*This story is brought to you by Most Incredible Studio founder Syreeta Gates as a part of our Because Of You: Legacy in Focus campaign honoring contemporary Black photographers*
Eva G. Woolridge is a force behind the lens—a visual architect who reshapes narratives, dismantles perceptions, and demands that we see ourselves in our whole power. As an award-winning Queer, Black & Chinese conceptual portrait photographer, her work pulses with intensity, vulnerability, and unshakable truth. Every image is a declaration—an unfiltered look at femininity’s raw, emotional, and spiritual essence that refuses to be confined by labels.
“There are spaces where we are affluent. There are spaces where we move culturally, passionately, soulfully, and intersectionally,” Woolridge says. “Through my lens, I share representation that’s honest—not through the guise of colonizers or people telling our stories for us.”
Her art has been featured in Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Harper’s Bazaar. It has traveled from Seattle to New York, each exhibition marking a reclamation of identity, power, and joy. And when she speaks—whether at TEDx, the Schomburg Research Center, or universities nationwide—she amplifies the conversation on identity and representation, pushing the industry forward.
Woolridge is no stranger to turning personal pain into visual activism. Her Leica Women in Foto Award-winning series, The Size of a Grapefruit, is a deeply personal and universally urgent project. Through this series, she chronicles her experience with an ovarian cyst surgery while exposing the medical negligence and racial biases that endanger Black women’s health.
She demands change. “My work taps into specific sections within the Black community, especially advocating for Black women in the reproductive space,” she says. “Through documentary work, we’ve always had resources to protect ourselves—Black midwifery care, doulas, aunties, mothers, and sisters who step in where the system fails us.”
Her upcoming documentary, In These Hands, expands on this theme, capturing the stories of Black midwives, doulas, and birth workers nationwide. The film is a tribute to ancestral knowledge, community care, and the unwavering power of Black women reclaiming their bodies and birthing experiences.
View this post on Instagramadvertisement
Woolridge’s lens doesn’t only confront pain—it uplifts joy. She is currently working on a photography book that explores Black queer nightlife, archiving the vibrancy of pre-pandemic spaces and the cultural shifts that followed. Her commitment to documenting Black joy, queerness, and connection is an act of resistance against erasure.
“I hope people see themselves in a futuristic way. I want them to see the manifested version of themselves through my work—the dreamer, the person they want to become,” she says.
View this post on Instagramadvertisement
Beyond photography, Woolridge is redefining how we engage with art itself. She recently launched limited-edition jigsaw puzzles featuring her most striking portraits. For her, creating tangible, interactive experiences allows people to connect with her work in new ways.
Woolridge immediately lights up when asked about the significance of hands-on creativity—like the Because of You: Legacy in Focus LEGO set from Because Of Them We Can and Most Incredible Studio. She understands the importance of play, using our hands to create, and building memories through shared experiences.
“With a tangible item like a LEGO set, you can bring your community together—family, friends, anyone. You can laugh, reflect, and build something that holds meaning,” she says. “And when it’s done, you don’t just have an object. You have a memory attached to it. That’s what makes it special.”
A century from now, Woolridge wants her work to be more than a visual archive—she wants it to be a mirror reflecting the boundless potential of future generations. She hopes people feel held, seen, and inspired by the world she has captured and created.
“I want them to feel courage. I want them to be the biggest version of themselves,” she says. “Because I know I’m being the most authentic version of me—and all I can ask is for others to do the same.”
Through her photography, activism, and storytelling, Eva Woolridge isn’t just documenting history—she’s shaping it, reclaiming it, and ensuring it belongs to us.
Cover photo: Meet Eva Woolridge, the Award-Winning Photographer Using Her Lens to Reclaim Power, Joy, & Identity/Photo credit: Less Than Likely Podcast