Wanna Go Thrifting?
Tuesday, October 15
Before 2018, Jabari wasn't particularly interested in photography; he preferred sharing his experiences through storytelling. His mother encouraged him to document moments with photos, leading him to pick up a camera. His first true experience with a professional camera was at a hot air balloon festival, which he describes as a turning point: “…and that’s what made me realize, like oh I actually enjoy having memories of events, and something to look back on.” From that moment, the passion for photography took hold.Memories are fleeting moments in time that reside in our minds. But how important is it to capture those moments like fireflies in a jar? For photographer Jabari Clemons, this pursuit is the essence of his craft.
When asked about his inspiration, Jabari quickly names Gordon Parks, the influential Black American photographer known for his poignant photojournalism during the civil rights movement. He admires Parks' ability to capture life and evoke interest in his subjects: “his ability to capture that era and still make it a great photo [and] still make it such that subjects, people that he was capturing, made you interested in their lives. That’s something I want to be able to do myself.” Parks’ work resonates deeply with Jabari, especially since many of his photos were shot in Mobile, Alabama, Jabari’s hometown. “I see those photos and I see family and friends.” This connection to the past profoundly impacts Jabari's approach to photography.
Reflecting on his favorite work, he describes a black-and-white series focused on his family home in Alabama. He captured everyday moments before his mother had to move, emphasizing the significance of the house and what it meant to him and his family. “That house had been in my family for years, there are a lot of memories there,” he notes. The series also includes portraits of his grandparents, particularly his grandmother, taken before dementia affected her life. “It is really nice to see her in those last moments when she was fully herself.” Through photography, Jabari immortalizes these precious memories.
Currently, Jabari is working on an untitled project that takes viewers through various thrift and antique shops. He aims to convey the moods he experiences in those spaces. Although he struggles to articulate this feeling, he refers to a phenomenon called anemoia—the nostalgia for a time or experience he never lived through. He further explains what is to be conveyed through this series with, “…and also explore through the use of color what happens as you go through and you kind of live through the past vicariously through the objects.” Drawing inspiration from the 1995 film The Indian in the Cupboard and the I-SPY books, he strives for a dreamy aesthetic that reflects a “very old-school, southern [or] south midwestern style.”
Looking ahead, Jabari expresses that his work is not governed by time but by passion. “I honestly don’t look ahead with photography. It’s something that I do when I feel passionate, and that’s probably where it’s going to stay.” He explains that the moments when he reaches for his camera often blend with those when he simply wants to enjoy life. For nature and wildlife photography, however, he is always ready: “You’re not going to get a lot of time to actually sit and enjoy [wild animals]. So I do try to hurry up and snap a really nice pic and that kind of keeps me connected.” He believes photography allows him to take hold of these transient experiences in a real way: “I get to go back and remember that moment through [photography] because it was fleeting.”
Jabari prefers digital photography for its accessibility, using a Sony Alpha 7C II with a Sigma 28-70mm Art lens. He dreams of having a full studio equipped with an infinity wall and a complete suite of lights. As our conversation concludes, he shares these parting thoughts: “For me and what I do, the curtains are actually blue. There’s not really too much to read into it. I think they just look really nice, and I hope you think they look nice too.”
