I’m Dominic de Bourg — a creative director, writer, designer and photographer.
26.03.2021
Zidane Stewart
"Are you afraid of death?"
I asked the question after a long conversation about ideas, stories and Black characters.
"I've never thought about it like that, because I've always thought of death as a new beginning - I remember a story I read about the birth of a baby being the death of life in the womb," he responded.
As we sat going through these photos, the conversation shifted. We discussed form and perspective, and that changed from the art interpretation to the philosophical.
"It doesn't matter your location," he said. "Your mind can still be in shackles. Trying to run to a more developed country doesn't mean that you leave your demons behind. I've read Nietzsche, and my interpretation gives me the power to believe in myself as a young Black boy, and to use my art to let other young Black boys see themselves as heroes. This is what I needed growing up, so this is what I will do."
04.04.21
Zanifar Taitt
"Sift three cups of flour," she said. There was a firmness to it, but a gentleness to it - a trait that only a mother could master. She was going to teach me how to make bread, but from it, somehow I learned how to teach instead. Everyday I see the bond between her and her daughters and I admire it. Even when she frowns, this image of her smiling is always there in the background, as if the hard times are just a temporary mask. Living is about learning, understanding, and giving - three stories all embedded in her portrait.
04.04.21
Three Generations
It's beautiful to see women supporting each other; to see time as a thread through their stories versus a tide pulling them apart.
There are three generations in this photo. As one moves, the others respond, sewing a masterpiece with encouragement, prayer and laughter.
I'm blessed to know you all.
Tyler Andrews, Zanifar Taitt, Gloria Taitt, Farah Andrews
01.01.21
Julia Octavia Quintina Valentine
Click here to read her full story.
04.04.21
Myron Tennia
The man's caption was 'Cooler than Freddie Jackson sippin' a milkshake in a snowstorm...' and I really can't top that.
04.04.21
Tyler Andrews
The night drew on as she put the Easter decorations up. There was a glint in her eye; an ember that grew in units of laughter. Mixed into that was a sense of mischief - the inner child that she never let die. The following morning, as our family spilled through the door for their Easter egg hunt, I saw where the embers came from. This was tradition, this was family, this was what makes life worth it. Thank you for caring so much about keeping traditions alive and keeping family together. My flower girl.
04.04.21
Gloria Taitt
The lines on hands and faces - they get deeper with wisdom, with experience, with time. Sometimes they whisper a message all on their own.
31.03.21
Joanne and Elye
"This is my last photo before I lose my hair to chemo," she said, more as a defiance to the world around her than to anyone in the room.
There's a quiet power in the timing of a photo. It's a breath in between verses; a single, quiet second immortalised.
If that moment happens before a new chapter, then we look back at the photo with new eyes; healed, wiser, stronger.
Thank you for spending the day with me and showing me what love looks like.
08.04.21
Man on Promenade
Time fascinates me. To know that these hands, the ones I'm using to write this, are the same ones I'll use decades from now to write another story. Who knows the references I'll have; the ideas and experiences I'll be able to share. I've wondered how I'll look as an old man, and how the world will look at that point.
I shot this picture a couple years ago on the promenade in Port of Spain. While I don't know who this man is, his portrait speaks its own volumes.
