EP 27 • Nicky Quamina-woo
About Nicky
Nicky Quamina-Woo is a Black + Native Hawaiian documentary photographer dividing her time between Southeast Asia, the African continent, and New York City. Her fascination with the tenacity of the human spirit deeply influences her approach to image-making. While initially studying psychology in university, she realized her true interests lay in celebrating the nuances of the human story rather than in parsing them.
Woo's documentary work explores the transmogrified effects of trauma within communities and the legacy of colonization. Specifically, how collective suffering and its myriad embers change the underlying ethos of groups to form something new; Adaptation not only as a means of survival but morphology that integrates and syncretizes with each culture. Nicky’s desire to examine these shifts is intrinsically linked to her ethnic heritage, whose parallels inspire her to dig deeper in search of human fortitude, compassion, and healing.
Nicky is the recipient of the Nikon-Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage grant in 2020 as well as an awardee of the inaugural Reuters Storytelling grant for her work on a Tanzania-based project about the intersection of western medicine and witchcraft. In her time as an independent, her clients have included CNN, The Washington Post, Human Rights Watch, Der Spiegel, Bloomberg, Apple, Reporters Beyond Borders, The Guardian, Vogue Italia, and Marie Claire magazines.
SHOW NOTES:
Website: nickywoo.com
Where are you based?: Brooklyn, NY
Camera Brand: Canon
Favorite Lens: Canon 50mm - Beautiful Bokeh
Who do you consider the most influential black photographer?
Ever? Gordon Parks/Malick Sidibe
Which field of photography is the most diverse? Least diverse?
Most Diverse: Journalism
Least diverse: Fashion
What do you consider the biggest hurdle for Black photographers today?
Editors/ finding our own voice versus just shooting what we think others will like.
Instagram: @nickywoophoto
