June is Pride Month in Toronto; a time to celebrate the LGBTQ community and the values that Pride represents: equality, love, and respect. We’re proud of every contributor that shows their Pride through the power of photography on 500px, and we wanted to showcase it.
Meet #ColorMeProud: our new campaign, which recognizes six of our favorite photos (one for each color of the Pride flag!) from the 500px community. Each photo represents the spirit of Pride, highlighting diversity, inclusion, and celebration of the LGBTQ community in its own unique way.
Check out the #ColorMeProud photos below, and learn more about the different aspects of Pride that each shot represents, in the photographers’ own words.
Red: Eivind Hansen
“I was thrilled to team up with makeup artist @umberghauri to photograph an intimate moment between two friends who have risen to popularity in the London queer scene: renowned Black trans performance artist Travis Alabanza (@travisalabanza), and esteemed gender-non-conforming artist ALOK (@alokvmenon)—for Paper magazine.”
Orange: Laura Ferreira
“When I think of Pride, I think of love, strength, beauty, and diversity—but I also think of the struggle to be understood and accepted. There’s a great amount of strength in those who choose to be the voices of change, and I admire their courage. This model in Technicolor is a strong figure—a beauty layered in textures of dark glitter, gems, and smoke.”
Yellow: Angela Perez
“The perceptions of the world can make us feel like we are drowning in a sea of expectation.
If I’m a gay man, I should act and dress a certain way, a lesbian, a different way. What is on the outside is what counts in our society, regardless of whether I feel like someone else on the inside. These thoughts can crush anyone who is struggling with their identity.
However, I like to compare those expectations and thoughts to these balloons: there may be many, and they may cover a part of me, but they can be moved or even destroyed entirely. I can do something about them if I’m brave enough to fight my way out.
The colors represent what means the most to me. Yellow is traditionally a color of joy—if hope has a color, it should be yellow. And pink has come to be known as a feminine color, but it is also the color of love. Not just romantic love, but self-love, too.
In the LGBTQ community, love for yourself can be the hardest to hold onto, especially in a world that seems determined to fit everyone into a box. I hope that one day things will change, and people will be seen for who they are, instead of what others wish they were.
I want everyone to know that hope and love can be universal, and that not only is difference not a bad thing, different views and experiences can only enrich us.”
Green: Valentina Jirafa
“As homosexuals, we have had to fight for centuries to be respected: breaking through stigmas and political / religious limitations that infringe on our civil rights by not allowing us equal access to marriage. My ideal world is one without discrimination, without fear, without the need to defend oneself or to fight so hard for the right to be who we are—a world where beings are not so separated, but instead, where we simply dedicate ourselves to spreading love and the meaning it adds to our lives.”
Blue: Rob Woodcox
“This concept is a celebration of strength, life, and all things feminine! This shoot was a wonderful reminder for me of the vitality of community and nature, and how important it is to bring them together as often as possible. So often, our society’s tendency is to compete, push each other away, and to give into a toxic sense of masculinity—while assuming that feminine energy is weaker, regardless of whichever gender you identify as.
As humans, we all have elements of the masculine and feminine energy within us, and as a more feminine-identifying gay individual, I want to celebrate that energy and the power of femininity within this photograph. Don’t be afraid to embrace all parts of who you are: the passions, desires, and dreams within you are what makes life worth living.”
Purple: Yannis Guibinga
“This image explores the intersections between race, culture, and gender performance. In many cultures across the globe, men and women are not afforded the liberty to truly express themselves because they have been expected to live a certain kind of life from the moment that they were born. Thankfully, some of these people have found the strength to live authentically—despite the oppression they may face on a daily basis—and persevere to be true to themselves and their feelings. This image explores the notion of being defiantly proud of who you are in a world that very often tells us not to be.”
Upload your Pride photos to 500px with the tag #ColorMeProud!
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