Family First: Everyday Lens Capturing Life's Moments and the World with Alvin C. Jacobs

Join us for an engaging photography workshop perfect for all ages and skill levels! Whether you use a smartphone or a camera, learn essential tips to create stunning images, explore storytelling through your lens, and discover how photography can inspire change in your community. Drawing on years of experience in street, sports, and social justice photography, Alvin C. Jacobs covers essential "tips and tricks" to elevate your photography.

This session includes an introduction to studio photography inside his past experiences in MOMA and insights from Alvin's self-titled exhibition, which celebrates the legacy of Black motorcycle culture. As a second-generation bike club member, Alvin shares a rich narrative of history, identity, and resilience through his art.

Don't miss this chance to transform your photography using the devices you already have!

Please bring your own camera devices.

Family First is presented by Novant Health

Alvin C. Jacobs, Jr. is a professional photographer and image activist based in Charlotte, NC. A former artist-in-residence at the Gantt Center, he was commissioned to create the award-winning images featured in the Gantt Center's Welcome to Brookhill exhibition. A transplant to the Queen City, Jacobs honed his craft on the front lines of America's social justice movements, emerging as a premier photographer and photo-documentarian.

Known for his distinctive aesthetic, Jacobs' work often emphasizes stark contrasts and engages with the black-and-white—both in photography and in life. His ability to capture the essence of his subjects has earned him recognition, including being named one of Charlotte Magazine’s "Charlotteans of the Year." The Welcome to Brookhill exhibition has garnered multiple accolades, including being voted "Best Exhibit" by Queen City Nerve readers.

Jacobs specializes in social documentary photography as well as professional sports, portrait, editorial, and fashion photography. He has been commissioned by prominent organizations such as the NFL's Carolina Panthers, the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, and NASCAR teams. His work has been featured in interviews on major national outlets, including CNN, HLN, and Fox News.

Jacobs' photography has been exhibited nationwide, including in the award-winning, co-curated social justice exhibition K(no)w Justice, K(no)w Peace at the Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte. His work is part of the permanent collection at Davidson College in the photography exhibit Three Steps Back: A Call to Action. Before creating Welcome to Brookhill—now part of the Gantt Center's permanent collection—Jacobs was commissioned to document record-breaking performances for Jay-Z and Beyoncé's Live Nation Tours.