Johnna Bagley
I work with digital photography, black-and-white. I want my color photography to feel alive and have bright and warm colors, and I like how black-and-white photography can look cinematic or vintage. I’m most excited about photographing people—I love capturing the movements of their bodies and faces. I also enjoy photographing interesting scenes with groups, such as people dancing in public spaces. When I’m not photographing people, I enjoy taking pictures of colorful and creative objects, such as stickers, urban art, and flowers. I also like to create relatable images of city life.
I take pictures because I love how photography can be a visual diary—it’s fun to look back at photographs and remember what was happening at the moment. When I’m not photographing people, I enjoy taking pictures of colorful and creative objects, such as stickers, urban art, and flowers. I also like to create relatable images of city life. I take pictures because I love how photography can be a visual diary—it’s fun to look back at photographs and remember what was happening at the moment.
My photography process is unscripted. I don’t plan or stage what I photograph; I go out in the world and photograph things as they are. When I take photographs of strangers, I ask them for a photo. It’s a fun way to meet and connect to people. Two photographers whose work inspires me are Elle Pérez and Clifford Prince King. What draws me to King’s work is how he portrays Black men in a soft and gentle light, which goes against the mainstream narrative of how Black men are “supposed to be.” What I like about Pérez’s work is that they capture the minute details of people's lives—and those details are the focus of the photo. I love how their portraits are intimate and personal, and I try to replicate that in my work.
Johnna Bagley, b. 2006
Ally (Sunlight), 2024
Digital inkjet print
16 × 20 in. Johnna Bagley, b. 2006
Reach, 2024
Digital inkjet print
16 × 20 in.
Johnna Bagley is an eleventh grader from Urban Assembly School for Media Studies. She grew up in the Bronx and now lives in East Harlem. She started a mahjong club at her school and also takes part in guitar club. She likes to draw, read, take walks, go to the movies, and shop at thrift stores. Her favorite type of photograph to take is a portrait, and she takes inspiration from photographers such as Peggy Levison Nolan and cinematographers such as Christopher Doyle. After college, she hopes she can become a successful filmmaker.