Following a watering tour of DJ Freedem’s plant filled Brooklyn apartment, we continue our series introducing the 2020 Dazed 100 Ideas Fund recipients by going behind the scenes with Ella Snyder. The New York-based model, photographer and YouTube star is turning the photography project of her dreams into a reality with a grant from the Dazed 100 in partnership with Converse, shooting a series of portraits with “trans and non-binary individuals who are making waves within the community”.

“My photobook is really an exploration, as I find my own space within the trans community, and a celebration of all of the trans and non-binary individuals that I meet along the way,” Ella says. “To me, community is definitely a sense of family… and I think that as I undergo this project and as I shoot for this book, that sense of community becomes a lot stronger for me, in that sense of family.”

In the film, above, Ella takes us on set in New York City as she shoots for the photobook with one of her heroes, Connie ‘Connie Girl’ Fleming. Jamaica-born and Brooklyn-raised, Connie is a legendary transgender model and nightlife figure who walked for Mugler and Vivienne Westwood in Paris in the 90s, appeared in George Michael’s “Too Funky” music video, and was known for her reputation as one of New York’s most discerning club doorwomen.

Watch the full film to see Ella in action behind the lens, and to learn more about what the photobook project means to her: “Getting the grant from Dazed and Converse to complete my project has honestly been a whirlwind dream come true,” Ella says. “This is the first time I’ve ever really been taken seriously as an artist.”