Jai Lennard is a photographer based in New York. Telling stories about perseverance, triumph, legacy, love, and strength is the common thread throughout his diverse body of work. With a background as a performing artist, Jai’s deep respect for all art forms offers him a way to connect with his subjects and work seamlessly with them from behind the camera.
Jai grew up in the Bay Area of northern California with family roots in Texas & Louisiana. He participated in performing arts throughout his youth, including dance, music, and theatre. He studied at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga where he started taking photos more seriously, then London where he took his first photo course, and finally New York where he received his BA in Photography at the School of Visual Arts. He’s lived in Brooklyn ever since.
Aside from shooting editorial and advertising, Jai founded the non-profit Color Positive which aims to network Black photographers, stylists and directors in the editorial and commercial world. As well as promoting artists, Color Positive works as a mentorship program providing artists in NYC schools to speak and mentor the youth.
His clients include The Hollywood Reporter, CNN, HBO, NY Times, Warby Parker, Club Monaco and more.