Miranda Rae Barnes is a Caribbean American photographer born and currently based in Brooklyn, New York. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities and Justice, Barnes made the choice to pursue a career in photography. The spirit of her original passion for criminal justice is alive in her photographs, which center around themes of race and politics within communities.

Describing her decision to pivot toward photography, Barnes explains: “I was in my last semester at John Jay College of Criminal Justice when I was asked to photograph a piece for The New York Times coverage of the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in Memphis, TN. The piece ended up being way bigger than I anticipated and by the time my graduation came, I realized that the opportunity to pursue photography as a career may be harder in the future. Photography was, and is, my passion and it’s always exciting to indulge in what I’ve accomplished in a short amount of time.”

See more from Miranda Barnes below!