PORCHTRAITS:

Victoria, BC

Nathan Smith is a self-taught portrait photographer. Growing up in Jamaica, he enjoyed a tropical life: weekends at the beach in his childhood, dirt-biking in the hills as a teen, and crewing on a sailboat as a young adult, learning life lessons from the captain and working as part of a crew. Shortly after moving to Canada in 2014, he picked up a camera for the first time and discovered a deep love for photography. One project

Nathan is especially passionate about sharing is his ongoing series Profiling Black Excellence, where he documents the stories behind instances of racism or racial profiling faced by people of colour in Victoria and Vancouver.

What made you decide to start this project?

I always strive to use my photography to empower my subjects and benefit community. When lockdowns began, I was worried that I didn’t have anything to offer my community.