Beyoncé is in the habit of giving young, Black creatives a chance to showcase their talent on world-class platforms that matter. Kennedi Carter got her shot to shine when the Queen B requested for a woman of color to shoot her December Vogue cover.
The 21-year-old Beyoncé fan has become the youngest cover photographer in British Vogue’s history, and she is grateful to Beyoncé for the opportunity of a lifetime.
“It feels like it dropped out of the sky,” said Carter, a Beyoncé fan since age three. “I’m 21… I haven’t really had many opportunities like this.”
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The North Carolina native will graduate with the 2021 class of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a degree in African American studies. To have an opportunity like this at her age is beyond amazing for her.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to do something at this level unless I was older, with many years in the game,” she added, crediting her fellow Black female photographer Dana Scruggs for helping to elevate her work. “This is for people at the pinnacle of their careers.”
The magazine’s editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful, together with The Black is King creator, found Carter, a fine art photographer whose work is known for highlighting the “overlooked beauties of the Black experience” to shoot Bey’s trio covers and a 20-page fashion story.
Carter “aims to reinvent notions of creativity and confidence in the realm of Blackness,” according to her website, and her philosophies seem to somehow align with Beyoncé who has made uplifting Black people a priority.
The young photographer was in awe of working with Beyoncé because her work ethics were stellar.
“I was just going with the flow. I had done a lot of research into how she works, and I had underestimated how much she’s willing to submit herself to a vision and truly become someone else’s muse. Plus she’s from Texas. So, she has that energy,” Carter said.
Enninful also spoke highly of Bey and her professionalism. “Everyone always wants to know what it’s like to work with Beyoncé and her incredible team, and the answer is… flawless,” Enninful writes in his editor’s letter.
“A perfectionist to the core, more than anything, she wanted her Vogue moment to be filled with positivity as this trickiest of years draws to a close.”
As we keep relishing over the December 2020 cover which drops on November 6, Carter is in awe of her idol and the works she is doing.
“It’s really amazing that she’s using her influence to be able to give young artists this experience and allowing their voices to be heard. She’s opening the door for others.”
Beyoncé is truly the gift that keeps giving. Last week, Adidas and the Queen B released the second iteration of their collaboration with the Adidas x IVY PARK collection titled, “Drip 2.”
What makes this collection unique is the all-inclusive sizing and gender-neutral performance gear, footwear, and accessories.
