CLARISSA RAI

I am Clarissa Rai.

 

I'm a black femme photographer and creative director based in NYC. My interest lies in how people become visible through images.

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My background in acting (I have an MFA in Acting from Ohio University) taught me to pay attention to what exists beneath the surface. That instinct followed me into photography, where I became interested in the relationship between a person and the world around them.

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Personally, I'm drawn to the way subtle details reveal something about a person. The way someone occupies a space. The way an environment changes the feeling of an image. That attention shapes how I direct.

 

I create images for culture creators and brands whose visual identity needs to catch up with the ambition of their work.

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For me, photography is translation. I take what exists in your imagination and help give it a visual language that feels unmistakably yours.