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RJ Clarke | Documentary Photographer

@rj43mm

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Documentary Photographer Firefighter/Paramedic
Creator of
‘The Color of Fire’ ‘The Last Dance’

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“THE LAST DANCE” zine is live today - You can purchase at - rj43mm.com

A limited 100 copy release from my work made at Gathering of Nations, where over 200,000 people came together in Albuquerque.

$40 ($48 with shipping) All proceeds will be DONATED to the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women. I will not be taking ANY profit from this project.

This work is about presence, movement, memory, family, and the responsibility of making images with care.

Available now through the link in my bio. The Color of Fire Project - 25 states across America will be completed in November.

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#TheLastDanceZine #NativeArt #DocumentaryPhotography #Photobook #ZineRelease taken in Albuquerque, New Mexico by @rj43mm

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2 months ago

62 portraits in 48 seconds.

Atlanta Juneteenth felt like a living family album. I AM BLACK, I AM PROUD, I AM FREE.

Please share and follow me for more.

The parade, the festival, the elders, the kids, the style, the pride, the color, the joy, the history.

Shot in Atlanta, Georgia.

More portraits and documentary work on IG: @rj43mm taken in Atlanta, GA by @rj43mm

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a month ago

Meeting Engine 230 was planned.
This moment was not.

Brooklyn, New York — field notes from The Color of Fire.

Pictured: Dr. Adonijah Smith (yes he’s a Doctor as well), DPT, Firefighter; Lt. Steve Clarke, from Queens; Firefighter Gregory Neal; and the crew of Engine 230.

Kids walked up to see the rig, hold the tools, try on the helmet, and stand inside the possibility of the job.

That is Black excellence in turnout gear.
That is community.
That is the fire service record.

Not a diversity campaign.
A fire-service record.

For the next generation.

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#TheColorOfFire #Engine230 #FDNY #Brooklyn #BlackFirefighters taken in Brooklyn, New York by @rj43mm

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2 months ago

New York, in between the firehouse work.

I went up to photograph firefighters for The Color of Fire, but every city I travel to, I end up walking with a camera too. Film, digital, whatever I have with me.

Some of this was between station visits. Some of it was just moving through the city and paying attention.

I’ve got more work to make in New York, so I’ll be back soon. For now, this is what I caught this time.

#streetphotography #nycstreetphotography #newyorkstreetphotography #documentaryphotography #blackandwhitephotography taken in New York City by @rj43mm

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20 days ago

Part 2 of The Color of Fire.

This project is about documenting firefighters of color (men and women) across the United States, on duty and in the in-between moments that usually go unseen. I have no support on this project, so I am asking you to share.

It is about 60% complete. The photo book will be 65 pages.

Next month, the focus shifts to women in the fire service.

If you are a firefighter interested in participating, or know someone who is, anywhere in the USA, comment on this post.
Note: This is not action shots of peoples homes on fire, out of respect for those people. All ems patients will be excluded per HIPAA.

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#thecoloroffire
#firefighterportrait
#documentaryphotography
#americanstories
#fireservice taken in Chicago, Illinois, USA by @rj43mm

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4 months ago

A visual love letter to Atlanta

Nothing staged. Just timing, light, patience, and people moving through the frame.

Shot during Juneteenth weekend while continuing The Color of Fire and my larger documentary work on Black life, culture, and public service.

@rj43mm

#Atlanta #Juneteenth #BlackCulture #StreetPhotography #DocumentaryPhotography taken in Atlanta, GA by @rj43mm

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a month ago

An ongoing national document of Minority firefighters across America.

Inside the station.
In classrooms.
On front lawns.
At training grounds.

The uniform carries history.
Public trust.
Expectation.
Burden.

The work is visible.
The weight is not.

This project moves city to city.
Department to department.

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#ColorOfFire
#DocumentaryPractice
#BlackFirefighters
#AmericanDocumentary
#VisualAuthorship taken in New Orleans Fire Department by @rj43mm

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5 months ago

12 O’Clock Boys rolling through Baltimore.

Twenty seconds from the street.

#Baltimore #12OClockBoys #DirtBikeCulture #StreetPhotography #blackculture taken in Ghetto Streets Of Baltimore by @rj43mm

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a month ago

Boricua de corazón.

Puerto Rican Day in New York.

36 portraits, one flag, one people.

Pa’ que tú lo sepas.

Shot on Leica Q3 43mm.

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#PuertoRicanDayParade #Boricua #PuertoRico #Nuyorican #BadBunny taken in Manhattan, New York by @rj43mm

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a month ago

Through a boys eyes.
The drums hit. His excitement for the sounds.
Hand in the air, he wants to be out there one day.
Mardi Gras isn’t just beads and floats.
It’s the first time you feel the city move through you.

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#MardiGras2026
#NewOrleansCulture
#StreetDocumentary
#BlackJoy
#RJobserves taken in St Charles Parade Route by @rj43mm

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5 months ago

Atlanta street photography in black and white.

Nothing here is staged.
I don’t know the people in these photographs. I don’t direct them. I don’t ask them to stand anywhere.

Most of the time, I’m waiting.

Sometimes thirty minutes. Sometimes an hour. Watching the light, the rain, the street, the shadows, the frame.

Then one person walks through the right place at the right time.

That’s the photograph.

Which frame is your fav?

#AtlantaStreetPhotography #StreetPhotography #BlackAndWhitePhotography #DocumentaryPhotography #ᴀᴛʟᴘʜᴏᴛᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜʏ Black and white Atlanta street photograph with the words “In Atlanta We Trust” above a city street scene. taken in Atlanta, GA by @rj43mm

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a month ago