Hiii, I’m Kadeem Johnson. I was born in the Bronx, New York, and raised in a Caribbean household where creativity wasn’t always seen as a clear path. But it was always present. I didn’t have the words for it at the time. I’ve always been someone who observes deeply. The kind of child who could sit in a room and take in everything…the way people move, talk, exist. That awareness stayed with me. At some point, I realized I was drawn to the everyday beauty most people overlook. For a long time, I didn’t know photography would be the thing. My first language of expression was style. I was immersed in fashion, curating looks, and helping other people express themselves as a model agent. It taught me a great deal about aesthetics, about people, and about energy. But somewhere along the way, I felt this need to document beyond the clothes. I need to capture what lives underneath. I didn’t pick up a camera because I thought I was a photographer, but because I wanted to remember. I tried to hold onto moments. It started casually, on my phone, then slowly evolved. I began to realize this was my eye. It became my visual journal and a way for me to tell stories. The lens gave me a kind of clarity. It helped me see people more deeply, and maybe more importantly, it helped people feel seen. Travel also played a significant role. Two years ago, I went on a trip to Brazil with my family, @everydayppl, and something inside me cracked open. I saw reflections of myself in places I had never been and in people who didn’t speak my language, but shared the same soul. I started documenting on instinct. Street portraits. Scenes of joy, resistance, softness.
I wasn’t trying to be perfect. I just wanted to be honest. Honesty remains at the center of what I do. Photography, for me, is less about the gear or the technique and more about the feeling. I shoot to preserve energy. To document our beauty, our nuances, our stories. Especially the ones that don’t get centered enough. Black people…AND people just LIVING. It took me a while to call myself a photographer. But now I say it with pride. Because this work — this way of seeing —saved me. It gave me purpose, and it continues to show me who I am.

I am passionate about what I do because photography lets me hold space for people. It allows me to document moments that matter, whether it’s dynamic at a party or silent on an empty street. I’m passionate about capturing us —Black people, queer people, everyday people —in our fullness. Not just when we’re performing or polished, but when we’re just being. Laughing. Dancing. Thinking. Existing. There’s power in that. There’s resistance in that. There’s healing in that. I care about energy. I care about intimacy. I care about making people feel seen, not just through the lens, but in how I show up for them. For me, this isn’t just art, it’s a connection. It’s storytelling. It’s archiving.

I’ve been a storyteller my whole life. I just didn’t always have the language for it! Before the camera, before any of the titles, I was always paying attention. Noticing things. Holding onto moments. Whether it was through fashion, conversation, music, or just how I moved through the world. I’ve always been drawn to the layers in people.

My favorite part about what I do best is the moment when someone sees themselves in a way they haven’t before. When I show them a photo and they pause like, “Damn… that’s me?” Not because it’s styled or staged, but because it feels true. That’s the magic for me. Helping people feel seen. Really seen. 📸