THE OBSIDIAN COLLECTION ARCHIVES PRESENTS
Obsidian Legacy Photography
Summit
Preserve, Protect & Perpetuate
An intimate working session for legend photographers whose images shaped history and whose legacies deserve protection.
â—† Coming Soon to Five Cities â—†
"Your images documented history. Now we ensure history documents you."
ABOUT THE SUMMIT
A Gathering of Legacies.
A Moment of Recognition.
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The Obsidian Legacy Photography Summit brings together twenty distinguished Black photographers in their 60s through 90s whose work has shaped cultural memory, journalism, and the historical record across generations.
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This is not a ceremony. It is a working session, an intimate and professionally structured gathering designed to address one of the most urgent needs in cultural preservation: ensuring that legend photographers have the legal protections, archival infrastructure, and storytelling platforms their life's work deserves.
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Many of these photographers began their careers during a time when they were often excluded from prestigious institutions and corporate spaces, despite documenting defining moments in American and global history. Bringing them together in a premier setting is a meaningful acknowledgment of their contributions, and a living bridge between history and the future of visual storytelling.
THE PROGRAM
What to expect.
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The two-hour program opens with Angela Ford, Founder of The Obsidian Collection Archives, framing the vision and urgency behind this summit, nine years in the making and now expanding nationally. From there, celebrated photojournalist Jason Miccolo Johnson leads an intimate conversation about collection valuation, the importance of digitizing and organizing lifetime bodies of work, and what it truly means to understand both the cultural and financial worth of a personal archive built over decades.
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The program then turns to the legal landscape, with intellectual property attorney Perry Gattegno of Litwin Law walking photographers through copyright and trademark fundamentals, licensing structures, revenue pathways, and how to lease images while permanently retaining full ownership. The session closes with a detailed overview of the benefits of joining The Obsidian Collection Archives, a brief participant survey, and dedicated time for one-on-one conversations with speakers, culminating in an official group photograph of The Obsidian Legends.
MEMBERSHIP
Pathways to the
Obsidian Collection
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Participants will have the opportunity to learn about three structured archival membership levels within The Obsidian Collection Archives, each designed so that photographers retain full copyright and ownership of their work at every stage. From foundational archival hosting and metadata development, to national digital storytelling campaigns, podcast features, print magazine consideration, and curated collectible book opportunities, the tiers offer a range of preservation and amplification pathways suited to each photographer's individual needs and goals.
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Licensing at every level is structured, permission-based and clearly documented. Membership options, benefits, and pricing will be presented and discussed in full at the summit.
COVENED BY
Jason Miccolo Johnson
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This national initiative is spearheaded by Jason Miccolo Johnson, a celebrated career photographer whose lens has captured five decades of Black American life, culture, and history. Jason brings to this summit not only the weight of his own fifty-year archive, but a deep conviction that the photographers of his generation, those who showed up, with cameras, when history was being made, deserve organized, expert support in protecting and activating what they built.
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It is Jason's personal commitment to his peers that is driving this summit from one city to five, creating a national community of master photographers united in preservation, legacy and the recognition that has long been overdue.
HOSTED BY
The Obsidian
Collection Archives
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Founded nine years ago as an Illinois 501(c)(3) nonprofit, The Obsidian Collection Archives is the go-to destination for authentic Black content created by those who live and shape the culture. The platform serves journalists, content creators, media outlets, and archivists dedicated to telling Black stories through the voices and lenses of the community itself.
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Through digital platforms, the Obsidian Podcast, Google Arts & Culture exhibitions, Obsidian Magazine and curated print projects, the Archives amplifies Black visual history to a global audience.
NATIONAL INITIATIVE
Coming Soon to Five Cities
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The Obsidian Legends Photography Summit launches in Chicago and will travel to four more cities, building a national community of legent photographers united in persevation and legacy.​
New York
Atlanta
Chicago
Now - April 2026
Los Angeles
Washington, D.C.
YOU ARE INVITED
Be Part of This Movement
This summit is an intimate gathering by invitation. To express interest in attending or to learn more about The Obsidian Collection Archives, reach out directly.​​