Jalen Wright is an African American photographer, residing in Buffalo, NY. Jalen picked up his first camera on May 18th, 2007, where he was tasked to document his grandmothers 75th birthday party. Despite not having any prior knowledge of photography, Jalen went on to capture the essence of his grandmothers party beautifully. Although Jalen was naturally talented with photography at such a young age, he did not continue pursuing it. It wasn't until 8 years later, when Jalen rediscovered his love for photography through a college friend.
Growing up, Jalen had aspirations of being a police officer, wanting to assist people and make a positive change in the world. Seeking an in depth understanding of the criminal justice system, Jalen enrolled into SUNY Fredonia as a Criminal Justice major in 2014.
Early on in Jalen's undergraduate years, he knew that the criminal justice field was not for him. Jalen battled with his identity as an African American male, and his outlook on law enforcement. Jalen decided that he did not want to be associated with the criminal justice system or law enforcement, and sought to find a new major.
It wasn't until the end of Jalen's freshmen year of college (Spring 2015), where he rediscovered photography through a friend. Every week, Jalen would use his friends camera so that they both could have the best pictures to post on Instagram. These weekly photoshoots reignited the spark that Jalen felt when photographing his grandmothers party. It was during the first semester of his sophomore year when Jalen changed his major to photography.
Jalen graduated from SUNY Fredonia in May of 2018 with a Bachelor's degree in Visual Arts and New Media with a concentration in photography, and went on to get his Masters in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from Buffalo State College - Graduating in May 2020.
Jalen is a storyteller and hopes that with every photo he takes, the viewer creates a narrative based on what they see. Jalen strives to capture the raw emotions of his subjects and wants to relay a sense of authenticity in all of his work.