25 Stunning Portraits of Black Women in Ethereal Fantastical Photography

 

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A post shared by Lillian Liu (@lillianliuphotography) on Apr 29, 2019 at 11:15am PDT

Fantasy photography is a captivating genre. It allows us to get lost in another world—one of ethereal characters, amazing costuming, and breathtaking settings. But if you’ve spent any time admiring these surreal works, you might’ve noticed that they predominantly feature white people. Black women are often left out of the spotlight, even though they, too, are creating stunning images worthy of praise.

Twitter user @btsanima is helping to call attention to Black women appearing in fantasy photography. In a viral Twitter thread, she implores people to share their favorite fantastical images of Black women, stating, “Even though our presence is small, I will not be deterred.” She then posted the names of photographers alongside gorgeous portraits in which Black women are the queens, elven beings, and pose in the same picturesque landscape scenes that are normally afforded to white women. The images are striking in their beauty and, at times, gorgeously haunting—one of the big appeals of the genre.

Scroll down to see Black women who are the stars of fantasy photography.

Black women are underrepresented in fantasy photography.

 

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A post shared by Maria Lipina (@maria_lipina) on Jun 12, 2020 at 7:09am PDT

But as these stunning photos demonstrate, this needs to change and there needs to be more of a spotlight on diversity in the genre.

 

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A post shared by NEWO (@newo_imagery) on Aug 9, 2020 at 10:15pm PDT

 

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A post shared by Bella Kotak (@bellakotak) on Mar 8, 2019 at 9:30am PST

 

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A post shared by Bella Kotak (@bellakotak) on Jun 8, 2020 at 12:49pm PDT

 

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A post shared by Josefien Hoekstra (@josefienhoekstra) on Jul 16, 2020 at 6:37am PDT

 

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A post shared by Bekka Björke (@bekkabjorke) on Jun 2, 2019 at 11:59am PDT

 

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A post shared by Annie Bertram (@anniebertramphoto) on Apr 14, 2019 at 12:27pm PDT

 

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A post shared by Annie Bertram (@anniebertramphoto) on Sep 4, 2019 at 9:16am PDT

 

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A post shared by Sanne van Bergenhenegouwen (@defotograafsanne) on Feb 26, 2020 at 7:14am PST

 

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A post shared by Maria Lipina (@maria_lipina) on Mar 20, 2020 at 11:35am PDT

 

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A post shared by Bella Kotak (@bellakotak) on Jul 31, 2020 at 6:07pm PDT

 

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A post shared by Sanne van Bergenhenegouwen (@defotograafsanne) on Jun 16, 2020 at 12:13pm PDT

 

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A post shared by Savannah (@simplysavannahart) on Dec 21, 2019 at 7:40am PST

 

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A post shared by Sanne van Bergenhenegouwen (@defotograafsanne) on Jul 26, 2020 at 7:43am PDT

 

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A post shared by A.M Lorek Photography (@agnieszka_lorek) on Nov 22, 2018 at 7:12am PST

 

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A post shared by A.M Lorek Photography (@agnieszka_lorek) on Nov 7, 2018 at 9:00am PST

 

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A post shared by Joy Marshall – Storyteller (@thewitchinghourphotography) on Mar 26, 2020 at 10:56pm PDT

 

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A post shared by Topher Oriel (@topheroriel) on Dec 30, 2019 at 10:32am PST

 

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A post shared by Topher Oriel (@topheroriel) on Mar 16, 2020 at 11:50am PDT

 

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A post shared by Savannah (@simplysavannahart) on Feb 27, 2020 at 5:31pm PST

 

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A post shared by Maria Lipina (@maria_lipina) on Feb 20, 2020 at 7:15am PST

 

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A post shared by Sanne van Bergenhenegouwen (@defotograafsanne) on Jun 8, 2020 at 6:13am PDT

 

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A post shared by Maria Lipina (@maria_lipina) on Mar 20, 2020 at 11:35am PDT

 

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A post shared by Lillian Liu (@lillianliuphotography) on Jan 30, 2020 at 10:58am PST

 

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A post shared by Annie Bertram (@anniebertramphoto) on Aug 2, 2019 at 8:18am PDT

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