Overall, I feel I learned a great deal about early Indigenous photographers and their relationship to the medium. It put into perspective how Indigenous artists and storytellers actively incorporated photography into their lives – sometimes professionally, but often personally. I truly enjoyed seeing how they shared their own stories, capturing images for their own joy and memory. There is something powerful in taking that photo of home and land and community that now stands as a testament to your impact in this life.
It was beautiful to see the work of Jaida Grey Eagle, Wendy Redstar, Rosalie Favel, Shelley Niro and Kali Spitzer, to name a few. I noticed many artists I already follow and call friends, be in online or in real life, as well as was introduced to many new artists (to me) that speak to this need of documenting joy and love and light in our communities. I am always here for a stoic portrait, but I am also here for laugh lines and auntie laughter. It was refreshing to see that aspect portrayed as well within this collection.
However, I noticed that Nadya Kwandibens (Red Works Photography) was absent from this collection, which is honestly wild. As a queer Indigenous photographer who has spent well over a decade documenting our people, she has created art, sparked vital conversations, deconstructed stereotypes, and held us up to the light on an international stage. It is striking that her name isn’t in this book, and I find myself wondering why. I’ll have to ask her the next time I see her. But I can also gently assume that there were probably hundreds of photographers and visual based artists who did not make “the cut” as this is only a small representation of who is out there, producing work and capturing moments.
This collection is a reclamation that was more than resistance; it was an internal celebration. These images were created for the subjects themselves – not as a response to colonialism, but as a centring of their own lives and values. There is a profound beauty in this realization: that when we lead with love, we produce a narrative that is deeper, stronger, and entirely our own.
Read: April 2026
Score: 7/10 – I learned a lot about new photographers who have paved the way for us, but also felt there were some significant names missed from the collection itself. The mini-essays on each artist was appreciated but I also wanted to hear more, be indulged just a little bit more.
Book: In Light and Shadow: A Photographic History from Indigenous America. By Brian Adams and Sarah Stacke.
MLA: Adams, Brian, and Sarah Stacke. In Light and Shadow. Black Dog & Leventhal, 14 Oct. 2025.
