Fresh from making history as the first Black woman confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson paused for a portrait marking the occasion.

Behind the lens: Lelanie Foster, a young Black photographer based in The Bronx.

“She was awesome. She was amazing. A very, very warm person,” Foster said of the soon-to-be justice.

Foster’s agent first reached out about the opportunity to take Jackson’s portrait just days before the photoshoot. Once on the White House grounds, Foster says the session was a collaborative effort.

“We’re bringing [Jackson] over to the monitor. We’re reviewing as we’re going. Her family’s there. Her daughters are there, they’re giving their input,” she remembered.

Foster first started to pursue photography in college. She is now no stranger to big assignments.

Her Instagram account chronicles her recent work, much of it focused on lifting up Black women, including photo sessions with actress Issa Rae and singer Andra Day, among others.

Foster says her “guiding light” as a photographer is celebrating the person who is in front of the lens. Her shoot with Jackson was no different, she says.

“I wanted a sense of regalness and poise to come across in that image,” she said.

Since being published, the Jackson portrait has taken off. Oprah shared it on social media. Beyoncé posted it on her website.

 

 

The reception has left Foster lost for words, especially as she reflects on the history she helped document.

“I think about all the people that have opened doors for her before her and then all the people that she will be opening doors for behind her, including myself,” she said.