Oakland native Sarahbeth Maney is getting praise for the image she captured at the Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Jackson appears blurred in the highly touted photo while her daughter Leila remains in focus, showing off a beaming smile while the judge prepared to make history.
“When I saw (Leila’s) face, she gave this expression that really translated just how much she admired her mother,” Maney said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “I think it was nice to see the daughter’s face in the background, but have her in focus because it’s very specific to her experience and what she was feeling as a young, Black woman.”
Here are four things to know about the photographer who is now getting high praise for the image she captured at the hearing.
1. The photographer captures feelings vividly.
Maney is known for the intimate photos she captures. The former San Francisco Chronicle intern, who now works as a photography fellow for The New York Times, has a knack for clearly illustrating the emotions of the subjects she photographs.
One of her well-known projects focused on a mother who was giving birth during the pandemic. The series of photos, taken throughout different stages of the mother’s pregnancy, tell the story of how the woman tried to overcome the struggles she faced during the pandemic, particularly when she was experiencing homelessness during the first three months of her pregnancy. The images also capture the joyous moments of the woman’s pregnancy.
Another image on Maney’s website shows a young man who is wearing his graduation gown and cap, along with a Black Lives Matter shirt, while being surrounded by officers during a protest.
2. Maney strives to break barriers with her photography.
Maney said she often finds herself among a group of photographers who are mostly white. At Jackson’s hearings, Maney said it was one of the rare times she worked in a space with more than one Black photographer.
As she spotted Leila, who was clearly proud of her mother’s ability to break barriers, the photographer was able to relate to the historic moment.
“For me, [the photo] translated this sense of pride and how proud she was that her mother was there. As Black women, that was something that I could relate to personally because I know what it’s like to create a seat at the table for myself,” Maney said.
The photojournalist was well aware of how the historic moment could inspire many other people from underrepresented groups.
“What we’re covering is something that’s a milestone in our society,” she said. “It’s a historic first. Representation is central to everything I do as a photojournalist and the way that I see the world.”
3. Bernice King and many others fell in love with Maney's photo.
The Bay Area native is getting recognition from Bernice King and many others after capturing the Jackson family photo.
King raved about the image on Twitter, saying, “What a powerful, needed photo.”
What a powerful, needed photo, @sbmaneyphoto. 👏🏾 https://t.co/vDfJ7GCkjA
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) March 24, 2022
“When I saw that [King] retweeted it and credited me, it felt very surreal to receive that recognition because I worked so hard to get to where I am,” Maney said. “Just to be recognized and have people feel what I felt when I took that picture really meant a lot to me.”
Many more people are in love with the photo.
Being the first is amazing, but having your daughter look at you with this much love is priceless. #daughterslove #MothersDaughters https://t.co/00Z5Roz1l1
— Michelle (@TomeezWife) March 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/SlinkyDog10/status/1507300103945691141
4. Maney has already built an extensive résumé.
The young photojournalist has already accomplished more than the average person in a short time. The New York Times photography fellow, who is covering politics in Washington, D.C., has been featured in The Washington Post, Time, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, CNN, The Guardian, HuffPost, Bloomberg and Forbes, among others.
She documented stories about pregnancy and housing insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic after receiving a grant from the Pulitzer Center and Diversify Photo.
Maney obtained her bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from San Francisco State University in 2019. That’s also where she served as The National Press Photographers Association chapter president.
