Bayete Ross Smith
Ode to Nina Mae McKinney, Dorothy Dandridge, and Lena Horne
Digital C-Print
30" x 40"
“Pomp and Circumstance: First Time To Be Adults”, focuses on high school Proms as one of the few remaining rite of passage rituals in American society. I am interested in the expression of identity during the prom, and the tradition of portraiture that documents this moment, as a rite of passage. I am also interested in how the tradition of portraiture affects our ideas about identity, community and history. I am curious about where the prom portrait fits into that tradition. This is an ongoing series, which I began in 2005.

These images were photographed using large format film, and Digital SLRs. The film was scanned and then printed.
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