Ajani Charles is a published digital photographer based in Toronto–the Canadian city famed for its cultural diversity and the creative dynamism of its artistic community.

A graduate of the nationally acclaimed Claude Watson Arts Program, Ajani also apprenticed at the Toronto School of Art and the Art Gallery of Ontario. The mentoring and rigorous training he received at these institutions fertilized his natural talent, shaping him into a versatile and always evolving artist who is well versed in portrait, editorial, glamour, fashion, documentary, product, architectural, and fine art photography.

For Ajani the camera is a medium for self-expression and photography the ideal art form for capturing the ineffable beauty of people, objects, and landscapes. Though his photographs bear the distinctive stamp of his unique regard and sensibility, his work evidences an eclectic panoply of influences which includes Markus Klinko and Indrani, Jill Greenberg, Yousuf Karsh, Ansel Adams, Alexander Rodchenko, Richard Avedon, André Kertesz, David LaChapelle, Steven Spielberg, Hype Williams, Zack Snyder, and Jamel Shabazz.

Ajani’s work has been displayed at the Skills Canada Photographic Skills Competition where he was awarded a medal for the technical polish of his images as a teenager. His photographs have also been exhibited in such venues as the Museum of Canadian Contemporary Art, The New Era Flagship Store and the Koffler Gallery among others. In addition, Ajani has gained considerable notoriety in the Greater Toronto Area through his first photographic documentary, Project T Dot–a visual chronicle of the city’s Hip-Hop culture and community in its entirety through a wide-ranging collection of intimate and dramatic black and white photographs.

Ajani counts among his many and varied clients Canadian Newswire Group, The Torstar Corporation (Eye Weekly, Sway Magazine, etc.), Universal Music Group, ICON Digital Productions, Christian Dior, Fashion Cares, York University, Holt Renfrew, Gridcast Media, The Manifesto, The Burgundy-Brick Foundation, Dynamic Hospitality, Triple Threat Entertainment, The Urban Music Association of Canada, Habitat For Humanity, DreamNow, Mobile Jam Fest, SBC Media, Swagg News, The Canadian, The AIDS Committee of Toronto, Auction Wire, Green Shag, Hip-Hop Canada, The Toronto Independent Music Awards, Cream World Magazine, Voice Marketing, Uniq Lifestyle, Contra Magazine, N4E1, and The Chris Bosh Foundation.

http://www.ajani.ca