GU GOALS: Kennedi Carter Partners With Google Creator Labs

“I’m just photographing things that I am familiar with,” Carter tells GU.

Google has launched its third series of Creator Labs and chosen a distinct group of young photographers to lead this new vertical. Featuring work from Kennedi Carter, Andre Wagner and Natalia Mantini, each were tapped to release a series of visual artwork exclusively created over the past few months with the help of Google Pixel and LENS for Season 3 of Creator Labs.

“It’s been cool, I had a lot of freedom to do what I wanted and make the work that I wanted to make,” Carter tells ESSENCE. This October, Carter became the youngest cover star at 21 in British Vogue history when she captured Beyonce for the brand’s December 2020 issue. Following the footsteps of Tyler Mitchell who shot Beyonce’s U.S. Vogue cover in 2018, they both join a small group of Black photographers who have shot for high-fashion magazines.

For her new series, the photographer documented horsemanship in Black southern communities. Carter being from North Carolina details the work she creates is a reflection of her environment. “The south is where I’ve grown up all my life,” she says. “I’m just photographing things that I am familiar with.”

This release marks the final steep of Creator Labs’ inaugural year. Both Google and LENS are one of the many companies who have chosen to invest and amplify the voices of Black creatives.

Check out Carter’s work below.

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