‘The man behind our memories’: Kansas City photographer Harold ‘Tee’ Ervin dies at 38

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Harold “Tee” Ervin and his photography created enough to fill a library.

His work in Kansas City’s Black community established him as a man with a great eye who knew how to tell a story with a photo.

Ervin was a fixture at many events in the urban core. Now the face remembered by so many, always smiling behind a camera, will be deeply missed.

Ervin died on March 25 due to yet-unknown causes. He was 38.

Brian “Bizzy” Benton, curator of the social media group KC Where You At?, credits Ervin with helping many young creatives who may not have thought they could afford the luxury of a photo shoot.

“He shot a lot of people’s first professional photography and was always about helping people and the community,” says Benton. “So many people trusted him with their visions, and he always came through.”

Benton says the loss of Ervin cut particularly deep because of his vast ties to the community.

“He was just a good guy who was always positive,” Benton says. “A lot of the time when you see people doing the same thing, there is competition. But Tee always wanted to work with other photographers and mentor the younger ones.”

Benton, the creator of Kansas City’s annual 816 Day, feels the city has lost an irreplaceable talent.

“He was creative and knew how to catch the moment and was able to embody what people were expressing with his photos,” says Benton. “He was a teacher and a mentor, and always focusing on growing as a person and he would encourage other people to reach their greatness.”

One of the many events Ervin shot was Loc Queens of KC, an annual photo shoot organized by Tahirah Hinds, owner of Sweetwist Loctician Services.

“I wanted to make a space for celebrating Black women with locs and giving them the opportunity and space to connect with other women about their hair,” says Hinds. “He did such an amazing job capturing the essence and making them feel really comfortable.”

Hinds, who had known Ervin for years before hiring him, had intended that he take only group shots. Ervin volunteered to give each woman there a personal set of photos.

“If you were going through something, you never felt like you were going through it alone with him. He always showed up, had your back and would do anything for you,” she says.

Hinds, who also hosts events throughout the city and is a music artist, says that Ervin could make a person comfortable in front of a camera. But, for her, his kind and warm spirit transcended just taking pictures. Seeing Ervin practice his craft and the joy that his work brought people will always be a fond memory.

“He was real and showed so much love to the city. His photography helped paint a picture people may not have seen in themselves,” says Hinds. “We all love him and we are all going to miss him. You will never find anyone who knew him that had anything bad to say about him.”

Ervin succeeded despite struggles of pain and loss he endured, including the death of his daughter Ialiyah. He used his life experiences to grow into a beacon of positivity, loved ones say.

“He is the man behind our memories, and there are so many people in the Kansas City area where he was behind capturing those moments,” says Terrell Ray, who hired Ervin as the photographer for the Kansas City People’s Choice Awards. Ervin won the award for Best Photographer in 2019.

“He was a trailblazer when it came to photographers and he paved the way for a lot of the photographers who came after him.”

Hundreds of messages were posted on social media throughout the week.

“Reading our text threads has kept me laughing & smiling in my saddened moments.”

“Thank you for taking beautiful pictures of my family and me. You were always genuine and inspirational. May you R.I.P.”

“Omg!!!!this is truly real… rest well my friend, prayers for your family.”

“This is some seriously crushing news…you are and will forever be missed.”

After Ervin’s death, Ray decided to rename the Best Photographer award to the Harold “Tee” Ervin Photography Award in his honor.

“He was a really good guy who left a lasting legacy,” says Ray. “He was such a genuine and authentic person who was always willing to pay it forward. He wanted to show people growth was possible.”

This story was originally published April 2, 2023 at 5:30 AM.

J.M. Banks

The Kansas City Star

J.M. Banks is The Star’s culture and identity reporter. He grew up in the Kansas City area and has worked in various community-based media outlets such as The Pitch KC and Urban Alchemy Podcast.