I first heard from Rashira in September of 2022. A mutual friend and model had passed on my contact info as I was always searching for models throughout my time in university. My senior year was incredibly packed and I didn’t meet Rashira until the opening night of our senior project exhibition. I’d remembered her willingness to model and showing up to see my thesis work meant for me so naturally I added her to a list of artists I wanted to photograph.
Months later, we managed to set a date and meet by the waterfront. It’s there I learned how great of a hero Rashira is. From her numerous studies in Uganda, a modelling career in her youth, moving alone to Canada to complete her education and her plans for working with the UN, there was no obstacle too great to conquer.
While we tried various compositions with numerous urban backdrops, the ones that stood out most in the end were the ones where SHE stood out the most. A prominent figure deserves to pop off the page. Coupled with the timelessness of black and white, her portraits reflect both the great artist and human she is.
