Spotlight: Matt Ramey for The Washington Post

BY 12 August 2024

Raleigh, North Carolina-based photographer Matt Ramey recently completed a photoshoot for return client The Washington Post. Matt was approached by Lauren Bulbin, a photo editor at the newspaper, to capture a series of stills to accompany an editorial by writer Ariel Felton on the history of Atlantic Beach, South Carolina. This small section of Myrtle Beach, also known as “The Black Pearl,” was established in 1934 by George Tyson, a Black business and land owner, as a safe haven for Black beachgoers during US segregation. The Washington Post published the story in July of 2023.

Screenshot from the Washington Post article with Matt Ramey's photo.

Over the years, Matt has photographed several editorial projects for the client. Initially, he had emailed introductory letters to their photo editors for about a year before he received his first assignment.

I do a lot of documentary photography that revolves around the people, places, and culture of the South. I love photographing how people connect, how communities define themselves and the way “Place” defines a community.

A sign that says "Welcome to Atlantic Beach" and a flower pot, by Raleigh, North Carolina-based photographer Matt Ramey

Preplanning

In preparing for the shoot, Matt had several phone calls and email exchanges with both Lauren and Ariel. These conversations helped him understand the scope of the project and the visual story the client needed to accompany the editorial.

The goal of the images was to compliment the brilliant writing by Ariel. I wanted to set the scenes and give weight to the feelings she was conveying about the town’s storied past, its struggles growing and evolving, and its prospects for the future. The Washington Post is a news outlet, but this story allowed for some creative imagery to really ground the story visually.

Family portrait of Tony Coward, Malasia Coward, Amonee Coward, Tony Coward Jr., and Asia Coward sitting on the beach. Tony Sr. came to this beach with his grandmother as a child, who brought him due to its historical importance, by Raleigh, North Carolina-based photographer Matt Ramey — **_{Tony Coward, and his family Malasia, Amonee, Tony Jr., and Asia sit on the beach. Tony Sr. came to this beach with his grandmother as a child, who brought him due to its historical importance.}**

The Project

The photoshoot took place over two days in June 2023 at the height of the summer tourist season, meaning it was hot, sunny, sandy, and full of vacationing families. The locations were throughout the small, four-block-wide town, just off a major road running through Myrtle Beach.

I worked alone on this assignment, roaming the beach and streets. A big part of this shoot was photographing black families on the beach and talking to them about what Atlantic Beach means to them. Many of them come to Atlantic Beach because their parents or grandparents brought them there growing up precisely because of its safe space, fun atmosphere, and heritage.

A portrait of an African-American couple in front of their house, by Raleigh, North Carolina-based photographer Matt Ramey

Portrait of John Sketers, 88, at his kitchen table, by Raleigh, North Carolina-based photographer Matt Ramey — **_{John Sketers, 88, at his kitchen table. Sketers is the oldest person in Atlantic Beach, and likes to jokes “I got here 2 weeks before the ocean.”}**

All of the people I met were very excited and eager to be a part of this story. I came into this assignment (like all assignments I do) with a genuine curiosity and excitement to learn about this community. I try always to represent what I’ve learned visually through the photography.

I met with a few specific notable locals who were interviewed for the story, such as Patricia Mallett, a resident who visited the beach as a child, and who plans the Gullah Geechee festival.

Portrait of Patricia Mallet, planner of the Gullah Geechee festival, poses for a portrait in her home in Atlantic Beach, by Raleigh, North Carolina-based photographer Matt Ramey — **_{Patricia Mallet poses for a portrait in her home in Atlantic Beach}**

Patricia Mallett’s photos of Atlantic Beach showing the fishing season (a major economic driver), the Pavilion dance hall, arcade and gathering space, and the owners Thelton and Johnie Mae Gore (owned from 69-89), by Raleigh, North Carolina-based photographer Matt Ramey — _{Patricia’s photos of Atlantic Beach showing the fishing season (a major economic driver), the Pavilion dance hall, an arcade and gathering space, and the owners Thelton and Johnie Mae Gore (owned from 69-89)}

I also met with Sherry Suttles, a historian of Atlantic Beach and the Gullah people.

Sherry Suttles stands under a historical marker she helped erect in front of Town Hall with the Atlantic Beach Historical Society, by Raleigh, North Carolina-based photographer Matt Ramey — **_{Sherry Suttles stands under a historical marker she helped erect in front of Town Hall with the Atlantic Beach Historical Society.}**

One fellow I met Thomas Joseph, a retired corrections officer, was sitting in his truck at sunset, watching the ocean turn pink and deep blue. He was so kind and sweet and just had an amazing aura that was welcoming. We ended up chatting for a while not as photographer and subject, but just as two folks interacting and connecting in a beautiful place.

Photo of Lenearl Evans stands in front of Wood's Apartments, which he owns. His brother is Jake Evans, the Mayor of Atlantic Beach, by Raleigh, North Carolina-based photographer Matt Ramey — **_{Lenearl Evans stands in front of Wood’s Apartments, which he owns. His brother is Jake Evans, the Mayor of Atlantic Beach.}**

Another notable place was the Black Magic Social Club, a club attached to a local motel owned by the mayor, Jake Evans. His son Jerrick turned on the sign for me and told me he had never seen it on! It was the first time the sign had been turned on in many years. I felt that sign was a beautiful symbol for the piece as a whole.

A photo of the (now closed) Black Magic Social Club with its lights turned on, by Raleigh, North Carolina-based photographer Matt Ramey

A part of the story was the conflict among residents on whether to allow a high-rise hotel to be built on the beach, so I looked for images that told that story.

Images of “No High Rises” sign that dots the roadside looking North down S. Ocean Blvd at the Baywatch Resort that borders Atlantic Beach, by Raleigh, North Carolina-based photographer Matt Ramey — **_{“No High Rises” signs dot the roadside looking North down S. Ocean Blvd at the Baywatch Resort that borders Atlantic Beach}**

Challenges

For this project, Matt reported that the main challenge was curating his selects gallery for the client.

There was so much visually I had captured, from landscapes to portraits to scene setting to abstracts that augmented the mood of the story. I didn’t know which direction Lauren wanted to go with the visuals so I spoke with her to help cull my selects. The town is beautiful and I had an abundance of imagery to choose from.

Portrait of young African American girl smiling in orange shirt, by Raleigh, North Carolina-based photographer Matt Ramey

This shoot was especially educational because working off the cuff with total freedom for two days sometimes can be difficult because there is TOO much freedom. I learned to focus and really see what was in front of me, and to capture images in a way that propelled and enhanced the writing.