On Our Radar: #000, New Photo Book Celebrating the Beauty of Natural Textures
Roy Handy is a New Orleans-raised, Atlanta-based photographer that focuses on capturing the raw, candid emotion of his subjects. The Southern storyteller is fascinated by the potentially overlooked inner beauty that radiates from people "in their purest state." His new book, #000, or BLACK, is a curated collection of photos showcasing natural hair and the way we feel about it. Each spread contains a portrait, alongside a quote in which the subject describes the relationship they have with their hair in its natural state.
"As African-Americans," he says, "we are conditioned to believe certain features we possess are negative. Each woman presented in this series opened up to me about their hair journey, exuding love and passion through each loop and coiled-strand." As nobody's journey, or curl pattern, is the same, Handy's subjects are versatile and diverse in their Blackness, in the hopes of "bringing inspiration to those who are figuring out their path."
The project will be released as a coffee table book on December 28th, alongside a photographic showcase in Atlanta. For more details, make sure to follow Handy's website.