Photographers have historically had challenges lighting and capturing darker skin tones.
The Indianapolis Recorder sat down with Martina Jackson, founder and CEO of CaptureNoire, a new company whose photo and video editing app captures melanated skin tones in their full beauty.
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Jackson is the owner of Drea & Co., a digital marketing and photography agency. Before she picked up a camera, she earned a biology degree from Indiana University and held various STEM roles, including genetics research, medical device manufacturing and regulatory affairs. In this Q&A, Jackson talks about her journey in STEM, advice for future STEM professionals and how she created CaptureNoire.
This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
When you were a young person interested in science, how did you navigate spaces where you were the only person or one of a few people who looked like you?
Jackson: That was definitely something that came up. What helped me was finding people in my area that I could connect with, that I could feel authentic with. As I got older, (I was) learning to still feel confident enough to show up as I am anyway — whether it’s avoiding code-switching or not feeling like I have to hide any parts of myself when I come into work.
Were there mentors, family members or role models who supported you in pursuing STEM when you were younger?
Jackson: Absolutely. My family was very supportive, especially in my younger years and through high school. When I got to college, I had some really awesome mentors when I was doing undergraduate research. One of my favorite mentors was Dr. Leonie Moyle at IU. She really helped push that scientific rigor, helping me understand how to present.
In the startup field you often do pitches. There are aspects to my pitch today that I learned from her when I was presenting genetics research. What is the purpose of what you’re doing? How does it make an impact? All of those things still tie into the way you communicate.
Can you talk a little bit about the journey to creating CaptureNoire?
Jackson: As a photographer, I’m taking photos of hundreds of people of all shades of all skin tones, whether it’s wedding photography, commercial photography and any kind of portraiture.
If you’ve ever used filters, a lot of them made darker skin tones kind of muddy or it would pull out certain oranges and kind of give this Oompa Loompa effect. We use these tools, but they’re not really optimized for everyone. If you’re a Black girl, we have oranges and yellows and reds in our skin tone.
I wanted to come up with something that’s really simple so you could pick up your phone, take some nice photos, and have lots of beautiful filters that are curated specifically for us. So that’s what CaptureNoire really is.
So, you don’t have to be a photographer to use this. This is for anybody?
Jackson: Yes. The beauty of it is that people can make videos and social media content and have access to the tools that they need. The great thing about presets and filters is people can just click a button and be done. It doesn’t matter if you’re a photographer, a blogger, a content creator, or just an everyday person.
How do people access CaptureNoire?
Jackson: We are finishing up development of the first version of the app now, anticipating that it’ll be available on Apple and Android. We’re going to release a beta version that people can try. You can go to capturenoire.com and see everything that we’ve got.
If you are a photographer and you want slightly more advanced tools, we’ll have those. But the app itself will be really simple and easy for anyone.
This is intended for darker skin, but does it work for all skin types?
Jackson: Yes. (The filters are) optimized for darker skin tones, but they look stunning on anyone. It really doesn’t matter if you are fair-skinned or if you are in that middle tone; these will work for you.
What would you want to share with young people who are considering STEM fields?
Jackson: One thing that I learned over time working in multiple STEM fields was that you are much more knowledgeable and capable than you may realize. I’ve been in rooms with everyone from CEOs to scientists, engineers and developers — all very smart and capable people.
But sometimes there is an intimidation factor and you start to compare yourself. I’ve learned that there is nothing that you don’t have compared to these people with years of experience or in these high positions. You’re very capable and there’s so many opportunities for folks that have STEM degrees.
A STEM degree gives you a lot of opportunity to try different things and to work in different fields. I encourage it. I just want folks to keep pushing through. Any way that I can support the mission of getting more young people into STEM, I’m all for it.
Follow CaptureNoire on Instagram @CaptureNoire or visit online at capturenoire.com. For behind-the-scenes information on Jackson’s journey as a founder, you can follow her on Instagram @martina.drea.
Contact Editor-in-Chief Camike Jones at camikej@indyrecorder.com or 317-762-7850.
Camike Jones is the Editor-in-Chief of the Indianapolis Recorder. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Jones has a lifelong commitment to advocacy and telling stories that represent the community.
