Myrina "Renaissance" Otey-Myton is a fashion, portrait and event photographer born and raised in St. Louis, MO. She is a wife, mother of 5, daughter, aunt, sister, and community collaboratHER. She graduated from UMSL in 2018 with a B.A. in Psychology, Workplace Science. As a native to St. Louis, her love and adoration for people of color and our stories has inspired her to learn more. Through her journey she has become fascinated with the constant evolution of black people, from our intelligence, fashion, art and natural state as expressive beings to all that we’ve overcome. Myrina first picked up a camera as a young girl learning from her father, Michael D. Otey Sr. After losing her job in 2016, she picked it up again and began freelancing. During this time, she began to capture the narrative with positive imagery of black people.  In May 2020, she opened up her first photography studio, Renaissance TJS Studios where she captures mostly women of color, encouraging them to tap into their confidence and beauty in front of her lens. Myrina’s studio is an all inclusive experience with makeup, wardrobe styling, creative direction and hype conversation.

Myrina is also the createHER of the H.E.R. Series. She’s been curating Women’s History Month events honoring black women and giving them the flowers they deserve since 2018. Her Eminent Reign: The MoveMINT is a collaborative visual project working with multiple women artists to highlight black women from the past who have made a huge impact on who we are today and have been forgotten. This exhibition focuses on recreating images of them by reimagining them in a more modern world today. We tell their stories through visual art so that people recognize the role they played in the progress of black women today. The added component to this project is that it is an NFT project leveraging digital art on the blockchain. Through the sales of these NFTs we will be donating to women and/or black owned organizations that advance women whether it be in fashion, positive birth outcomes, youth self esteem, confidence projects and homeschool cooperatives.