news\/camera-club\/zay-monae-s-85mil-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Zay Monae\u2019s 85mil series"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The South Los Angeles photographer &ldquo;pulls up&rdquo; on locals for ten-minute photo sessions.&nbsp; She also shoots Black cultural events.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/support-blackowned-los-angeles-standard-newspaper\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Support_Standard_web.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"296\" \/><\/a><figcaption>The L.A. Standard Newspaper needs your support so that we can continue to create positive stories about Black communities. $20, $50, $100, $500, $1,000. Any amount would be greatly appreciated. -Jason Douglas Lewis, Owner\/Publisher. Donations can be made through Cash App <a href=\"https:\/\/cash.app\/$LAStandard\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/cash.app\/$LAStandard<\/a>, Venmo https:\/\/venmo.com @LA-Standard-Newspaper, PayPal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/paypalme\/lastandardnewspaper\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/paypalme\/lastandardnewspaper<\/a>, and GoFundMe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/support-blackowned-los-angeles-standard-newspaper\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/support-blackowned-los-angeles-standard-newspaper<\/a>. Checks can be mailed to 2415 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure>&nbsp;<\/figure>\n<figure>\n<figure><a href=\"index.php\/shop-black-los-angeles.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Black_LA_FB_ad_2_web.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Shop Black Los Angeles! T-shirts and sweatshirts. <a href=\"index.php\/shop-black-los-angeles.html\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/index.php\/shop-black-los-angeles.html<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure>&nbsp;<\/figure>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=350&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjason.d.lewis.5%2Fvideos%2F693443466026479%2F%3Fidorvanity%3D2045952435644667&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=560&amp;t=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"465\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">By Jason Lewis<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Zay Monae was the guest presenter at the July Los Angeles Standard Newspaper Camera Club meeting, and she discussed the ins and outs of her 85mil series project. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">&ldquo;I drive to their house and I try to capture their essence in about five to ten minutes,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp; &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll do like 15 people in one route.&nbsp; So far I&rsquo;ve done five rounds, and I&rsquo;ve taken about 85 portraits.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The shots are simple but impactful at the same time.&nbsp; Monae fills the frame of her shot with her subject, and she uses a plain background, or she blurs the background so all of the attention is focused on the subject.&nbsp; There is nothing in the image that takes the viewer&rsquo;s eyes away from the person being photographed, and Monae has a way of capturing certain emotions. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-2409\" src=\"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/zay_web_6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"459\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/zay_web_6.jpg 350w, https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/zay_web_6-229x300.jpg 229w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Through this project, Monae has gotten to know a lot of people from her community who she probably would not have crossed paths with, and she&rsquo;s helping them tell their story.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">&ldquo;I came across this one individual who grows plants in her garden in South Central,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp; &ldquo;She teaches people how to grow their own garden.&nbsp; She calls herself the Plant Plug because she likes to connect people with plants and tell them how they can grow their own plants in their own backyard.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-2410\" src=\"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Zay_web_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Zay_web_2.jpg 350w, https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Zay_web_2-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Monae became interested in photography while she was a student at Gardena High School.&nbsp; She started off shooting small events like champagne parties and baby showers.&nbsp; She went on to attend Cal State Dominguez Hills, where she earned a degree in digital media.&nbsp; She learned a lot of her photography skills and techniques online by doing Google searches and watching YouTube videos. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The 85mil series is named after her go-to lens, which is 85 mm.&nbsp; She&rsquo;s currently shooting with a Sony A7R3, and she shoots all of her portraits at f\/1.4.&nbsp; She prefers to shoot on overcast days to avoid shadows, and on sunny days she typically uses open shade.&nbsp; Doing quick photoshoots has taught her to refine her skills and adjust quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">&ldquo;It&rsquo;s taught me how to use my camera very efficiently,&rdquo; Monae said.&nbsp; &ldquo;Learning to trouble shoot, and also to make do with whatever the conditions are.&nbsp; Because sometimes it will be a very gloomy day, which is what I prefer so that I&rsquo;m not shooting with such hard lighting.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Monae took a recent trip to Costa Rica, where she continued her 85mil series.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">&ldquo;I&rsquo;m mainly focused on the Afro-Caribbean culture, so that people know that when you think Costa Rica, you should also be thinking about that Black folks here,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp; &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s something that&rsquo;s overlooked, even with the amount of Black people who live out here.&nbsp; The last guy that I photographed is in his mid 60s.&nbsp; He was talking about how there&rsquo;s a lot of gentrification happening in the Caribbean.&nbsp; He said that sometimes it&rsquo;s good, but sometimes they&rsquo;re racist, but it&rsquo;s something that they have to kind of embrace as this point.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Monae also shoots events, such as the Black Market Flea at the BeeHive, the Ebony Beach Club, and festivals in Leimert Park.&nbsp; She captures unique images by using a fish-eye lens.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-2411\" src=\"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Zay_web_1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Zay_web_1.jpg 350w, https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Zay_web_1-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">&ldquo;I shoot very wide, and that&rsquo;s one of my styles when I shoot events,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp; &ldquo;I like to exaggerate the limbs, the arms, the movement, and the energy.&nbsp; I like to emphasize the sun because I think that there&rsquo;s a connection with the sun.&nbsp; The sun symbolizes energy, and that&rsquo;s something that is really what my art is about.&nbsp; How it makes me feel, and how it makes the person feel.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-2412\" src=\"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Zay_web_3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Zay_web_3.jpg 350w, https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Zay_web_3-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Monae&rsquo;s work can be viewed at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.zaymonae.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.zaymonae.com<\/a> and follow her on social media.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">The South Los Angeles photographer &ldquo;pulls up&rdquo; on locals for ten-minute photo sessions.&nbsp; She also shoots Black cultural events.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[169,170,93,2565,168,1644,167,161,2566,218,156,157,75,135,163,162,165,624,864,102,158,160,159,2564],"class_list":["post-2413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-camera-club","tag-african-american","tag-african-american-newspaper","tag-baldwin-hills","tag-black-market-flea","tag-black-newspaper","tag-black-photographer","tag-community-newspaper","tag-crenshaw","tag-ebony-beach-club","tag-inglewood","tag-ladera-heights","tag-leimert-park","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-standard-newspaper","tag-mid-city","tag-park-mesa-heights","tag-photographer","tag-portraits","tag-sony","tag-south-los-angeles","tag-view-park","tag-west-adams","tag-windsor-hills","tag-zay-monae"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastandardnewspaper.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}