Photographer of the Week #209: Myles Loftin

Introducing Photographer of the Week #209: Myles Loftin.

Myles’ work recognizes the latent power that images hold, and seeks to utilize that power as a means for creating positive change. With a practice that blends portraiture, fine art, and fashion photography, his photos exude a feeling of vibrance, freedom, and youth. Loftin’s work deals with themes of Blackness, identity, and representation of marginalized individuals. His subjects are often times friends, family members and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Via the artist:

In The Life bridges the gaps of representation and expands ideas of beauty and importance. The title comes from an anthology (edited by Joseph Beam) of black gay writing that bears the same name, and was formative in my realization of the need for this project. This text allowed me to explore the interiority of queer life outside of my own lived experience in a way that I hadn’t before. The text includes heartfelt stories like one where a gay father and son talk about their experience of coming out to each other. Or a poem that describes falling in love with an old crush. I want my photographs to do this for others, and provide viewers with a window into black queer life. A window that allows black queer folk to see themselves and allows those outside the community to gain an understanding of our lives on a deeper more personal level.”

Myles Loftin (b. 1998) is a photographer, director and a senior in the BFA Photo program at Parsons School of Design. He has exhibited work at Aperture Foundation, Superposition Gallery and other galleries across the U.S. His work was recently featured in the augmented reality exhibition SYNTAX, in collaboration with Luis Vela LP & PROGRAM Labs. He has participated in various public speaking engagements held worldwide including Yale University, SXSW, Dutch Design Week and The Cannes Festival of Creativity. Notable press features on Loftin include being on the 2019 Paper People list, and the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Arts and Style list. Additionally, he has shown work in publications such as Aperture, i-D, and New York Magazine, and was recently awarded a grant from Getty Images to create work that celebrates the lives and narratives of LGBTQIA+ communities.

For more information on Myles’ work visit his website.