Red Emma’s

Statement from the Artist: This series simply highlights the beauty of the person in front of my camera. I only choose photograph in a way that will preserve the essence of the time we are in and provide longevity. A lot of my portrait work may not have a specific theme, but one's mind can wander and create their own. My portrait work is mostly inspired by my atmosphere (at the time) and a heap of thoughts mostly grounded in feeling free and naturally beautiful. I value solitude, especially when I am creating so I tend to pick locations where there won’t be any distractions. Beaches during the off season may be one of my favorite locations to shoot. The stillness and sounds of water crashing upon the shore provide me peace. Choosing to edit in black/white was a decision I made based upon how I want these portraits to appear overtime and natural lighting we had that day These portraits of Reese Jones were photographed on an overcast day in January of 2023 at Miami Beach Park.

Born and raised in West Baltimore, Shae McCoy has been building her brand and leaving her mark all over the DMV, one photo at a time. Since founding her blog, Uncommonrealist.com back in 2013, Shae has curated a list of achievements that just keeps growing. From interviewing actors, activists, community leaders, and politicians, to creating a spotlight for local artists, Uncommonrealist.com became a hub for all things culture. Uncommonrealist was nominated for The Inaugural Southern Blogger Impact Awards in 2016 and featured on various.local platforms. In 2018, the blog won an award for Best Entertainment Website. While attending the University of Baltimore, Shae was a contributing writer for the UB Post, the university’s publication.  As Uncommonrealist continued to grow, Shae was developing a passion for the visual arts. In 2016, she started Shae McCoy Photography ( formerly Coy-Op Photos), a photography brand that caters to various types of photography, including scenic, documentary and portrait photography. Her journey as a photographer started out as a way to paint a story to go with her articles, but as opportunities came her way, her photography brand grew. Shae’s work has been featured in major publications such as Teen Vogue, The Cosmopolitan, Essence, The Baltimore Magazine, and BMore Art. Her work has also been a recurring feature for LED Baltimore. Some of her other recent accomplishments include being featured in the Baltimore Sun’s 25 Women to Watch, coming in at #14. Shae’s photography has been displayed on the Baltimore Museum of Art website,in the Joan Hisaoka Gallery in Washington D.C., The Waller Gallery and Red Emma’s Bookstore CoffeeHouse.