Zharmaine B.
Hi there, My name is Zharmaine. Zee for short.
A photojournalist & cinematic editorial portrait photographer.
Made in the Philippines. Grown in the LBC.
Grew up a Filipino American immigrant in Long Beach, CA, in a home where dreaming about the arts could never be realistic. When your family immigrated to survive, creativity is a privilege. I did not have that privilege. So I took the safe and practical road for a long time. That was not optional. But I never allowed anything to take away the creativity within me, no matter how unattainable it felt at the time.
My path to photography wasn't linear because for a long time, it wasn't a path at all. But I draw inspiration and strength from the words of music artists that looked at the road that they were given and chose an entirely different path. People who knew exactly where they were rooted, but were never stuck. Because of their grit to push through the struggles and the deafening doubts all around them, I finally had a guide on paving my own path.
I love creating portraits because I'm capturing the essence of the person in front of me. Documenting the person that they are, in this moment, a version made up of every version of themselves.
Somedays I'm still in awe at the fact that I'm able to document the crossroads of sound, culture, and image.
Freezing a moment where culture is being made.
With a camera in my hand.
Somebody pinch me.