BY KEELIN EVERLY_LANG for WEEKLY VOLCANO 5/29/26 |
Glowing goddesses, queens, enchantresses, and models embodying the spirit of retro glam: all come to life behind the lens of this week’s cover artist, Wild Sage Dreamscape Photography.
Local photographer Neeah Williams-Randolph grew up in the Tacoma area and launched her photography company a few years ago after gaining an education in digital media at Bates Technical College.
Her work focuses on dreamy portrait photography, exploring fantastical themes and celebrating the beauty and diversity of our community.
Although Williams-Randolph began by focusing on nature and landscapes, she soon found her niche with people.
“People are just an interesting subject, because we as humans are complex creatures and can tell a story within a photograph,” Williams-Randolph said.
“I’ve gotten to meet so many amazing individuals through portrait photography,” Williams-Randolph said. She’s photographed many of her models more than once and said that “building that rapport with people is also really awesome.”
Most of her portfolio shoots so far are structured as “trade-for-prints” (TFP).
Shotkit.com describes this as a scenario where “both the photographer and the model agree to work together without payment. It’s not that they’re working for nothing, though. Instead, they exchange their time and skills to create a compelling portfolio.”
This setup recognizes the value that each participant is bringing as a trade and is not the same as working for free. Models and photographers both typically charge for their time and skill set, so in this setup, the model is sharing their time and participation in creating the art in exchange for the final images the photographer creates. Then both can use those in their portfolio.
Williams-Randolph has already had her photographs featured in a variety of magazines, including La Modèle, Vigour, Selin, and LYBELL.
This has allowed Williams-Randolph, as a newer artist, to build a portfolio and create art by developing a shared vision with her models.
“It can be a really fun experience because you may have one idea, they may have another, and you just collaborate on the common goal of what you want to do,” Williams-Randolph said.
Inspiration can come from anywhere. The cover photo is from a shoot called Cosmic Heavenly Bodies, which Williams-Randolph first conceived while listening to “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer.
The song’s sound brought a space-themed concept to mind, and she then met with some collaborators to develop characters around that idea.Williams-Randolph has always connected with music and art and in the past has spent time drawing and singing as well.
She now focuses most of her creative energy on her photography and said she appreciates the art form because she’s always “trying to find the beauty in everyday moments, and just trying to see like optimism and positivity.”
While Williams-Randolph said that “art is definitely political and joy is resistance,” these collaborative outlets for creative expression have also been an escape since the election.
“Being a Black woman photographer in the U.S., especially under this administration, it can be really jarring and discouraging sometimes when I wake up and I see the news of all this stuff happening. I just try to lean more into my community and to my support, and that’s what keeps me going,” she said.
Since the industry is mostly dominated by men, she said she has “come across photographers who are both misogynistic and racist, but luckily, I’ve had a circle of photographer friends who are very, very inclusive, welcoming, supportive, and understanding.”
Her experiences have also made it very important to her to create a safe and comfortable space for her models and artistic collaborators because she’s dealt with “some photographers who are predatory.”
Celebrating beauty and ensuring representation are extra important right now, she said. In fashion and in media, she wants to contribute to celebrating diversity and “make sure that more people who look like me, get represented” and that there is representation of all skin tones, body shapes, and types.
Looking to the future, Williams-Randolph is interested in more collaborative photo shoots around creative themes and has dreams of doing photo shoots for independent music artists and other big names.
This summer there may be some mermaid-themed shoots on the horizon that she’ll be looking for models and participants for. Collaborators are welcome to reach out to her with ideas for shoots and to connect.
Follow her on Instagram at
@WildSageDreamscapePhotography or check out her portfolio at wildsagedreamscapephotography.mypixieset.com.
