Meet Chelsea Reeves

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chelsea Reeves. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chelsea below.

Chelsea, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

As a photographer I shoot all kinds of subjects, however, for the past year I’ve mainly focused on sports and events photography. The sports industry is predominately white and male, and there were many times I walked into media rooms before sporting events as the only Black woman. I’d speak to everyone when I entered those rooms, only to receive confused looks or no response, most likely because some people believed that I didn’t belong there. Even when I had my credentials visible, sometimes security would stop and ask “Where are you going?” or “Who are you with?”

I always notice when I’m the “only one” in any environment, but the interactions I had while taking photos at sporting events made me hyper-aware of how I show up in the world. In the beginning, I allowed being the only one to hinder me from fully being in my element. I wasn’t just focused on just taking photos because I was focused on how I stood out. It wasn’t until I reminded myself that I was meant to be in those spaces and that I was just as capable as my white counterparts that I started to thrive. No one can make you feel less than unless you give them permission to do so and the way people treat you says more about them than it does about you. Once I understood that I was exactly where I was supposed to be, I showed up confidently. I learned to disregard those who tried to dim my light or treated me like I didn’t belong because God prepared those rooms for me to enter.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a photographer focusing on sports, events, studio photography, and I’m currently a graduate student at the top communications school in the country, the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, pursuing my master’s in Public Relations on the Sports Media and Communications track.

I love putting together events that bring the community together and create safe environments for creative expression, which I believe is the most special part of what I do as a photographer. For the past two years, I’ve held a Solo Exhibition titled “Now It’s My Turn.” Each event showcased over 20 of my best images that I’d taken that year. The purpose of these events I have is to inspire people to put action behind the plans that they make so they can create a reality out of the dreams they think are beyond their reach. Also to create opportunities for themselves and not wait for it to happen to them. The previous galleries showcased images that emphasized Black expression, Black talent and resistance, and women’s empowerment.

A huge showcase is in the works for the summer of 2025 in NYC, continuing the momentum of what I’ve already been doing. This time, the event will be open for upcoming/undiscovered artists and photographers to submit their work. I think it is important to highlight those who are often overlooked, so I’m excited to give individuals an opportunity to showcase their talent. It’s going to be bigger than anything I’ve done so far, so stay tuned for updates!

I also love fashion. Getting dressed up is my favorite thing to do. Even from behind the camera I always put on a nice outfit, so I began creating outfit videos on TikTok for photographers to have inspiration on what they can wear behind the camera. I just enjoy being me and expressing myself both in front of and behind the lens.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I think 3 things that were most impactful on my journey were:
– learning how to create opportunities for myself by putting myself out there and advocating for me
– The ability to make sacrifices when necessary
– Remaining consistent even when I wasn’t seeing the fruits of my labor because you need to stay ready for when that opportunity does actually come.

My advice for people early in their journey is to just start and keep going, you will learn these things as you go along. Understand that the journey to success is sometimes boring. It requires sacrifices and better habits. You may have to miss out on certain things and preserve your energy so you’re able to pour into yourself. You may have to remove yourself from certain environments, not engage in certain conversations, or even change the people around you if they are not in alignment with your purpose in life.
You also can’t wait around for things to come or wait for someone to come save you. If you want an opportunity, go after it. If an opportunity doesn’t exist, create it.
The journey is long but it is meant to prepare you and teach you how to obtain the success that you desire, as well as how to keep it once you get it. It helps you to stay ready so you don’t have to get ready. I learned that if I had gotten everything I prayed for as soon as I prayed for it, I wouldn’t have known how to handle it. So everything that I went through was for a reason.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always looking for individuals to be a part of my team and help me curate my vision. I plan events so I always need videographers, photographers, creative directors, and social media coordinators to help promote. I am looking for venue spaces in the city that would be interested in collaborating for an event to bring people together and showcase rising artists and photographers. Any catering services that want to connect, or any one who feels like they can help! If you are interested definitely email or send a DM.

I’m always seeking passionate individuals to join my team and help bring my vision to life. I regularly organize events as I mentioned, so for this upcoming one I’m looking for talented videographers, photographers, creative directors, and social media coordinators to assist with promotion and content creation. I’m also interested in collaborating with venue spaces in the city for my upcoming events so I can bring people together and highlight emerging artists and photographers. Additionally, catering services and anyone who feels they can contribute in any way are welcome to connect. If you’re interested in collaborating, feel free to reach out via email or direct message!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Chelsea Reeves

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