Bruce, 2018, 24 x 36”. digital print
British-born documentarian and portrait photographer Janette Beckman began her career at the dawn of punk rock. She worked for music magazines photographing bands from the Clash to Debbie Harry and Boy George, as well as three album covers for The Police.
Drawn to the underground hip-hop scene, Beckman moved to New York in 1983 and photographed pioneers such as Run DMC, Slick Rick, Salt-N-Pepa, Grandmaster Flash, LL Cool J, and more. Her work has been exhibited in galleries worldwide and is in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Museum of the City of New York. She lives and works in New York for clients including Levi’s, Dior, and Interview Magazine.
For Beckman, working with Proof Media for Social Justice on the “I Vote Because” project was exciting.
“Coming from New York and traveling to swing states we met a huge cross section of people with different beliefs and ideas. America is a country of immigrants. We wanted the campaign to be as diverse as possible. Setting up our ‘photo studio’ in places like the bus station in Jacksonville, Florida, we photographed people of all ages, races, and beliefs It was an amazing experience finding out what they really believe is important and giv[ing] them a voice.”
Stella, 2018, 30” x 40”. digital print
Ricky, 2018, 30” x 40”. digital print