A tribute to Raja

"When I first started working as a photographer with drag performers, the imagery I was creating was being lost online. It would occasionally resurface on a Tumblr page or pop up on a blog, but the contemporary drag scene wasn’t as embedded in modern pop culture as it is today; there just wasn’t the pull towards it. The now cult TV show Rupaul's Drag Race was airing in the early hours of the morning to a relatively small audience, but, needless to say, I was hooked from season one in 2009. After the third season had aired, feeling a bit more confident in myself and my work, I decided to congratulate the new winner of the show, Raja Gemini, never expecting a response but still really hoping for one. Six years later, she’s been the cover star of my self-published zine Alright Darling, we’ve got drunk together and partied in Hollywood, and we’ve visited each other’s homes. Working with and getting to know someone like Raja helped me as a photographer more than she knows, and her relaxing demeanor silenced any anxiety I might have had about photographing celebrated personalities in the scene." Excerpt from the book 'Alright Darling?' by Greg Bailey Read more: https://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/9k7e9y/capturing-the-contemporary-drag-scene

Fotógrafo:  Charles Ludeke

Imagen promocional de la tercera temporada de Rupaul’s Drag Race, 2010

Retrato de Raja como “El Maharaja“, hecho por el artista Franz Szony, 2014

Foto de Mathu Andersen, 2015

Fotos de Sequoia Emmanuel para el show de Raja “Gawdess”, 2017

Still del video “Diamond Crowned Queen”, dirigido por Austin Young, 2011

Raja momentos antes de ser coronada en la tercera temporada de Rupaul’s Drag Race. Foto de Mathu Andersen  

Foto de Austin Young, de la serie TRANIMAL, 2013

Foto de Sequoia Emmanuelle para la revista Dark Beauty, 2013

Foto de Magnus Hastings

Foto de Greg Bailey, del libro Alright Darling. 2018