Jamie Mc Kinley | MARCH FOR JUSTICE | – CHICAGO –
“I fear that the change that needs to happen will be too late before the next viral video or shooting of an unarmed minority. So, no matter what race, nationality, or political party you are, we as the people on this planet must stop the years of hatred and bigotry. It’s not just an American problem; it’s a global problem. If there is to be an actual change.”
My name is Jamie Mc Kinley, known to many as JMarkpro. I enjoy photography and anything else that may help me absorb knowledge and increase my artistic admiration.
I strive to look for the beauty and magic in everything I see, taking a picture, freezing that moment, showing how vibrant reality is. I love seeing other artists work and visualize what motivates or drives them.
In turn, I use that to push myself artistically out of my comfort zone to create more than just a cool shot. Through my art, I hope to take people on a journey that most may never see or experience. Hopefully, in doing so, people feel more than they saw a photo but saw something that moved them, which made them have an emotional response.
Born and raised in Chicago (Illinois, USA) urban south side, the human experience was all around me. Graffiti and street life were the only art forms I knew existed. Streetlife, with its people and music, Graffiti, using spray paint to show the world, who you are, or what was going on in the urban areas. But still, I knew there had to be more forms of art.
Then, I found out who Gordan Parks was. His black and white photography spoke to me. I started to crave art in all its forms, it became like a drug to me.
I wanted to understand it, see it, learn how to make anything close to what I saw. Photography became that outlet for me to show people what I see, life in its raw form, beauty, and pain. Getting my first camera and walking around the streets of Chicago, Shooting architecture, and its People. From those humble beginnings, I started to learn my equipment. Using each camera, I had access to, to its fullest capacity.
I took college classes and Meetup groups to learn the technical side of photography, including editing. With this knowledge, I began shooting every day like a kid in a candy store. Shooting anything and everything, driving around with my camera in my car. With this ambition, I set my sights higher than just shooting concerts, fashion, and boudoir photography.
Looking for that one shot that touches me, upsets me (because I could have made it a better picture). Pushing myself artistically, becoming a model for myself and other photographers.
Now I shoot with Nikon 750 with a 50mm and Canon 77d with 28-300 for street photography.
Shooting the protests in Chicago firsthand means more because it’s my home.
Understanding the years of systemic racism, segregation, and financial inequality would someday cause an eruption of anger and hate.
