My name is Jay Byers and I’ve been taking pictures since I was 15. I started off as a self-portrait photographer, and looking back I now know that I was taking my own images to further understand who I was, because I was put up for a closed adoption at birth, and always struggled to see myself in my loving yet racially diverse family. Putting my lens on me helped me recognize the very best parts of me and my story as a whole. Now, I do this same work for others.

Through imagery, I capture the love and light in individuals and their stories. Most recently I’ve worked with Black Women’s Photographers to capture Ari Lennox’s A/S/L tour at her Atlanta show, ESSENCE Magazine to capture: The 17th annual Black Women In Hollywood Award Ceremony, ESSENCE FEST, Beautycon and the Girl’s United Summit. I’ve also been recognized in Voyage ATL and Shoutout Atlanta. My goal in every image is to honor who people truly are, as people deserve to be recognized. Further, I am hoping that my work behind the lens leads to working with brands on campaigns that highlight important topics such as Black beauty, HBCUS and entrepreneurship .

In addition, many photographers often create a brand identity that focuses on one specific thing. For me, I believe I am not meant to capture just one thing as there are many stories that need to be told,.