JUXTAPOZ.COM 25PICTURE BOOK
Miranda Barnes
The Unselfie
There is a gentle sincerity to Miranda Barnes’
photographs. People and places she captures
inhabit their own unique story, one she always
welcomes and dignifies within the frame. “I find
that because of how I look and how tiny I am,
that sometimes people don't expect me to be a
photographer,” she considers, “and I just love sort
of playing with that and getting shots that they
probably wouldn't let someone else take.” That
warm, empathetic perspective is accompanied by
a distinct timelessness, one rooted in the nostalgia
of the film format she often uses but is also drawn
from strong influences like Robert Frank, Stephen
Shore, Ming Smith, and Latoya Ruby Frazier.
Barnes offers a fresh viewpoint, one born from
a long-time interest in social justice instilled by
her mother, encouraged by college professors and
invigorated by witnessing and participating in
the Black Lives Matter protests following the
2014 police killings of Eric Garner and Michael
Brown. “Photography allowed me the opportunity
to express my emotions during 2014 in a way that
I had not done so before,” she explains. “I just
remember being so angry about all of it, and sad,
mostly. The only way for me to vent was to take
photos... that was my first moment where
I just wanted to document the people that were
the same angry as me. Up until then, I had only
been dabbling in photography.”While 2014 marked a new relationship with
photography, Miranda has always had an affinity
for pictures and images. She recalls being
mesmerized by stills from classic films, relishing
time she could spend alone watching Turner Classic
Movies. “I was always thinking about [the images]
but didn't think that I could actually go that route.”
In high school, she carried around disposable
cameras, taking pictures and uploading them to a
Tumblr page to preserve and share the memories.
“I wanted to go to art school,” she explains, “but,
frankly, I couldn’t afford it.” Reassuring herself that
she would continue to photograph, Barnes enrolled
in community college before transferring to John
Jay College of Criminal Justice, where pursuit of
other interests broadened her perspective and
ultimately gave new strength to her photography.“I was always documenting but nothing really
came about until 2015 after taking a philosophyclass. I was sitting next to this girl, and in walks
her sister; and I was shocked that they were
twins.” Miranda’s grandmother was a twin, so
she began working on a serious project on black
female twins. “I didn’t really know what I was
doing with it, but I knew I was working towards
a more cohesive body of work versus just the
snapshots I had been taking before.”Miranda’s twins project, Doubles, ended up being
picked up by a succession of major publications
and led to opportunities shooting for The New
York Times, Vogue, and Vice. “I feel like I have
just hit the tip of the iceberg for my work and it's
exhilarating to know I have so much more to give,”
says Barnes. “It's become my life, in a way. I never
called myself a photographer. I wouldn't say it's
given me a sense of purpose, because I think I had
other interests, but I would say that it has given
me something that I have never felt more sure
about.” —Alex Nicholsonmirandabarnes.com
@mirandabarnesAbove left: Tiffany and Gio, Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Year created: 2018 Above right: Baltimore, Maryland. From Charm City, a five-part audio series from The New York Times’ The Daily, Year created: 2018