For Belleville, New Jersey—based photographer Elianel Clinton, the camera provides a window into the experiences of others as well as a mirror for his own. “My community and real-life experiences are what truly influence my practice,” he explains. “Bringing these stories to the forefront to help either make a slight difference or to help someone out there across the globe see themselves so that they’re aware they aren’t alone.” The seeds of Clinton’s practice took root in his childhood while he watched his father documenting the growth of him and his brother, and he became inspired to pursue photography after seeing how his father had made the passage of time tangible. With his first DSLR camera bought for him by his parents at the age of thirteen, he continuously photographed himself, his friends and his surroundings. “During high school, I realized that I was merging two things that excited me—fashion and documentation,” Clinton recalls. “Come senior year, I discovered what soon became my new stomping grounds: The Fashion Institute of Technology. After getting accepted there, I was overjoyed.” After graduating with a degree in photography and with several internships that hadn’t evolved into job opportunities, he took a position within an e-commerce studio. However, after a workplace injury, Clinton decided to strike out on his own as a full-time freelance creative. “The hustle and drive I’d entered the zone with has only grown stronger and more powerful since I made that decision,” he says. For the defining characteristics of his work, he points to the values that his parents instilled within him and his interest in increasing representation of marginalized people. “Through the stories I tell within my work, I hope to make the world at least an ounce of a better place,” Clinton says. “I firmly believe that I am currently living fully in my life’s purpose, and I was given by my higher power God this exact path to follow. I want to show other queer Black and Brown boys that they too deserve a seat at the table in any respected career field and can do anything their heart desires.”