The POP-UP Portrait Studio continues a rich legacy of community storytelling in Southwest Detroit. This summer, eight young photographers joined the internship program at Inside Southwest Detroit, learning technical and creative photography skills while honoring the community's past and shaping its future.
Inspired by the work of our longtime partners Capturing Belief and La Sirena Studio, the POP-UP Portrait Studio continues the legacy of our collaborative efforts in youth-focused photography education. This includes initiatives like Young Detroit Photo Society, which also involved Darkroom Detroit. These programs and their creators recognized the power of photography for community building, cultural pride, and personal expression. The collective work has paved the way for today’s young photographers, who are now contributing their own perspectives to this ongoing narrative.
The studio taps into a broader tradition of lens-based storytelling that spans cultures and generations, drawing inspiration from photographers like Mary Ellen Mark, Malick Sibidé, Yousuf Karsh, Graciela Iturbide, Sebastião Salgado, and Martin Schoeller. These artists have transformed the potential of documentation and inspired generations by capturing and sharing the histories they've experienced.
The youth apprentices are learning not just how to take photos, but how to see their community in a new light, tell its stories, and continue the legacy of those who came before them. By participating in the POP-UP Portrait Studio, they are building on a lineage of photographers who celebrate the beauty, strength, and diversity of their communities.
The internship serves as an entry point into a community of practice that values storytelling, creativity, and collaboration. The studio synthesizes these inspirations, offering youth a chance to actively contribute to and shape the future of Southwest Detroit’s storytelling tradition. By engaging in this program, young photographers are ensuring that community-driven storytelling will continue to thrive for years to come.