Visual storyteller Ruth Carter Hickman was the recipient of an Alpha Female+ Grant for her project on Mexican cultural icon-inspired portraits that reimagine traditional Mexican national treasures as Afro-Mexicans. Hoping to inspire change, Hickman’s goal for this bold portrait series is to be the beginning of endless opportunities for inclusion and more Afro-Latino representation in media. 

For the final images, Hickman toned them in vintage and vibrant hues as well as made them black and white. We've chosen to showcase the black and white variation here because it enhances the feeling of textures in the individual images. Hickman used the Sony Alpha α7 III and the Sony 100mm f/2.8 STF G Master lens for the highly-stylized series.

Photo by Ruth Carter Hickman. Sony Alpha α7 III. Sony 100mm f/2.8 STF G Master Lens. 1/320-sec. f/5.6, ISO 500.

Get an inside look at Ruth Carter Hickman’s Alpha Female+ Grant-winning project on Mexican cultural icon-inspired portraits.

“I want people to have a global conversation about the contributions made by the Afro descendants of each country in Latin America and include their history in books for students to learn starting in primary school,” says Hickman.

Photo by Ruth Carter Hickman. Sony Alpha α7 III. Sony 100mm f/2.8 STF G Master Lens. 1/320-sec. f/5.6, ISO 640.

Photo by Ruth Carter Hickman. Sony Alpha α7 III. Sony 100mm f/2.8 STF G Master Lens. 1/250-sec. f/5.6, ISO 640.

Photo by Ruth Carter Hickman. Sony Alpha α7 III. Sony 100mm f/2.8 STF G Master Lens. 1/250-sec. f/5.6, ISO 640.

Photo by Ruth Carter Hickman. Sony Alpha α7 III. Sony 100mm f/2.8 STF G Master Lens. 1/250-sec. f/5.6, ISO 640.

Photo by Ruth Carter Hickman. Sony Alpha α7 III. Sony 100mm f/2.8 STF G Master Lens. 1/250-sec. f/5.6, ISO 800.

Ruth carter Hickman Alpha Female + Grant Winner 

See more about the Alpha Female + program, how you can be part of our community and how to enter to win an Alpha Female + Grant HERE.