Kawan Mills…Grand Rapids, MI
Capturing Light, Capturing Purpose: The Photography Journey of Kawan Moneek
By Doug D. Sims
For Grand Rapids-based photographer Kawan Moneek, photography has always been about more than pictures—it’s about preserving legacy, telling truth, and reflecting the beauty God sees in all of us.
Long before she launched her business in 2018, Kawan was the one in her family with the camera. From disposable film rolls to scrapbooks of stolen family photos, capturing memories was second nature. But when her father was diagnosed with cancer and her family realized they had no portraits together, the urgency of memory became personal. “We needed photos,” she says. “That moment pushed me into purpose.”
Self-taught through YouTube and real-life trial and error, Kawan dove into the craft with a desire to do it right—from mastering manual settings to developing her clean, vibrant, detail-oriented style. She fell in love with Nikon early and stuck with it. “Once you learn a system, you make it yours,” she explains.
Her work is known for its color, soft lighting, and emotional clarity. “I want people to see themselves the way God sees them—fearfully and wonderfully made.” That message was especially clear in her 2020 Black Lives Matter portrait series, where family and friends posed with hand-written affirmations on their skin during the height of the pandemic and protests. “The eyes told the story,” she says.
Kawan’s eye for detail sets her apart—removing distractions like glare and background clutter, not because clients always notice, but because she does. “I want every image to feel intentional.”
When she’s not behind the lens, she’s mentoring others, pouring back into aspiring creatives, and planning to teach the basics of photography herself one day. “Everybody starts somewhere. I just want to help people begin the right way.”
You can find Kawan Moneek Photography on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or visit her website at kawanmoneekphoto.net. For her, photography is more than art—it’s ministry. A way of saying: You matter. Your story matters. And this moment deserves to last.
