Gilbert Ronald Brathwaite, the photographer who illuminated Black skin on film, passed away at the age of 85. This man impacted fashion shows, art exhibitions, and photography with his contributions to the “Black Is Beautiful” movement in the 1960s. Unsurprisingly, he preferred the company of jazz greats and icons like Muhammad Ali, Bob Marley, and James Brown, who he photographed along with unknown Black individuals who were shadowed or otherwise poorly captured by his Caucasian peers.

Gilbert Brathwaite used his Harlem darkroom to develop processed techniques that captured and uplifted the Black community’s essence, drive, and emotion. It was said that Brathwaite had suffered so much damage to his fingertips from the harsh chemicals that he used over the years that he had worn down the grooves. Brathwaite took pictures for various publications, including Essence, The New York Amsterdam News, and the City Sun.

The photographer collaborated with his older brother, Elombe Brath, who shared his interests in the Pan-African and black nationalist philosophies espoused by Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey. In 1956, they formed the African Jazz-Art Society and Studios, where they produced jazz performances, art exhibitions, and even themed fashion shows. Perhaps, one of the most famous and influential “Naturally ’62” pageants came from this studio, which celebrated Black beauty and the debut of an all-Black troupe called the Grandassa Models.

With his natural creativity, Brathwaite continued to break old standards and conventions. He captured Isaac Hayes wearing a vest of gold chains in 1972 during the Wattstax benefit concert in Los Angeles, which the soul singer then used for his album cover. He followed this up later that year by accompanying the Jackson 5 on their tour of Africa. Brathwaite went on to photograph Ali and Foreman’s Rumble in the Jungle, heavyweight championship fight in Kinshasa, Zaire in 1974. While there, he snapped Ali sitting on the bank of the Congo River, taking in the water’s tranquility underneath a gray, cloudy sky.

Brathwaite was survived by his wife Sikolo Sumter, a Grandassa Model, and their children. His son, Kwame Brathwaite, is the head of the Kwame Brathwaite Archive and continues to preserve the photographer’s work. In 2019, Brathwaite’s work was the subject of a retrospective display at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

Brathwaite believed in using music to contribute to his photographs’ moods and feelings. He was even a tenor saxophonist who would play jazz records during some shoots. Brathwaite mentioned, “That’s the thing you want to capture—the feeling and mood that you’re experiencing when they’re playing.”