The Chi
Season 6
captures
the authenticity of the
Devin Allen
Black Community Culture.
and
Baltimore-Based Photographer
It happened so fast. I got the call in April, it was two weeks before the shoot. [My agent] told me “Lena wants you to shoot season six.” It was a quick turnaround, they needed me in Chicago the following week.
Through the unwavering guidance of his childhood friend, Devin became acquainted with the artistry of poetry, attending poetry nights in Baltimore’s cultural hotspots, and becoming immersed in the power of prose. As the artist became more involved in the city’s creative scene, he began cultivating and hosting community-oriented poetry events, offering giveaways and prizes to participants. Included in the gifted items were custom T-shirts that featured the visionary’s photographs, which were taken using a Nikon point-and-shoot camera, further igniting his passion for photography. From there, the Baltimore-based artist dedicated his days to documenting different places and faces throughout the city, capturing compelling moments of day-to-day life in the metropolitan area.
For photographer and photojournalist Devin Allen, his creative craft is used as a tool to shed light and spark meaningful conversations on the beauty and complexities in Black culture, and the Black community. Born and raised in West Baltimore, Devin’s upbringing was saddled with the harsh realities of crime and violence in the East Coast city, finding himself and members of his community in the throes of it. At the age of 19, the birth of his daughter coupled with the devastating loss of his two friends, as a result of gun violence, inspired the illustrious photographer to leave his old life behind and build a fruitful future. While Devin distanced himself from his past lifestyle, he was able to reconnect with an old friend who supported his new way of living and introduced him to a powerful pathway that would eventually lead to the birth of his photography career.
In 2015, one of the major moments that Devin would go on to document occurred during a fateful day, following the untimely death of Freddie Gray, which marked a devastating time in American history. The powerful photograph, titled “Baltimore Uprising”, went onto grace the cover of Time Magazine, making Devin the third amateur photographer featured on the cover of the legendary publication. The feature catapulted his career and spawned a series of images from the talent that masterfully conveys both the good and bad realities of Black life in America, touching the hearts of those in his community near and far. Drawn to Devin’s capabilities of capturing authenticity, executive producer of The Chi Lena Waithe tapped the self-taught artist to shoot the main imagery for the new season of the hit SHOWTIME series.
The Chi
In speaking with the talent, Devin reveals the creative direction behind his shoot featuring cast members of , how he draws inspiration from iconic photographers like Gordon Parks in his creative career and the ways he celebrates Black communities and culture with his craft.
I took off work and flew out there. They pulled all this imagery of all of my work and shared it with SHOWTIME. What I had to do was basically come back with a creative deck. They already had a lot of imagery and ideas pulled and I just pulled it all together really fast. It wasn’t a long process at all. In Chicago, I drove around with people and looked at locations — I just wanted to make sure that whatever we shot felt like [the city].
A lot of people that worked behind-the-scenes were from Chicago, so I was picking their brain and asking their thoughts on different blocks. While I’m there, I’m learning about the culture of Chicago. I try to be very respectful of other people’s community because I hate when people think they can just come to my hood and start taking pictures and they don’t know anything about it. Most of my work is in Baltimore because I know it, I’m from there. I’m very respectful, I’m not one of those people who will just pull up to your hood and start taking pictures just because I’m a Black photographer.
I think when you’re telling stories and you’re photographing people you have to know the nuances of what’s going on in the community. So, even though this is just a job, I’m going into someone else’s community, affecting their everyday life, using their blocks. I'm speaking for the cast, I’m speaking for people.
I try to keep the same approach. If I’m shooting Steph Curry or if I’m shooting a kid on a porch, I try to go about it the same. It’s just [about] humanizing people. When I was first told about the shoot, they didn’t have any creative for it, I was just told that the whole cast had to be seen.
I had to start thinking “where can you see all these different characters at?” and the [answer] is a block party.
[For] the block party, I wanted them to just be themselves but also be in character but not in character at the same time. I wanted them to interact with those characters that they would interact with on the show but also be themselves. We had music pumping, it felt like a real block party. It was the only way you’d be able to see all the cast members together. In Baltimore, we throw block parties in my community and you might see the governor, the mayor, but then you’ll also see the hustlers, you’ll see kids. So, you’re going to see all these different characters celebrating life at the block party.
It was amazing. It was life changing when Lena followed me on Instagram because as an artist especially coming from a small place like Baltimore it’s a constant fight. We fight really hard to get our work out and anyone that knows me knows I’m all about community. When I win, everybody in my community wins. I feel that way because I’m only in this position because Baltimore believes in me, and has been pushing me and supporting me for so long. Every time I get an accolade it feels like it’s one for the home team.
I’m beyond honored that Lena trusted me with something so important and that I get to be on her platform where she elevates artists. Every season it’s a different artist and I just love that. We need more people like Lena out here.
Everyday life. I used to think that when you think of activism or these dynamic moments or people in time, I think a lot of times as Black people we always have to be so grand at everything because of the system and America in general. Sometimes we overlook the small mundane things because we don’t see it as being grand or super. What really inspires me and what I gravitate towards is my community. I used to really hate Baltimore because of all the things I’ve gone through and witnessed, but I learned to find joy in some of the small, tedious things in life.
I used to think that with activism I had to be at the front lines. I got a camera in 2013 and went to my first protest in 2014. I burnt myself out thinking that I always had to be there and that that was the most powerful type of photography to tell those stories. But then I started to learn that when those moments were over I would find myself stuck in the work. So, I had to go back to the true essence of why I picked up the camera in the first place and it was to show what was right in front of me. I dialed back and started noticing the little things in life, like the grandmother selling frozen cups or block parties — things that bring joy to the community.
These small impactful things that happen in my community don’t often get the light that they deserve. If someone is shot and murdered that’s all you’ll hear about. I think the inspiration for me is watching people that may not have the best living circumstances, like a lot of us growing up here, thriving every single day. Life might beat them up but they still keep on pushing.
It’s something I derived from [one of my inspirations] Gordon Parks. He described his camera as his “choice of weapons.” When I first started photography I didn’t really understand it at all. But I studied Parks [and other photographers like] Jamel Shabazz, LaToya Ruby Frazier and started to understand. I really started to understand when my friend Sean Gamble was murdered by Baltimore city police officers. I remember everybody going to the protests and at that point, the mental state I was in, I didn’t want to go to the protest.
But then I started to understand that it was about controlling your own narrative and speaking for yourself. Going to protests changed how I looked at photography and I started understanding the power that I had with the lens and how I could shed light and control narratives.
[Black people] rarely get to speak for themselves. With the camera, I’m able to use it and my platform to make sure my community is seen. It’s more than capturing a good image, you can really change somebody’s perspective.
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Black Community Culture.
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