Uptown Photo Walk With E. Mackey

Learn new photography skills on this engaging and creative Uptown photo walk lead by photographer E. Mackey. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss composition, lighting, and tech with Mackey, creator of the upcoming exhibition Choose Your Weapon. Navigating through the streets of Charlotte's Uptown neighborhoods, participants will explore architecture, landscapes and various urban settings.

Any image making device is welcome and the photo wall is open to all skill levels.

Mask are encouraged.

E. Mackey is a photographer and author from Miami, Florida. He found acclaim as a musician, fashion designer and entrepreneur before earning his Bachelor's degree in Clothing Textiles and Merchandising from Florida State University in 2010. It was in 2011, when he first picked up a camera, that his career as a photographer began. He explored the streets of South Beach in Miami, taking photographs of the homeless and sharing their stories on social media.

By 2012, his growing love for photography led him to launch Dope Heart Media, an agency that provides photography, video production, graphic design and other creative services. Through Dope Heart Media, Mackey created content for brands including Amazon, eBay, Google, Twitter, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Pfizer, and spirits producers Rémy Martin and Hennessy.

In 2018, after obtaining an MFA from Full Sail University, Mackey coupled his degree and the experiences and relationships he gained managing Dope Media to develop Blvck Spades. Founded in 2019, the lifestyle brand started as a deck of cards and expanded to include clothing, housewares, electronics and accessories.

The summer of 2020 was a turning point. Feeling compelled to become actively involved in the movement for Black lives, Mackey began documenting the historic protests. His images from the demonstrations were used by global news outlets including CNN, The Washington Post and Democracy Now and were featured in a commercial for Doritos.

Mackey later self-published the photo book "Lift Every Voice" to tell the story of the movement and to provide context from a Black perspective. This led to his establishing a publishing company, Black Creator Collective. Learn more at lifteveryvoicebook.com.