After Hurricane Joaquin devastated South Caroline in 2015, artist and design professional Danielle Ellis headed to Johns Island with her camera and model Lakeia Hodges.

The result was a photo essay juxtaposing a carefree young woman against the backdrop of nature’s destruction after Joaquin became a “1 in a 1000 year” flooding event.

Ellis is now a graphic designer and web specialist for TownNews.com, the company that handles websites for the Quad-City Times and scores of other newspapers nationwide. She is also now the main designing force behind The Real Mainstream‘s website and print edition. This photo collection features mostly shots from her trek to Johns Island, in addition to other shots of Hodges and model Antonio.

Photographer and graphic designer Danielle Ellis

You can find more of Ellis’s work at danifellis.com. Hodges continues to pursue a career in acting and singing, and her credits include the short film “Boss” about a magical chess game, and the 2021 full-length movie “Generations,” about three generations of Black women. You can learn more about her through Instagram, or by watching her original song and video, “Ask YourSelf,” from 2021.