Photo Submission



Photographers and models submitted pictures of happy, beautiful trans adults and youth in 2023. Trans youth selected the pictures to be part of Becoming Ourselves through an online survey. The youth were from throughout the United States. The Transgender Education Alliance, The Frederick Center, and the Rainbow Youth Alliance were asked to share the survey with their trans youth groups and additional respondents were the offspring of the curator's friends. 

At the first venue there was a wall where trans visitors could share pictures of themselves, making the exhibit interactive and even more joyful. It was pre-populated with curator's choice pictures that were selected by the youth but didn't have the resolution to be printed 24"x36" for the main exhibit or that she deemed important for other reasons. 


Photographers include:


Rockville, MD-based photographer who works on renewable energy in developing countries. Specializing in travel, wildlife, and portraiture, she gravitates towards vibrant hues and the nuances of low-light settings, culminating in mesmerizing works spanning astro photography, light painting, and UV body art. Featured in Bouquet d'Ames, Andersen is an active member of the Women’s Caucus for Art, and served as curator, organizer, and a contributor for Becoming Ourselves.


For her pictures she asked her models what made them happy and then co-created the pictures with them. 



A London-based filmmaker and photographer. He has worked with BBC, NBC, MTV, Sony Entertainment Television, and Disney. He is director of Adam Rowley Creative, a creative agency and content studio. 

“Taken during the making of the film Love and Lashes which premiered at the 1993 British Lesbian and Gay Film Festival before touring the  world at something like the start of a Gay Film Culture. Long before Ru Paul was anyone, long before we had the inclusive LGBTQ+ culture, those of us with no money or status scrabbled away on super 8 film and favours, and we made this little camp drag homage to Judy Garland. Blonde is Betty Bugaloo, Brunette is Celeste West, who I met when they were hostessing under the arches at Heaven. "You guys are fabulous, shall we make a film", I said. And they said yes. Without pausing for breathe. :)”



Partnered with brands and companies such as Levis, Apple, Adidas, Spotify, and Warby Parker. They have also shot for publications including People, Vogue Paris, The New York Times, LA Times, Cosmopolitan, Billboards, Washington Post, Bloomberg, and Playgirl Magazine. Liam’s pictures “feel like a warm hug.” “I want people who are marginalized to feel warmth, safety and reassurance that their existence deserves to be here when I am expressing their stories through my images.”  



A nonbinary Korean American photographer based in San Antonio, Texas. They are currently a Hearst Photo Fellow at the San Antonio Express-News. Their personal work explores the intersections of mental health, queer identity, and faith. “My work is ultimately for the queer community, for us to have positive representation and affirming stories of ourselves so we see ourselves reflected back to us in the media and in art.” 



A Baltimore photographer. Her lived experience as a Black nonbinary trans woman informs her work. She seeks to uplift the spectrum of Black identities by offering new imagery with which to approach the Black imagination.


Mother, contributing photographer. Co-founder of Maryland's first Certified B Corp law firm dedicated to joyful, purposeful work that transforms our communities and drives positive change. 2023 Woman Making History awarded by the Montgomery County Commission for Women. 


Contributing photographer and model. Gender-fluid, queer musician, artist, and lover of the natural world. Clerk of Young Friends at Sandy Spring Friends Meeting.


Elias has a vision of a safer, more understanding world. He believes he can help create this world using storytelling and media. In his portfolio, you can find songs, poems, pictures, programs, and films that tell various stories of his life and how he sees the world. His concentrations are sonic arts, film, and interaction design.